SREMSKI KARLOVCI/SARAJEVO – Supported by RYCO within the fourth Open Call for Project Proposals co-financed by the European Union, the Red Cross of Serbia – Red Cross of Vojvodina (Crveni krst Srbije – Crveni krst Vojvodine) in partnership with the Red Cross of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Crveni križ Federacije Bosne i Hercegovine) implemented a youth summer camp within the project “Youth can make a change”.
Two key activities were divided in two summer camps which took place in Sremski Karlovci, Serbia and in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The first youth camp was held in Sremski Karlovci in Serbia from 1 to 6 June 2021 and brought together 23 participants where they learned about peace, diversity, acceptance and non-violent communication. The young peer educators also enhanced their team working skills and improved their capacities for the promotion of a culture of non-violence and peace in the Western Balkans.
Furthermore, youth connected and made new lifelong friends. They developed new skills on acceptance, diversity and conflict resolution, and felt empowered to stay connected as young peer educators of the region.
“This camp has enabled me to meet wonderful people and I am looking forward to maintaining the new friendships,” stated one of the participants in the youth summer camp.
When asked about their experiences and key takeaways from the summer camp, friendship was the keyword. The activities held throughout the camp served also as a strong basis for future partnerships and friendships which will add positive value to the whole project outcomes.
“This camp allowed me to meet people who are similar to me. I look forward to new camps in the future,” said a young participant.
Speaking of key highlights from the summer camp, another project participant added: “I am very glad that I gained new experiences and friends. I will definitely remember this camp”.
“Youth can make a change” summer camp contributed to building a culture of mutual understanding, acceptance, non-violence and peace by engaging youth from Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia in a diverse, open and friendly environment.
“I will remember this camp for a long time because I gained new experiences and friends,” concluded a young participant of the summer camp.
The young participants gathered again in a second youth camp which took place from 3 to 6 August 2021 in Sarajevo where they explored and worked further on the new knowledge and skills gained during the previous camp.
“I am extremely glad because the cooperation was between two Red Crosses from two different places and that we gained new international friendships,” shared one of the young participants after the implementation of the second youth camp.
As an exciting journey was concluded, another young participant added that: “I met a lot of new people who, I hope, will remain my friends for life. I also learned, through the workshops, to love myself.”
Final Note: The photos in this article are a selection of activities held during both youth camps organized in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia.