The Association ‘Dignitet’ from Mostar was founded three years ago, born out of the desire and need of long-time activists.
One day, they said, “Let’s do something good for our community,” and their story began. In early 2020, “Dignitet” was founded in Mostar, inspired by the belief that dignity is an inalienable right for everyone and driven by the needs of the local community. From the beginning, the Association has functioned like a family, investing in its members with the desire to grow and improve together every day. The community quickly recognized this noble goal and joined in their activities. Not too long after its establishment, the Association embraced another opportunity and started cooperating with the Institute for Youth Development KULT through the program Localworks and organizational capacity building.
The success achieved by the Association, despite starting without any resources, demonstrates that the will, desire, and dreams of its current employees can genuinely lead to success: “We brought our own laptops, our own cameras, and collected money for a banner we can take with us to events so we can be recognizable. We didn’t even have suitable offices, so we recorded our first interview in a colleague’s apartment. Those were our first steps, and the time when the Institute supported us and believed in us. Today, everything is very different,” one of the employees proudly states.
“Dignitet” is a good example of how important support, understanding, and a friendly approach are to an organization’s success. Learning from each other and sharing knowledge and experience in our mission of joint growth and development led to the first achievements: “From the very beginning, our work with the Institute, the activities, and the projects we implemented were met with enthusiasm. We had faith in each other and in ‘Dignitet’ at every step. Our family members understood our long hours and supported our desire to succeed in everything we did. We were really pleased and proud that our original rating was relatively good and not too low. When we started the process of assessing and strengthening organizational capacities, it all seemed very complicated and difficult. However, we started working hard on it and realized that it’s not impossible. Some things took more time for us, but the Institute’s staff was always understanding, and we really made a lot of progress as an organization,” said another employee.
Despite having limited knowledge about the process, the Association “Dignitet” bravely decided to do everything they could to improve their capacities and strengthen the foundations of their work. When they began the first self-assessment and saw the extent of what was being asked of them, they admit they were a bit skeptical. They were especially motivated when they realized, after meeting other organizations, that they were more organized: “Thanks to the Institute, we understood what an organization needs to function in accordance with the law. We divided the tasks based on everyone’s strengths. Nothing we did was abrupt, it was all thought-out and gradual”, say the employees of the Association.
The fact that they couldn’t decide which training was the best or the most interesting goes to show how useful and engaging the trainings were throughout this process. However, they believe that the training on resource mobilization was the most important one for their organization and came at just the right time. Employees of the Association still talk with enthusiasm about their Job Shadowing experience and visits to the Institute: “We talk about our experiences every day, and after returning from Sarajevo, I told my colleagues that we must have visited another dimension. You should have seen how many different stamps they have,” says one of the employees with a laugh.
They describe the staff of the Institute as very professional, full of understanding and genuine desire to see partner organizations make progress: “The experience of meeting the Institute’s staff, their advice and approach were very special for us. They are really one big family and everyone does their job, but they are all connected. We want ‘Dignitet’ to become an organization of that scale and significance for society.”
When asked what motivated them the most to move forward, one of the employees quotes her favorite writer Meša Selimović: “Do you know what is the most beautiful thing in life? Wishing well to a friend”.
“This whole process was made possible thanks to our desire to bring change to ourselves and to the people around us and to show that we are important to each other. Seeing a small effort on your part mean the world to someone else will motivate you like nothing else. Getting the chance to help someone and be a source of support motivates you to keep moving forward and strive for improvement. We truly live this job, making it our daily mission to put the child, the person, and every individual first, with the administration and paperwork coming second. Seeing the best in each individual is our goal, and these aspirations keep the organization strong. Our focus extends beyond just project approval. We work on various topics, such as preventing bullying, child pornography, pedophilia, and women’s empowerment. When you do this work well enough that other organizations from across the country ask you to help, it means you are recognized and valued,” adds another employee.
They believe that the organization’s capacity is crucial because: “The more qualified, professional, and developed the organization is, the more the users benefit. When we are satisfied with our programs and they improve, the users experience the positive effects right away. The best proof of this is the growing number of people seeking support from the ‘Dignitet’ Association, making it easy for us to gather large groups. We often hear that our Association is mentioned as worthy of attention and that we truly approach everything differently. All our activities are visible, and the public is familiar with our work, so we believe that our users really feel the progress we achieved through the organizational capacity-building program.”
They emphasized that participants are so much more than a name on a list – the contribution of each participant is valuable. It is important to dedicate time to each participant, as some young people who have been with ‘Dignitet’ from the start have earned the opportunity to join the Association and contribute to its development. Dignitet says that their door is always open to anyone who wants to work and create better opportunities for society and young people.
When asked what they are most proud of, they say it’s the people: “We change each other, support one another, and touch the hearts and lives of our users. We see our growth process as a caterpillar turning into a butterfly and spreading its wings. It’s hard not to feel proud of those vibrant colors. We are also proud of the fact that no one clips anyone’s wings – the success of every individual is a success for all of us. We solve all problems as a team, because some processes have to be completed, no matter how demanding they are. We are so very proud of everything we’ve done, every life we’ve touched, and all our future plans.”
We must not let those who work for others day in and day out be forgotten. That’s why the Institute makes an effort to dedicate time to each partner organization and support them: “From the beginning, they always referred to as ‘our Dignitet’ at the Institute, which made us feel special and assured us that we always had someone to turn to. We are recognized as a professional, enthusiastic, and dedicated team that truly embodies the vision that every person deserves a dignified life. We are seen as a reliable partner and an organization that continuously learns and grows.”
For the Association, the biggest benefit of the organizational capacity-building program is its emphasis on taking a serious approach to the growth of the organization across all areas. They realized the importance of having a structured and organized administration to ensure efficient functioning, understanding their obligations and responsibilities, and knowing how to approach each aspect of their job.
“We encourage all organizations that want to grow and develop to go through this process. The Association “Dignitet” is a perfect example of how a young organization can become strong, visible, and vibrant, thanks to this program! This service offered by the Institute for Youth Development KULT is definitely a win for the non-governmental sector in Bosnia and Herzegovina,” concluded the employees of the “Dignitet” Association.
You can read more about the organizational capacity building program HERE, and if you have any questions, you can reach out via email to selma.sljivo@mladi.org.
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