The Community Activism Summer Camp has finished, and we are still processing all the impressions, good ideas and new information. We had fun, learned new things and made new friends. The summer of 2023 in Konjic will be remembered for the remarkable young people eager to learn, socialize, and drive positive change within their community.
The participants of the camp, which was organized as part of the Regional Program for Local Democracy in the Western Balkans 2 – ReLOaD2, funded by the European Union and implemented by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in Bosnia and Herzegovina, were young people from local communities in Bosnia and Herzegovina: Bihać, Centar Sarajevo, Gacko, Goražde, Gradiška, Istočno Sarajevo, Mostar, Novo Sarajevo, Prozor – Rama, Prijedor, Ugljevik, and Vitez. Young people from these partner communities of the ReLOaD2 project had the opportunity to participate in various project activities and build their skills. The summer camp also empowered them to engage with local community issues and supported young people’s efforts to participate in decision-making processes.
The young participants learned about active participation in the local community, including decision-making processes, local government operations, activism, volunteering, launching initiatives, and engaging peers in dialogue and including them in decision-making processes. After engaging with youth workers, young people felt encouraged and motivated to take action in their communities, share their ideas, address the needs of young people, and take advantage of the benefits of activism.
“The activism camp in Konjic showed me that I am not alone in this, that lots of people are there to help me, and I learned how I can successfully launch initiatives in my community,” said our participant from Goražde, Runi Baker.
But the story does not end here! The next step for our participants is organizing dialogues with young people in their communities and applying everything they learned during the camp. Our participant from Prozor-Rama, Mateja Topić, describes the abundance of positive energy: “I spent some wonderful days at the camp in Konjic. It was really useful, and, most importantly, it motivated me to keep working in my community. The wonderful friendships I made in Konjic are particularly memorable.”
We want to thank all the participants for this four-day adventure and look forward to meeting again. We can’t wait to see the results of the dialogues with young people from all over Bosnia and Herzegovina, and we know they’ll have lots of ideas on how to improve the lives of everyone in this country.
The Institute for Youth Development KULT organized the camp as part of the project “Strengthening the Capacity of Young People from 13 Partner Communities.” This project is part of the Regional Program for Local Democracy in the Western Balkans 2 (ReLOaD2), funded by the European Union and implemented by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Have a look at the photo gallery HERE.
#ReLOaD #ReLOaDBiH #LocalDemocracy #WesternBalkan #InstitutKULT
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