Enna Beširević is a 21-year-old, who was born near Rotterdam (the Netherlands) and has roots in Bosnia and Herzegovina. She is studying Public Administration, plays basketball and does the odd student job because she likes to earn some pocket money. Enna spent the past 10 weeks interning at the Institute for Youth Development KULT, where she says she learned so much in such a short time. Enna says the future will show just how important this experience will be for her career and education.
She’s been spending her holidays in Bosnia and Herzegovina for the past 15 years. While she says she loves visiting the country where her roots are, she identifies more as Dutch. Her favorite thing about Bosnia and Herzegovina is the nature, and she spends the majority of her time in Bihać, where she fell in love with the river Una. She dreams of being a diplomat and says that the ideal scenario would be working for the Government of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
She chose to do an internship in Bosnia and Herzegovina not just because it’s the land of her ancestors, but also because of all the young people she met here during her previous visits. I was always amazed at the potential of young people in BiH. A lot of the young people I met in Bihać are so talented and motivated to make their lives better”, says Enna. She found the Institute by Googling “youth Bosnia”. She read about the Institute’s work and decided to send an email asking about an internship. She soon received a reply, and joined the Institute’s team in the beginning of 2020.
“I’m so happy I got to spend these 10 weeks at the Institute meeting young people from different parts of BiH, and had the opportunity to work with them during the UMiD training. I learned a lot from them, especially about the system in BiH and their experience and I’m also glad I was able to share my own experience and give some advice, especially about the Erasmus+ program”, says Enna. Her favorite experience was meeting foreign ambassadors, especially Ambassadors of the Kingdom of Sweden and the Kingdom of the Netherlands since she is hoping to become a diplomat.
When asked to compare the lives of young Bosnians and Dutch youth, she says the key difference is the number of opportunities that Dutch youth have. It makes her sad to see young people having to ask their parents for pocket money, and can’t earn it themselves. Enna says that the pace of life is a little faster in the Netherlands and that people in BiH spend more time together than people in the land of tulips, which she likes. Although the Netherlands is famous for its beautiful scenery and natural beauty, Enna says that she thinks the nature in BiH is even more beautiful, but she is also aware that this is in no way thanks to the system, and the country isn’t taking advantages of its natural resources.
Enna notes that she has a genuine connection with Bosnia and Herzegovina and that she hopes BiH youth will keep fighting to improve the country. She says that Dutch youth could learn a lot from Bosnian youth about how to create your own opportunities despite the problems people in BiH face.
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