Like every year on December 5, International Volunteer Day, the Tuzla Community Foundation held the final event in their Be the hero of your community project to celebrate volunteering and promote hard-working young people in the Tuzla Canton. This year, the conference called “Youth Inspiration Academy” was held on International Volunteer Day at the Culture Center Tuzla. Young people had an opportunity to participate in workshops designed to support their personal development, social engagement and business efforts.
The campaign “Be the hero of your community” included relevant stakeholders from all three sectors, to strengthen their accountability and encourage cooperation in creating a youth-friendly environment where youth will feel comfortable taking responsibility, learning and working. Director of the Tuzla Community Foundation, Jasna Jašarević, wanted volunteers and all other young people to know that even when we grow up, we have to be kind and make change happen:
“Despite all the challenges we face in our efforts to build a better future, I just want to say two important things: keep being kind and changing things for the better! Be good at everything you do, but make sure your work is philanthropic, and treat yourself and your community with kindness. We’re often told to be kind when we’re little, but we don’t hear it enough once we’ve grown up. That’s why you have us at the Foundation to remind you of this! Keep creating change, and don’t be afraid of changing from within – from the way you treat others to the things you can do in your community! This a simple but effective recipe for staying motivated and inspired to conquer every day and the challenges it presents, now and in the future!”
In addition to the workshops, the event also included an award ceremony honoring individuals, associations and businesses that gave extraordinary contributions to youth development.
The Tuzla Community Foundation announced their “Hero of your community” awards for the following categories:
- Young women’s association GirlThing – for the best project implemented in 2020;
- Belma Likić – for extraordinary contribution as a volunteer at the Youth Bank in 2020;
- Lovic & Co. – for years-long support to youth in the “Be the hero of your community” campaign”.
- Adnan Mujkić – for extraordinary contribution to youth development and empowerment;
- Institute for Youth Development KULT; for extraordinary contribution to the development of youth and the youth work sector;
Adnan Mujkić, as an individual who contributed to youth development and empowerment, said that the Association “Youth Theater Tuzla”, where he is president, is dedicated to the “art of giving”. He believes volunteering is crucial for youth and is happy that there are others who agree, even in these difficult times. “What connects us and inspires us to give doesn’t cost anything – anything can be achieved if we join forces”, said Mujkić.
The Institute for Youth Development KULT works on policy development and implementation, and the award was received by the General Director Jasmin Bešić, on behalf of the Institute’s team. He particularly emphasized the importance of partnership among all stakeholders in efforts to make young people’s lives in BiH easier in the long run.
The Youth Inspiration Academy is the crowning achievement of this year’s campaign, and it supported 9 youth-led initiatives in 2020. The Tuzla Community Foundation secured 34,543.00 BAM in funding this year, thanks to foreign donors, the government and socially responsible businesses. Over the past 7 years, the campaign supported 100 youth-led initiatives with a total of 230,000.00 BAM.
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