Youth exchange entitled: “Activism – how I contribute to social change in the community”, realized in the period from 26-30.8.2021. in Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina, is the result of the project “Action for Roma Engagement, Entrepreneurship, Employment and Empowerment- ACT4ROM”.
The participants of the youth exchange were young people from Serbia, Slovakia, Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina, a total of 40 participants, 10 from each partner country.
The youth exchange primarily resulted in the expansion of a network of acquaintances among young people.
Within the work agenda of the five-day exchange, the participants had the opportunity to:
- Strengthen communication skills and identify their role in the community through the Marshall Rosenberg Nonviolent Communication methodology. The workshop was led by a trainer for non-violent communication, Selma Teparić, B.Sc. pedagogue-psychologist;
- Master the basic elements in the application of the Forum Theater methodology through the process of advocating for social change. The workshop was led by Tuzla actress, Ivana Milosavljević, B.Sc. pedagogue-psychologist;
- Awareness of personal motivation for community activism and learn how and in what way motivation affects aspirations and goals, then get acquainted with tools for self-analysis and strategies for activism and contribution to local community development. The workshop was led by Marko Divković, a fourth-year student at the Faculty of Philosophy, University of Tuzla, Department of Pedagogy and Psychology, volunteer at the Fondacija tuzlanske zajednice;
- Improve personal skills that affect cooperation and communication with others from the aspect of learning, through the workshop “Teach me Softly”. The workshop was led by Ermin Mujanović, Soft Skills Trainer Candidate, EESTEC Tuzla
- Get acquainted with the youth association GirThing from Tuzla, which was started by Alma Šećerbegović, professor at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering in Tuzla, all to encourage students and women in general to be more active in the IT sector. The workshop was led by dr.sc. Alma Šećerbegović, professor at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, University of Tuzla and Lejla Bašić, president of the Association.
In addition to the mentioned opportunities for learning during the exchange, it contributed to the improved self-confidence of the participants, especially from the aspect of overcoming the fear of public appearance, and also young people had the opportunity to visit Tuzla with the support of hosts and get acquainted with sights and interesting content.
The participants of the exchange expressed satisfaction, gratitude and happiness that they had the opportunity to visit some of them for the first time in the city of Tuzla, then to make new acquaintances, get to know other cultures and customs, as well as to renew existing and acquire new knowledge that will contribute to their future philanthropic work.
The project “Action for Roma Engagement, Entrepreneurship, Employment and Empowerment- ACT4ROM” is implemented by ”Međunarodno udruženje “Interaktivne otvorene škole” (MIOS) Tuzla in cooperation with partner organizations from Serbia, Pomoć deci, Slovakia, Wide Open School – Škola Dokoran, and Albania, Partnere per Femijet.
The project is implemented under the Erasmus + program and is funded by the Executive Agency for Education, Audiovisual and Culture, which operates under the authority delegated by the European Commission.
