As a participant in the Democracy International programme, the youth exchange “Youth Bridges Europe”, in Sarajevo and Cologne (Vallendar), I could say that it was a memorable experience for me, as well as a great opportunity to meet new people and learn about cultures in both programs. Therefore, here I would like to share some reflections that were especially important for me.
Starting my journey in Sarajevo, Mostar, and Srebrenica in October, it was my privilege to learn about the general situation during the war, as well as to visit places like the War Childhood Museum, Memorial Centre Potočari, and the Municipality of Mostar. I had a chance to meet the mayor of the Memorial Centre Potočari, as well as other people, who were talking about their experiences during the siege of Bosnia. Listening to these stories made me think more deeply about the traumas other people experienced during this period, because even though I was born just 1 year later, I think it is something I should learn more about. I heard many stories from my family about the stressful time they experienced, but I think I needed more practical experience in order to understand what happened to my country.
Just 6 months later, my journey continued in Vallendar, Germany, a small city near Cologne - a great opportunity to learn about other cultures through workshops and visiting a historical museum in Cologne, but here, I would like to reflect on just a few of them. The first one that came to my mind is about how to organise a project, and what to expect from it. I found it very useful for me, because right now I am working on one. It regards children and elders with disabilities.
Moreover, what was especially interesting for me was that in both of the programmes I participated in, we had so many interesting activities outside of the property where we had presentations.
As a conclusion, besides very interesting workshops and important visits, this programme helped me to meet new people and develop new friendships in both of programmes, and this programme made me feel curious about life in both of the countries, especially my home country. In general, I understood once more how valuable International Exchange is. It was a great feeling for me to feel at home in Bosnia and Germany, thanks to this programme and people, because we all felt like being a part of the EU family. There are a lot of things to learn about each other, and these programmes are excellent and valuable opportunities.
