Velida – Podlugovi
“It begins with individual action. Through it, I believe we can initiate change in our home communities.”
I was only an infant when my family fled as refugees from Srebrenica in 1996. At the time, my parents had just built a home and within months, they had to leave it behind. While I have returned to visit Potočari Memorial Center and I have walked Mars Mira as an adult, the memories surrounding Srebrenica were so devastating that my family never returned. Instead, my parents settled in Podlugovi where I have lived for nearly 25 years. Growing up, I suppose I never realized that my childhood was one of scarcity and limitations. Looking back, I recognize that my family – like so many – was merely working to survive rather than truly live. Perhaps if we had known it would be so difficult, we would have left BiH, like so many others.
I suppose the lack of varied experiences as a child has driven me to seek out opportunities as an adult. I am completing my Masters Degree in Criminology at the University of Sarajevo, but I also take advantage of new learning opportunities and I am dedicated to volunteer work with “Ruke,” an ecological NGO of which I am Vice President. Many people fail to understand why I would give so much of myself to work for which I am not paid. They do not recognize the value of civic engagement, both for initiating community change or personal growth.
My work with “Ruke” has given me a means by which to enact my passion for the environment and address ecological issues while also teaching me essential work skills through hands-on practice. Issue-focused organizations such as “Ruke” are essential for building community networks in BiH; they provide a forum for individuals who might be from diverse backgrounds to unite in their shared commitment to both their surroundings and to one another.
Other stories
Hannah - Sarajevo
“BiH must define herself by the diversity of all her citizens and be unshakably proud of it.”
Živan Ugljevik
“It’s time to accept the truth, unite behind it, and leave future generations an opportunity to succeed.”
Ivana – Banja Luka
“We can all be community organizers…we all just need a little push. I want to be that push.”
Magdalena – Prijedor
Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to act.
Mirna – Stolac
“WWI ended. WWII ended. Yugoslavia ended and the most recent war ended. This period of time will also come to an end.”
Stela – Banja Luka
“My friends tell me not to fight the wind, you cannot win. But I can try.”
Velida – Podlugovi
“It begins with individual action. Through it, I believe we can initiate change in our home communities.”
Nikolina – Banja Luka
“Sometimes we are given two options to choose from, and we are told that this choice is democracy, but what we really need is to demand new options.”
Aleksandar – BL
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only this that ever has.”
Vesna – Vitez
“Having different points of view makes for much more interesting conversation.”
Božo – Trebinje
“Bosnia and Herzegovina’s reliance upon the international community needs to end.”
