BOSNIA
DATES: TBD
APPLICATION DEADLINE: TBD
PROGRAM OVERVIEW
GYC has two programs in Bosnia. The first is focused on conflict resolution and peacebuilding, and is run inconjunction with the Center for Peacebuilding in Sanski Most -- our long-time partner organization. In this program, participants will gain experience in conflict resolution and transformation as well as deepen their understanding of the post-conflict challenges faced by Bosnians today, especially young people from various ethnic and religious backgrounds.
A second program is focused on contemporary human rights issues, and is run in partnership with the Youth Initiative for Human Rights. This program focuses on how local Bosnian youth and human rights organizations (especially women’s organizations, youth organizations, LGBTI-rights organizations, arts organizations, and peace-building organizations) are rebuilding the country today. Participants will gain experience in the application of international human rights theory, as well as deepen their understanding of the post-conflict challenges faced by Bosnians today.
DATES: TBD
AGES: 18-35
PROGRAM FEE: TBD
includes local guide, local transportation, meals, accomidation, delegation materials, tips.
Excludes airfare
PROGRAM DIRECTOR:
Miki Jacevic
HISTORY
Nearly twenty years after the end of a bloody war that caused endless suffering and destruction, Bosnia and its people still struggle to find a path for reconstruction and reconciliation. While the guns and shells stopped in 1995, the country remains in a very fragile state. The root causes of the war have not been fully addressed and the international community seems unable to create conditions for sustainable peace.
The Dayton Peace Accords, signed in November 1995, brought an end to violence, death, rape and concentration camps. But the accords also created a political and constructional paralysis, which has prevented Bosnia from moving forward towards peace and prosperity. The country was split into two entities, a Bosniak and Croat “Federation,” and a Serb “Republic.” These two entities reflect the continued divides in the country – divides that some say are increasing with time.
Protests erupted in 2013 and 2014, reflecting the deeply felt frustration at the levels of unemployment, corruption, and poverty in the country. As the protests faded, the task of rebuilding human, political, and economic relationships across ethnic and religious lines remains largely unattended and ignored. Widespread flooding in Spring 2014 also caused massive destruction, as well as dozens of deaths.
PAST PROGRAM REPORTS: