Happy because it Happened
Guest Post by Alem Hamzić
Last month, 100 alumni of the FIUTS Youth Leadership Program with Bosnia and Herzegovina joined FIUTS staff in Bjelašnica just outside Sarajevo for an alumni reunion and conference. This event brought together all six cohorts of students and teachers who had traveled to Seattle for the YLP between Spring 2012 and Fall 2014.
Participants spent three days connecting and sharing stories of their experiences, and also took part in workshops to plan how they can work together in the future to strengthen their communities and their country. Alem Hamzić (YLP Fall 2012) wrote this post about the conference and the impact that the YLP experience had on him as a leader.
How to put a couple of words in this letter and to describe all the emotions that appeared in those three days...
Since I have been on the FIUTS Youth Leadership Program with Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2012, let me introduce myself again. My name is Alem, and I live in Sarajevo. Before, I was a boy who didn't have wishes, who didn't have goals in life and with that, no motivation to do something in my country or local community. I lived a monotonous life, with no perception of "different."
Now, I try every single time to say "thank you" to the persons who gave this opportunity to me, to see that we all have potential to do something great in life.
Maybe it is not enough...
How can you even thank somebody how turned your life around, who gave you that spark that motivated you to help, support and motivate others...to make a world a better place...(or even try to do so)
For me they said "he is emotionally devoted to everything he does..."
Then, you can imagine how much I have enjoyed to see about 100 young people who have the same interest and motivation as me to help Bosnia and Herzegovina to be a better place to live in. Looking at the history of B&H and the period of 1992 to 1995, a great success is to gather young powerful people with different nationalities and religions with the same goal and devotion.
Alem and fellow alumni at the reunion
Our great personalities and potential that has been shown through our projects that we have done in the past years have been recognized by US Ambassador in B&H Maureen Cormack who opened the conference and she stated “Young people all over the country are working to unite their communities, to build foundations for cooperation and reconciliation.”
A lot of words that encouraged us to engage in initiatives to further develop BiH civil society.
With no sadness in my heart because it ended and with the joy and happiness that bombarded me while I was writing this letter, I can only say that WE WILL TRY! We will respect everything that you have done for us, every minute of your devotion, calmness, motivation, strength...
Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment, until it becomes a memory...
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The Youth Leadership Program with Bosnia and Herzegovina is sponsored by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, U.S. Department of State. Learn more about the program here.