On January 27th, BRAVO implemented a local meeting with public authorities in Vitez, Bosnia and Herzegovina, as part of the Erasmus+ project called “AHEAD”. This event served as a perfect closing for the AHEAD project and marked the beginning of a new era as there will be more activities implemented in Vitez and surrounding areas.
So what was this event all about?
The event featured inspirational speakers coming from different areas of civil society. The event speakers were Sabahudin Tahirović, Ihana Mujak, and Mujo Trako. We were incredibly honored to have these speakers as our guests, who were willing to work together and participate in this occasion so that they may selflessly share their experiences with young participants.
Ilhana Mujak, a project coordinator and youth worker from the organization “CEM,” was the first speaker at the event. Ilhana encouraged everyone to work proactively in creating a society that celebrates diversity. It is safe to say that she inspired participants with her enthusiasm for youth work and surely motivated them to try it out themselves. Ilhana emphasized that the organization ‘’CEM’’ not only focuses on raising awareness about the importance of inclusivity but actively engages in different actions to support marginalized communities. The audience was positively influenced by the wide range of activities implemented by the organization, and they were moved to become part of positive change.
After the previous speaker finished her speech, Trako Mujo took the stage. Mujo elaborated on the positive changes he has implemented in society. He shared his experience as an organizer of various events that were entertaining, educational, and humanitarian. Mujo also talked about the challenges he faced and how he overcame prejudices. He emphasized the significance of eliminating these prejudices and preconceptions. As Mujo Trako’s story developed, the audience listened carefully, learning more about the ways to overcome obstacles and leave a positive impact on society.
The last speaker of the event was Sabahudin Tahirović, president of the Roma Association ‘’Jačanje Zuralipe’’. His story was moving, leaving everyone speechless. Through his speech, Sabahudin talked about the obstacles Roma people face on an everyday basis. He outlined the challenges and emphasized the significance of identifying and eliminating the stereotypes that support discrimination against the Roma community. He talked about how society must face and overcome deeply held prejudices to create an equal society that would allow Roma people to flourish. He shared more about the impactful work of his association, which is reflected in numerous successfully implemented initiatives that have enhanced the position of the Roma people.
Upon the conclusion of the speech, young people felt a deep sense of obligation to combat discrimination, intolerance, and hate speech toward marginalized individuals. We express our heartfelt gratitude to the amazing speakers who adjusted their schedules and participated in our event, contributing gradually to its success. We are thrilled to announce that the event was successfully implemented and we are proud to have added another chapter to the ‘’AHEAD’’ project!
More about AHEAD project:
AHEAD project aims to promote youngsters ‘–discrimination and to combat racism, xenophobia, and other forms of intolerance against Roma and other Ethnic minorities (mostly migrants). Partners jointly work on innovative good practice approaches, human rights-based narratives, training, official regular meetings, and European awareness-raising campaigns. The project promotes inclusion, tolerance, mutual and multicultural understanding, and the fight against Roma, Ethnic minorities, and migrants discrimination in Europe by an innovative approach that combines research, training (national and international) on antidiscrimination and on hate speech, round tables, seminars, exchange of good practices, meetings between different representatives, stakeholders, CSOs and youths associations, and a massive dissemination campaign. The project aims to contribute to strengthening the capacity building of young victims (part of minorities) and the protection of youngsters belonging to minorities by supporting them in capacity building and structuring new mechanisms in public consultations in the partner’s country (replicable all over Europe) on the issue of non-discrimination and fighting every form of hate speech against ethnic minorities, Roma and migrants.