„Staying Friends“ – Youth Encounter Trip to Bosnien-Herzegowina
As part of an intercultural exchange, from 23 June to 30 June 2022 we organised a week-long youth exchange trip to Bosnia and Herzegovina, in which young people from Germany and Bosnia and Herzegovina came together to learn from one another, to break down prejudices and to promote interreligious as well as intercultural dialogue. The trip not only fostered mutual understanding and respectful exchange, but also laid the foundation for long-term, cross-border friendships and stronger cooperation between the two groups.
At the start of the trip, the young people met in Sarajevo, where they got to know one another and made the first preparations for the days ahead. In Travnik, the German and Bosnian young people engaged intensively with the planned projects, formed teams for the return visit and discussed the structural and organisational details. A central goal was to prepare the young people for shaping the return visit and to intensify the intercultural exchange.
Over the course of the week, the young people worked on various workshops on topics such as integration, democracy and cultural exchange. Especially impressive was the interactive exchange, in which German young people were involved in the local projects of the young people of Fondacia Educos. In Mostar and Sarajevo, cultural excursions and city tours were also organised, giving the participants a deep insight into the history and everyday life in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
An important part of the project was reflection: together with the young people, we reflected every day on the impressions gained, personal experiences and the significance of democracy and tolerance. The participants were encouraged to think about their own prejudices and to question them. At the end of the trip, our goal was to bring the positive impressions and insights back to Germany and to pass them on as multipliers in their home country.
This project not only strengthened cooperation between the young people from both countries, but also helped to promote intercultural exchange and cross-border dialogue over the long term. It created a space for mutual recognition and understanding and provided an important impulse for the further development of democratic values and social skills among the young people. We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to the Landschaftsverband Westfalen Lippe (LWL), whose funding made it possible for us to carry out this valuable project.
