During August, the volunteer activities of the Hastor Foundation continued across Bosnia and Herzegovina. The summer period brought a somewhat different rhythm, but there was no lack of ideas and activities that brought our volunteers together. Below, we bring an overview of the most interesting activities that marked this month.
At the NUR Islamic Educational Center in Gornji Vakuf, mentors Esmin Prijić and Nedžma Hajdarević carried out the activity “Our City Through the Eyes of Young People,” aimed at developing a sense of belonging to the local community through getting to know the place where the students live. The students talked about what their city or town means to them, which locations they consider important, and what they are especially proud of. They then explored historically important buildings and sites, cultural customs and traditions, natural beauty, and the everyday life of young people in the local community. Special attention was given to collecting old photographs and stories in order to compare what the place and life looked like in the past and today. In this way, the students got to know the history, culture, and everyday life of their town better, connected the experiences of older generations with their own view of modern life, and developed awareness that their voice and involvement can also be important for the community.
At the Ficibajr picnic area in Brčko, Adelisa Okanović and Almina Vejzović carried out the activity “Mosaic of Friendship – Together We Create Something That Remains,” whose goal was to develop togetherness, creativity, cooperation, and mutual respect. The students talked about friendship, helping others, respect, and togetherness, and then created their own symbols representing something beautiful they wanted to share with others. Using cardboard, paper, small stones, sticks, and other available materials, they made individual parts of a mosaic, which were then joined into one large shared piece of work. The students came up with a name for the work together and explained what it represented. They also made small friendship cards, which they exchanged with one another as a sign of gratitude and a pleasant time spent together.
At the Women’s Association “Most” in Jablanica, mentor Begović Ehlimana carried out the workshop “Learn the Basics of Canva, Be Your Own Master,” aimed at gaining basic digital and creative skills. The participants learned about the basic functions of the Canva tool and ways of using it to create content for social media, presentations, promotional materials, products, and services. Through practical work, they learned how to register and log in to the platform, start a new project, and use text, photographs, colors, shapes, and ready-made templates. They independently created simple graphic materials, while volunteers provided support with technical difficulties and following the tasks.
Ćoralić Haris and Imamović Segmedina in Sarajevo planned a volunteer activity dedicated to reusing plastic materials and developing creativity through making useful and educational toys. The activity included collecting plastic bottles, bottle caps, and other clean plastic packaging, sorting them, and preparing them for creative workshops. The participants would use the collected materials to make simple toys, such as cars, animals, board games, and decorative items, while also talking about the importance of recycling, environmental protection, and possibilities for reusing waste. After making the items, a small exhibition was planned, while some of the toys were intended to be given to a kindergarten, school, or children from the local community. The activity was designed as a way to develop a responsible attitude toward waste, creativity, and awareness of the importance of protecting the environment.
In Tuzla, mentors Mia Markelić and Harun Zulčić carried out the activity “The Voice of Young People on the City Walls,” aimed at civic activity, creative expression, and teamwork among students. After an introductory motivational discussion, the students chose topics they considered important for their community, such as environmental protection, peer violence, care for animals, the importance of reading, and healthy habits. Divided into teams, they researched basic information, created messages and visual ideas, and then made educational posters from different materials. After presenting their work, the students, accompanied by their mentors, went into the local community, where they placed the posters in designated advertising areas and talked with passers-by about the topics they had worked on.
This month as well, Hastor Foundation scholarship recipients showed that volunteering can take different forms, from creative work and education to providing support to others and caring for the environment. Through working together, they developed new skills, strengthened team spirit, and learned how their involvement can contribute to the community. The variety of activities once again showed that young people can be active participants in positive change and that even small initiatives, when guided by the wish to contribute, can have an important impact on the community in which they live.
