Visiting Program

On this initiative young people from Bosnia & Herzegovina, Serbia and Kosovo travel to each other's cities to meet professionals in their field of interest and take part in cultural activies. The aim is to create an open-minded generation of young people who will be willing to work and cooperate with their neighbours.

Description

The Youth Initiative for Human Rights Visiting Program provides the opportunity for young people, students, and professionals from Bosnia & Herzegovina, Serbia and Kosovo to meet professionals working in the field that they show interest in; and to visit places of interest in each others cities, e.g. museums, theatres, universities, media houses etc. They will also have the evenings for experiencing the general atmosphere of where they visit and get a chance to informally interact with people and get to know the host culture. Visits can take place any time during the year. Participant will travel to Belgrade, Prishtina and Sarajevo or other places of professional interest.

Aims / Objectives

The goal of this program is to foster a culture of dialogue and mutual cooperation among persons from Bosnia & Herzegovina, Serbia and Kosovo and to create an open-minded generation of young people who will be willing to work and cooperate with their neighbours in Serbia/Kosovo. This will contribute to creating a more peaceful and stable political situation in the region.

How it is Articulated

YIHR coordinates all the logistical details related to the visit - length of the visit, travel arrangements, agenda etc. All travel and visiting expenses are covered by the YIHR.

The length of the visit can be negotiated between the participants and organisers, however usually the visit would last for 2 to 3 days. Visits include a large amount of meeting with professionals, social and cultural events, and leisure time. Each visit can be different but the following can be a part of it: visiting different institutions, media houses, organisations, banks etc, depending on personal interest -meetings with professionals in their chosen sector, university professors, practitioners etc, and participating in cultural events, concerts and other evening activities.

The responsibility of the participant is to write a short essay (not more than 2 pages) upon returning from the visit. Participants can apply by completing an application form (available from YIHR website) and a rough agenda of the visit. Applicants will be informed of the result of their application within 15 days.

Achievements / Learning points

We are proud of our work and the projects implemented so far in the area of human rights and democracy.

The YIHR Kosovo office organised a visit to Sarajevo Film festival, with the target group of young Serbians and Albanians. With this initiative we have achieved positive interaction between the conflicting sides.

Geographical Area of Operation

In Kosovo, BiH , Montenegro and Serbia, especially their capitals.

Funding Resources

• Australian Embassy in Belgrade;
• Balkan Trust for Democracy (BTD);
• British Embassy-Belgrade;
• Charles Stewart Mott Foundation;
• Civil Dialogue;
• Comité Catholique contre la Faim et pour le Développement (CCFD);
• Danish Embassy-Belgrade;
• East-East Program (Soros);
• Embassy of Finland-Belgrade;
• Embassy of France-Belgrade;
• Embassy of Germany-Belgrade
• Embassy of Netherlands-Belgrade;
• Embassy of the United States of America - Belgrade;
• Freedom House;
• French Cultural Centre, Belgrade;
• Friedrich Ebert Foundation;
• Fund for an Open Society-Serbia;
• Heinrich Böll Foundation;
• Konrad Adenauer Foundation;
• Kosovo Foundation for an Open Society;
• National Endowment for Democracy (NED);
• Norwegian People's Aid;
• Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE);
• Quaker Peace and Social Witness;
• Rockefeller Brothers Fund;
• Royal Norwegian Embassy-Belgrade;
• Swedish Helsinki Committee for Human Rights;
• Swiss Government Ministry of Foreign Affairs;
• United Nations Development Programme (UNDP);
• United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR);
• United States Institute of Peace (USIP); and
• US Office Pristina.

Organisations Involved

YIHR offices in Prishtina, Sarajevo, Podgorica, Belgrade and Novi Sad. Schools, museums, cultural and other institutions.