Adventures that make us grow – by Katarina Petković

It has been a while since I found myself wandering around airport, trying to find which way should I go to get on a correct flight. Find the ckeck-in. Find the gate. Get your documents checked. It felt strange at the beginning, I could not understad why am I so lost, considering it used to be so famlilar and natural to me just two years ago. I found my travel companion near the gate and I felt relieved that I have complany. I do not have to go through this alone. It is okay, we have all been under pressure, the whole world as we know it was changed and each and every one of us was trying to adapt to what seemed to be our new reality. 

I sat on the plane and I have to admit that I was cheerful like a child to get the window seat. I have always loved to watch the Earth from above. It makes you realize how small we are, with all of our ups and downs, our joys and our problems.

Athens welcomed us with her arms wide open. We were checking the weather report, praying for a bit more sun and hoping we won’t have to wear umbrellas. I always lose them. The luck was on our side and we got to explore sunkissed Acropolis and we even went to the beach; to listen to the sound of waves with our eyes closed and our shoes getting a bit of sand inside, but who cares.

Our hosts’ welcome was even warmer and we really felt that Athens was our home during the days we stayed there. I was amazed by all of the activities of IASIS- NGO based in Greece, that fights for the rights of marginalized people and provides amazing help in the situations of great need. They have an amazing hosting home for people with mental impairments and people who are socially endangered and require a warm meal and a place to stay. I was so happy that I was able to personally meet some of them and hear their experience. They were grateful because they felt seen, there were people who took care of them even when they did not know how to ask for help. They also offer a support from local psychologists that volunteer in order to raise the quality of the mental help of those individuals; I was deeply moved by their initiative, beacuse, as I previously mentioned I consider that many people were negatively impacted by different unfortunate events that develloped in recent years- starting with global pandemic and followed by many restrictions and also economic crisis.

The biggest impression that I got from the photo exibition is this: We are all the same when we find ourselves in situations of crisis- we require help as soon as possible and as much as possible. Volunteers play the key part in rescuing and helping others- people form the community who are happy and ready to help their neighbors in need. I think that the exibiton succeded to demonstrate how impotant is any kind of help that an individual can provide, however small and unimportant it might seem. One individual cannot do much on their own; but when we sum up all of these individuals, we finaly get amazingy large group of people that are working and doing their best to solve problems that occur in their society and thus make their communities better.

To conclude my story, I wanted to say that this experience made me remember what am I capable of; it started with my anxiety about the upcoming trip and ended up as a great inspirational jorney- sometimes people might have a problem that seems extremely hard to solve, but when they get help and support from others, it can help them to overcome their fears and grow in ways they couldn’t possibly imagine.

 I cannot express how grateful I am for this experience, which could not be possible if I didn’t take part in the O’VISOR project. I appriciate that SFERA, an NGO from Serbia was so kind to choose me as their representative. They are an official partner of a project which is organsed by an NGO BRAVO, based in Sarajevo. BRAVO did an amazing job organizing a series of events and activities, and all of that of course with the help of Erasmus + programme – a programme that helps and supports young individuals like myself to grow and expand their knowledge and explore ways to contribute their society in order to make positive changes in their communities. 

Only what you give is yours!

‘It’s good to be back!’ – by Saša Vujanović

‘It’s good to be back! were my first thoughts as I set my foot on the streets of Athens. As I used to live there, and I was overwhelmed by all the memories coming through as I walked through some of the famous Athens’ spots, like Monastiraki square and a nearby flee market to find the exact same store where I used to go shopping, seems like forever ago.

Thanks to the Erasmus + programme funding and the collaboration of NGOs BRAVO from Bosnia, IASIS from Greece the project called O’VISOR was made. I was so happy that my sending organization Sfera Serbia was also one of the partners because I was given this great opportunity to take part in the exhibition activity in Athens, which was showing photos which were taken by volunteers in some extreme situations, like floods, earthquakes and forest fires. We discussed about the importance of volunteers in such occasions and also expressed what do we found the most interesting and important when it comes ti volunteering actions.

The host organization made a great impression on me while visiting a local social center which helps people with different kinds of needs: starting from people with mental health problems, or others with financial problems to ones that ar just lonely and appreciate the company and help of the community. It made me happy that they feel accepted and seen since many of them were struggling during pandemic and had hard time living on their own. Personally, I am a huge fighter for inclusion and I used to volunteer at a similar place so it made me really happy to see how some idea from a local NGO can be realized and how those people appreciate the activism being put into practice.

I was also amazed with their collaboration with the charity organization ‘Fabric Republic’ because so many families get to have clean clothes and by upcycling they also make a huge impact in saving our environment.

Last, but not the least, we saw IASIS working offices so we learned that they also make workshops to educate youngsters and and also provide mental health advice by offering internships to students who are completing their education in the psychology and psychotherapy field.

I got back to my homeland with the great impressions about this project, with many new acquaintances and a great deal of ideas on how to make myself more involved in the problems in my community and use things I learned during this activity to help people in need.

Follow our various social media channels to find out how to get involved in your local communities: Website, Facebook, Instagram. 

Remember, ONLY WHAT YOU GIVE IS YOURS.

#BRAVO #BRAVOBIH #SFERASERBIA #MAKETHEWORLDWONDER #BRAVOVISOR #ONLYWHATYOUGIVEISYOURS #EuropeForCitizens

Coming from our great partner organization from Albania, New Vision Organization (Organizata NewVision) here are 2 testimonials! The first testimonial is a recap from the Round Table event held in Tirana back in December and the second testimonial is a recap from the Photo Exhibition event held in Athens just last week!

Round Table, Tirana, Albania

Part of the O’Visor project was the “Round Table” which took place in Tirana where for 3 days 100 youngsters from these 10 countries visited Tirana and carried out activities within this project. The aim is to create some manuals with references from volunteers, organizations and informal groups who have experience in volunteering. The 4 introductory lists with 4 separate discussion topics were filled in the blink of an eye. It is worth noting that all topics focused on “Volunteering”. It was not long before a panel took the stage.

The panel consisted of 4 different volunteers, each good at what they do. I was part of that panel too. Throughout one hour we talked about Volunteering, the impact it has on us, why we chose it and like the icing on the cake an inspiring story that had happened to us. After a while we all got together where we exchanged ideas and personal experiences. In the end each group managed to draw significant conclusions and recommendations for Volunteering. I can say with conviction that everyone was a great example for the world.

Photo Exhibition, Athens, Greece

As part of the O’Visor program, the next activity “Photo Exhibition” took place in Athens, Greece. During the first day of the event, the local organization “IASIS”, organized an event which had at its core the promotion of volunteerism in cases of emergencies and natural disasters. Beforehand all participating countries sent photos where they themselves have voluntarily helped in these cases  by creating a diverse exhibition. Volunteering in cases of civil emergencies involves many different situations ranging from: earthquakes, fires, floods, etc. which were submitted by all partner organizations. After the launch of the event, all participants had to vote for the most beautiful photo, explaining why they it and the winning photo was taken during an earthquake where a man with a dog were looking under the rubble. The essence of this picture is that in case of disasters and civil emergencies the human beings are not the only one affected by this kind of unfortunate events.

Follow our various social media channels to find out how to get involved in your local communities: Website, Facebook, Instagram. 

Remember, ONLY WHAT YOU GIVE IS YOURS.

#BRAVO #BRAVOBIH #NEWVISION #MAKETHEWORLDWONDER #BRAVOVISOR #ONLYWHATYOUGIVEISYOURS #EuropeForCitizens

That history and art have always been perfect complements has been proved once again by the very creative management of BRAVO and its partners in Athens. Henceforth, the last days of February 2022 will keep being recalled for the astonishing international O’visor photo exhibit in the heart of exotic Greece. 

Following the photo contest, which was held in Sarajevo two months ago, the best young photographers and illustration artists from ten European countries have showed their skills and presented 70 artworks that undoubtedly show how volunteers in crisis situations shape lives and societal welfare. Besides, the exhibit had a special guest, a professional photographer from Bosnia and Herzegovina Arnej Misirlić who shared his thoughts about the displayed works with our representatives. 

Photos were taken by activists in moments of natural/humanitarian catastrophes and show numerous and creative ways to react, help, and support the people affected by the crisis. Thus, they provoke empathy of viewers and assure them that “Only What You Give Is Yours”. O’visor, we remind, is one of BRAVO’s greatest active projects at the moment and its partners and participants come from Luxembourg (The Alliance for Global Development), Greece (IASIS NGO), Hungary (Youth Strategic Research Center Foundation), Italy (Moby Dick ETS), Croatia (Syncro Synergy Croatia), Serbia (SFERA Serbia), Montenegro (Mladiinfo Montenegro), North Macedonia (World of Change), Albania (New Vision), and of course Bosnia (BRAVO). 

Proud to gather such an active community of passionate individuals in one place, we extended our work in Athens and raised awareness of the importance of volunteering and all its benefits enjoyed jointly by society as a whole. In that manner, the various country teams visited a few facilities including the very successful and sustainable recycling enterprise FabricRepublic and a boarding house for homeless people with mental disabilities based in the city. The whole experience will stay in deep memory of all representatives and young artists. 

The day after, on the 27 of February, representatives and participants had the opportunity to explore the historical metropolis and learn more about art and history of the city. Our story, however, does not end with this activity. O’visor continues with its next photo exhibit in Sarajevo in April this year with more photos taken across the whooping ten countries. We will host our respected partners and youngsters from their respective countries and use the beautiful spring days to present them our capital and culture. 

and the winner is…

Hello to all of our BRAVO friends and family! We are coming to you live from the project “Only What You Give is Yours” (O’Visor) with a special announcement!

If you have been following our social media channels, you may have seen that 3 weeks ago we went public with a Photography/Illustration contest with the overall theme being “Solidarity of volunteers and help of young people in crisis situations”. After 2 weeks of submissions open, the contest officially closed on January 20^th, 2022 and we are happy to share with you all that our contest was a huge success! As a recap, the 1^st place prize amounted to 500KM, 2^nd place prize amounted to 300KM, and the 3^rd place prize amounted to 200KM.

Here were the rules:

• Share with us a photo you took or create an illustration on one of the following topics:
  Solidarity of volunteers & help of young people in crisis situations in the Western Balkans
• Solidarity of volunteers & help of young people in crisis situations in the EU
• The photos were taken during a crisis, flood, earthquake and to see people helping each other and cooperating or the illustrations were created based on any of the abovementioned topics
• The contest is open to everyone although awards can only by won by Bosnian citizens

We had a total of 34 applicants in total, ranging from 16 – 45 years old, coming from 16 different cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina. What an amazing turnout! As each applicant was able to submit a maximum of 3 photos and/or illustrations, we had a total of 73 images/artworks submitted!

The O’Visor team went through an intense voting process where we found it extremely difficult to narrow down 73 submissions to the top 3 winners however, for those who didn’t win a monetary prize this time around, we will actually be handpicking select submissions to showcase at our upcoming Photo Exhibition event in Athens, Greece taking place from February 25^th – February 28^th, 2022. We want to thank everyone for taking the time to submit their entries to our contest and we are grateful to see so many individuals passionate about helping our country in dire times of need!

The aim of the Only What You Give is Yours (O’VISOR) project is strengthening EU unity and supporting the Western Balkan region on the way to EU, in addition to strengthening EU and WB identity and conscience built from the grassroots to the community-based, community-built and community-supported starting with the impact and improvement of volunteering policies at the transnational level. This all starts with the impact each and every one of us make every day and we hope that you all will continue being great citizens of our country and work towards creating a better life for all.

Now, it’s time for the winners. DRUM ROLL PLEASE…

Coming in 1^st place, we have Berina Ibrić, 19 years old, from Zavidovići, BiH. Below is an original piece of artwork Berina created and we were just taken away by how beautiful the piece is!

Coming in 2^nd place, we have Emana-Hanan Pinjić, 18 years old, from Maglaj, BiH. Below is a photograph Emana took back in 2014, when she was just 10 years old living in Maglaj during the time of the horrendous floods that took place. 

Coming in 3^rd place, we have Nidal Šaljić, 19 years old, from Sarajevo, BiH. Nidal submitted 3 photos from November 2021 that he took during the floods that took place in Sarajevo, specifically the most affected town of Otes.

Once again, we thank all 34 applicants for participating in this contest and we encourage you all to continue to follow our daily updates on our social media channels for additional ways for you to get involved in our great country of Bosnia and Herzegovina to better the quality of life for all citizens.  

Thank you all once again for participating and remember, in this world, “Only What You Give is Yours”.

#BRAVO #BRAVOBIH #MAKETHEWORLDWONDER #EUROPEFORCITIZENS

After successfully implementing info sessions in partner countries, the next stop for the O’visor project was the Round Table that was held in Tirana, Albania from the 17th to 20th of December, where three representatives of BRAVO, aside from its director, Ismail Šehić, took part.

This event was hosted by the partner organization New Vision and it gathered representatives of the 8 participating countries. Our main priority was keeping everyone safe and healthy, so each activity was realized strictly following the COVID-19 measures and protocols.

On the first day, the program was opened by the warm words of welcome that came from the representatives of New Vision and BRAVO’s director. The representatives of the participating organizations gave a summary of their organization and its active involvement in the local community. 

Inspired by their speeches, the rest of the participants were divided into four groups, based on which they discussed the following topics:

1. What volunteering means to me?
2. Volunteering within the institutions
3. Volunteering with people with disabilities
4. Volunteering for the environment

After a period of time devoted to discussion, each group gave a presentation on the discussed topic which further led to exchanging opinions and experiences.A hard-working atmosphere was continued the next day, at the meeting where the attendees discussed the future of the O’visor project and the implementation process of the upcoming Photo Exhibition in Athens, Greece. Any doubt that partners had was solved as well as the questions that were answered. At this table, partners were given the guidelines for organizing Photo Exhibition and the criteria for photo selection was determined.

Now that the time has passed, the preparation for Photo Exhibition has largely begun. Still, we can’t dispute the impact that the Round Table had on the participants, which is still, after all that time, pretty visible. The O’visor story wouldn’t be possible without the partners and all the people included who respect the principles of the project and regularly apply them to different spheres of life. By sharing our experiences, we are raising awareness of volunteerism and being each other’s motivation in these hard times that humanity is facing.

#BRAVO #BRAVOBIH #MAKETHEWORLDWONDER #BRAVOVISOR #OVISOR #ONLYWHATYOUGIVEISYOURS

Already well-known O’VISOR project, organized by BRAVO – Bosnian Representative Organization for Valuable Opportunities and supported by the European Commission, has got something new for all photography lovers.

We are proud to announce a photography contest that offers fantastic monetary awards along with exhibiting all chosen artworks on international exhibitions in Athens in February and in Sarajevo in April this year. O’VISOR project is common work for sharing EU solidarity, cooperation and volunteering framework through cooperation of 10 CSO-s coming from 10 different countries. It aims for strengthening the EU unity and supporting WB region on the way to EU, making a community-based, community-built and community-supported impact and improvement of volunteering policies at the transnational level, supporting solidarity in the time of crises and boosting cooperation of the EU countries with WB. 

The goal is to foster awareness and public understanding about the importance of the volunteerism and solidarity issues, improve sustainable conditions for civic and democratic participation at EU level and include citizens from the WB countries. Accordingly, O’VISOR exhibitions are designed to gather visual artworks to show examples of good practice in volunteerism and solidarity during crisis and inspire other young people to help their communities when in need. 

To support O’VISOR, we invite you to share your photography or illustration with us and win your award:

1st. place – 500 KM + free trip to the exhibition in Athens  

2nd. place – 300KM

3rd. place – 200KM

for each of the best three photos  or illustrations  on either of the  different topics listed below. 

Regardless of winning a prize, all chosen artworks have a chance to be exhibited and promoted  on exhibitions. If this sounds good enough, follow the pocedure:

 1. Share with us a photo you took  or create an illustration  on one of the following topics:

a) Solidarity of volunteers and help of young people in crisis situations in the EU

b) Solidarity of volunteers and help of young people in crisis situations in the Western Balkans *three awards are reserved for each topic 

2. Send us your info, artwork and description of it via this google form until the 20th of January 

3. Check the contest results on the 25th of January. 

Before applying, please pay attention to the rules   ? 

• The contest is open to everyone, regardless of their age, occupation or any other affiliation  
• Each participant can send a maximum of three  artworks
• The photos were taken during a crisis, flood, earthquake and to see people helping each other and cooperating or illustrations were created based on any of the above mentioned topics
• The photos and/or artwork can already be published somewhere but they must be your own work
• All artworks that don’t belong to you will be automatically disqualified  
• Photos and illustrations should not be smaller than 2000px and 150-300dpi (recommended). However, it is still possible to win if the size is different or if the image quality is low as we understand in times of crisis we do not have time to stop to take the perfect photo. We will just modify it a bit if we decide that it should be at the exhibition.
• Awards can be won only by Bosnian citizens, however, all others can apply and get their artwork exhibited in Athens and in Sarajevo  

Once again, deadline is the 20th of January!

APPLICATION FORM

Greece and our prizes are waiting for you and we are impatient to see how your art inspires young people across countries!

 #BRAVO #BRAVOBIH #MAKETHEWORLDWONDER #BRAVOVISOR #ONLYWHATYOUGIVEISYOURS #EuropeForCitizens