Youth Initiative for Creative Engagement IMKA (YMCA Bosnia and Herzegovina)

At YMCA Bosnia we use sport and music as a tool of reconciliation and conflict prevention. Our project uses sport afterschool programs and weekend camps to tackle specific social issue of hatred and prejudice in both parents and kids. We use tennis and floor ball to engage kids, youth and families through active and fun activities to become responsible healthy citizens free of prejudice and stereotypes.

We also conduct cardiovascular exercises cardio fitness in elementary schools in Sarajevo through Project Fitness Cool and Health Campaign. Through all activities we run we engage youth in activities to prevent antagonism and hatred and to bring youth and their families together off and on court and increase diversity in Sarajevo community.

Organization of the contests, tournaments and various get together prove itself over and over to be perfect opportunity to tackle many issues that are critical for Bosnian community and its future in a sense of citizen education, civic action, parents involvement and peaceful coexistence and wellbeing. Our indirect talking of character building, conflict resolution, stereotypes, prejudices and human rights implementation in action through sport has proven itself very successful as our kids are definitely growing up in more responsible citizens with more developed compassion. We achieved long term reach as pressures from other sides were lowered and kids bound more and left more emotions on court and because real team and close friends. Mosques, churches, formal education media had far less reaching and weaker effect on our kids and parents now because kids and parents now felt belonging and activities were continual.

Why we choose sport:

Sport is non-political (apolitical) and a neutral field, where the beneficiaries of the project (elementary and high school students); easiest and fastest grow together as a group on deeper meaningful level. Sport is a widespread social activity that touches nearly all categories of society and this is especially more true with young people. One of the basic methods of application of sport and day camps as reconciliation tool is that children from different ethnic groups are grouped in joint teams, groups and they work together and all lines of division are erased through game fun and play.

Kids going through our camps and being involved in our projects all embrace common strategy for peace not only being active in sport but being catalyst of positive change. This project has proven itself to have huge multiplier effect on whole country as top notch sports activities are run but with exceptional focus on character development and civil engagement and development of personality. All YMCA programmers have a strong importance on the values of caring, honesty, respect, and responsibility. With all of our students coming from various communities, different backgrounds diversity is nr one value and is always promoted for understanding of individuals with different backgrounds and cultures. Also hosted programming by students and staff are always designed for cultural acknowledgement and understanding.

We also use music in our programming where we have exceptional music program.
All activities of the Music and Media Program is aimed at creating opportunities for cooperation, knowledge and expertise exchange, lobbying and networking nationally and internationally to create a positive, innovative, striving and nurturing environment for music and arts professionals thus securing future and new generations with qualitative education, easy access to modern note transcription materials in the field of classical music with stakeholder partners from both public and private sector field.