By Merima Muhic (YES 2015-2016, Bosnia and Herzegovina, hosted by ACES in Apex, NC)

The problem of gender (in)equality in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the rest of the world, is something that I have been passionate about for a long time now. Even though the situation nowadays is a lot better than it used to be, I believe this topic still deserves a lot more attention than it gets in our country. With my project We Are In This Together, my aim was to promote a safe workshop space for creative ideas to be shared and finally implemented by alumni to impact gender equality in our communities.

I began this project by sending out an invitation and application to all YES alumni in Bosnia and Herzegovina.  The application included a project proposal, which meant that the applicants had to give a short summary of a project they hoped to do once they gathered information and expanded their knowledge through the workshop. I then went through a process of selecting seven alumni.  Even though most of the participants were female, I was happy to see that we had one male participant as well.

The workshop took place at Networks in Sarajevo on September 14 and 15, 2017. Participants were YES ’14: Lamija Jamak and Sead Joldic; YES ’16: Jelena Pilipovic and Merima Muhic; and YES ’17: Adna Maksumic, Anamaria Pestic, and Belkisa Music.

During the first day, participants learned about gender equality in Bosnia and Herzegovina as it stands now, as well as the background of the movement; gender equality in education, workplace and society; definitions of a “real man” and “real woman” in our society; equality vs. equity, and so on. Each topic was addressed through educational games and personal examples, which made the material less intimidating and more relatable for the participants. Alongside open discussions on all topics, I made sure to incorporate facts and current statistics about the position of women and men in different fields and different parts of the world.

Vedrana Frasto, a representative from the feminist activism group Fondacija Cure (Foundation Girls), served as a guest speaker for the workshop. Vedrana shared information about her organization, their past projects, and the goals they hope to achieve in our country. She was also kind enough to share with us promotional materials, including flyers about PitchWise. PitchWise is a project focused on the topic of gender equality in which talented women get together and paint, sing, and perform.  The event takes place in the capital and is attended by hundreds of volunteers and participants.

To finish day one, alumni had the chance to share their ideas and get tips and advice from other alumni on how to execute their projects in the best way possible. The following day, participants visited the American Councils office in Sarajevo, where they participated in a social media campaign organized by our YES Alumni Coordinator, Lamija Jamak (YES '14). They were photographed holding and tearing up hand-written signs promoting gender stereotypes often found in our society. These stereotypes included men being considered weak if they cry or aren't masculine enough; expecting women to always be put together and to wear make-up; and assuming that men are better at sports than women. Lamija later combined these photos into short videos, which she posted on the YES Alumni Bosnia and Herzegovina Facebook page with the hashtag #7daysofequality.

In the coming months, alumni will be implementing the projects they prepared during this workshop!