By Davor Tunjic, YES 2012-2013, Bosnia and Herzegovina, hosted by World Link in Bakersfield, CA

In 2015,  YES alumni communities in Southeast Europe were introduced to the concept of City Representatives, a model used by alumni of the Future Leaders Exchange (FLEX) program for many years to support better representation of activities throughout our respective countries. City Representatives, or CRs, organize monthly projects, activities, and meetings in their cities. They are the most active members of the alumni community. In 2015-2016, Bosnia and Herzegovina had four CRs. Now, the YES alumni community in Bosnia and Herzegovina has 11 CRs representing 11 different cities and regions! Here are the reflections of two alumnae who are in their second year of being CRs on how the CR program has benefitted them:

"I’ve been a City Representative for Vitez since 2015 and it has so far been the most rewarding experience. I’ve organized many different community service projects and got to explore different ways of contributing to my community. Being a City Representative opened up great opportunities for me and brought me closer to our YES [alumni community]. One of the best aspects of being a City Representative is being able to connect with other City Representatives who have the same goal as you. In November, we had a City Representative orientation where all of us got to explore different ways in which we can contribute to our communities or to a certain cause. It really motivated me, to be in an environment where we are able to brainstorm and help each other plan activities together. Throughout my time as City Representative, I’ve attended multiple workshops that motivated me to actively act on neglected topics in my community and taught me a lot about the effectiveness of digital storytelling as a means of activism and the power of interfaith dialogue. The first workshop I attended was the Digital Storytelling Workshop organized by our Alumni Coordinator, Davor Tunjic [YES ‘13]. Right after that I got the opportunity to participate in the Interfaith Harmony Workshop in Morocco. Both of these experiences equipped me with valuable knowledge and skills that I am applying not only in my projects but also in my daily life. This year I’ve been selected as one of the [Interfaith Harmony Workshop] alumni facilitating [an] online version of this workshop."

- Dunja Jezeraskic, YES 2014-2015, Bosnia and Herzegovina, hosted by AYUSA in San Antonio, TX

“I have been a part of YES [alumni community] since I came back from the program in the year 2014. Becoming an alumna opened many doors for my development and I am always looking forward to creating new projects and improving my community. With [alumni], I have created some of my favorite memories since I came back from the United States. I truly feel like I belong with these people that share the same vision and motivation. One of the biggest improvements in our community was establishing City Representatives that will represent different cities and areas of our country. I have been a City Representative for Sarajevo two years in a row and I can definitely say that this system has been very successful so far. City Representatives have the role of creating and developing an alumni community in their area in addition to encouraging fellow alumni to join and execute alumni activities. City Representatives organize alumni meetings to catch up on our activities and plan new ones. It is a great responsibility, but also an opportunity to develop our own working habits and time management. To me, the position of City Representatives has been a great way to give back to the YES program and it continues to make me motivated and excited for the future. I had the opportunity to meet older alumni generations in addition to working with the new generations. We organized meetings of alumni for holidays such as Christmas and Thanksgiving. It was wonderful to spend these special moments with them. We continued organizing fundraisings for the Safe House and people in need. Many more activities have been planned and I am looking forward to realizing them.“

- Lamija Jamak, YES 2013-2014, Bosnia and Herzegovina, hosted by PAX in Marysville, WA