By Edna Porca (YES 2018-2019, Bosnia and Herzegovina, placed with AYA in Unity, OR)

The COVID-19 pandemic led to a change in the lifestyles of everyone across the globe, including the YES alumni community in Bosnia and Herzegovina. We had to adapt to the new challenges thrown at us, but through all of it we stayed a close-knit community. Since our newest members of our community, the YES 2020 alumni group, had especially faced many challenges, we decided to organize a project to help them adapt and learn more about the opportunities for YES alumni in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

On September 19, our YES alumni community hosted a Zoom meeting with the newest YES 2020 generation to educate them about alumni opportunities, how to organize projects, give suggestions for their possible project ideas, and answer any questions they might have. Prior to the meeting, our Alumni Coordinator matched up these new alumni with an older alum to be their mentor.

During the meeting, our Alumni Coordinator talked about what it’s like being a YES alum, expectations, and the organizational aspects of implementing projects. The YES alumni in attendance introduced themselves and shared their YES program experience. After that, they also talked about what being alumni meant to them and the projects they implemented. Mentors shared the fun experience of being alumni and stated how thankful they are to have support from the YES community while working on their projects. The YES 2020 generation asked questions about the kind of projects they can do, what it meant to be City or University Representatives, and workshop opportunities such as PDO and DCO.

Being an alum is an incredible experience that involves hard work, selflessness, and leadership, and it wouldn’t be possible without the incredible people who support us along the way. We are proud to see such a motivated and inspirational generation of alumni who are curious about the world, and want to make an impact to help their communities. YES Alumni are great people who change the world every day, and we are excited to see what happens next!