Article
“I Want Things to be Different in BiH” was implemented with the aim of rising awareness the being different is not something to be considered as a bad thing and to shed light on the student standard in the country by printing brochures with stories of individuals (students) which overcame different obstacles despite being labeled as “different” by the society they live in.
The group members Lana Bečiragić, Aldin Vrškić, Berina Verlašević, Arnes Žabić, and Jasmina Karahasanović worked on the project in two phases:
“I can’t understand now why I had any fear at all. Today, I influence young people to follow their wishes throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina, and not to be afraid to go to any city where they might feel as a minority because they surely be positively surprised” – quote from the personal story of a student from Tuzla.
- Team used their networking skills to find 5 individuals (students in BiH) who would be willing to anonymously share their stories of fighting adversities and the stigma of being “different” in BiH. Group chose to publish 150 copies of brochures consisting of the stories of the following individuals: a mature student, a member of the LGBTQ+ community, a member of the minority ethnic group, a Roma person, and an employed student who supports his family.
- Publishing a free-for-all open call for submitting photos on the topic of “Show me how you see things better in BiH and/or how you feel that we are all essentially the same”. The call attracted a number of young amateur photographers whose photos were printed out and presented to the public.
Both the brochure and photo exhibition were presented at events in Zenica (Museum of the City of Zenica), Tuzla (Sagittarius) and Sarajevo (Art Cinema Kriterion) and attracted a considerable number of visitors. At the Zenica event, a representative of the Open Society Foundation from Hungary offered a scholarship to the Roma student who published their story in the brochure – based solely on the inspirational story itself.
The project drew significant press support and coverage, with more than 20 printed and online media sources publishing information on it.