Study visit of local foundations and initiative groups from Serbia to Bosnia and Herzegovina
After last year’s study visit of initiative groups from Bosnia and Herzegovina to legally registered local foundations in Serbia, and the expansion of the movement of local foundations to two more initiative groups in Serbia within the framework of the Foundation of our Region program – The community is asking! , Trag Foundation and the Trag Foundation Office in Bosnia and Herzegovina organized a study visit of local foundations and initiative groups from Serbia to Bosnia and Herzegovina in May. On this occasion, local foundations from Niš , Stara Pazova and Pancevo , initiative groups from Rasin district and Smederevo and the Trago team, which supports them as part of the program, visited initiative groups in Sarajevo , Zenica and Bijeljina , and the Tuzla Community Foundation .
The first stop was Sarajevo, where they talked with the team of the Initiative Group Sarajevo Captain about the motivation to apply for the Foundation program of our region in BiH, and they also exchanged experiences of working on the first fundraising events. They also talked about successes and challenges and the first competition, as well as plans for the future activities of this future local foundation. They talked with the member of the Selection Committee for the selection of projects about the motivation to support this initiative group, and the process of selecting the projects and initiatives that will be supported. A visit was made to the Alipašino Polje Local Community and the Open-Air Library , which is intended for all those who are eager to read, and which was created within the framework of the Get a Book – Bring a Book project, which the initiative group for the establishment of a local foundation in Sarajevo supported in its first competition.
The members of the Zenica Initiative Group discussed how they initiate and listen to the community, recipes for a successful fundraising event, ways to successfully map the members of the selection committee, the relationship with the media and the challenges they faced and in which they found motivation. The donor of this initiative group shared information on how to motivate the business sector to donate money and approached the perspective of those who support this future local foundation with donations. Supported initiatives with which the guests got to know more about the Owl’s forest classroom , which the informal group Mali mountaineers created for all those who want to learn in the nature of the Smetovi mountain above Zenica, and they heard more about the products created as part of the Healthy Aging project, an informal group of the Commission for Social Affairs of the Ministry of Social Affairs of Jalija . While walking in Zenica, they could see the informative cycling board made by the informal group ZE MTB , as well as the Zenica sculptures that were the inspiration for the supported project of the School of Photography association.
A meeting was then held in Tuzla with the team of the Tuzla Community Foundation. Together they recalled their beginnings, first successes and challenges, first small and large donations and first supported projects. The Tuzla community foundation selflessly shared its experiences, lessons learned and information on how to gain trust and repeated donations from large donors. It was also discussed how to map and select members of the Management and Selection Committee, and how to motivate the community to donate, but also to have confidence in what you do. Supported projects were visited, namely the Safe Yard for a Safe House , of the Viva Women association, which provides additional security and privacy to its users, as well as the Children’s Playground , an informal group of citizens of Skojevsk , which opened a space for playing, socializing and spending quality time outside for both the youngest and older members of the neighborhood in which it is located.
The exchange on the progress and activities of initiative groups in BiH was rounded off by a conversation with the Bijeljina Initiative Group, where the focus was on organizing fundraising events for the whole family and community, support and recognition by the local community, cooperation with companies, but also the challenges of conducting the first competition and supporting the first projects. Among the initiatives supported by this initiative group, the guests from Serbia toured the murals that adorn Bijeljina, which were created as part of the support for the Sfumato Painting Workshop, as well as the children’s playground that was renovated as part of the Batković Polje children’s playground project, the Batković Polje informal group, which became a gathering place for children from this village near Bijeljina.
All three initiative groups from Bosnia and Herzegovina plan to announce their second tenders, for legally registered local foundations from Serbia, new fundraising challenges follow, while new initiative groups from Serbia expect to collect their first donations and present them to the local community. In any case, whatever stage of the process they are in, for all participants of the study visit, as well as for the hosts from BiH, the Foundation of our region continues to be a program where they find mutual inspiration, support and rejoice together in successes.
In this way, local philanthropy in Niš, Stara Pazova, Pančevo, Rasin District, Smederevo, but also in Sarajevo, Bijeljina, Zenica and Tuzla has the opportunity to enrich these local communities by connecting all those who listen to the needs of the community, have the desire to contribute to the greater good and the development of their environment.
The Foundation of our region program – The community is asking! The trail of the foundation was launched at the end of 2019 in Serbia, with the support of the Charles Stuart Mott Foundation, and at the end of 2020 in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with the support of the Porticus Foundation. The program is aimed at supporting the establishment and work of local foundations in Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.