Today, in the premises of Student dormitory “Prof. dr. Fikret Hadžić”, Foundation for the promotion of education and culture “Source of Hope” officially concluded its project “Mini-school of informal education ‘Start, change, accomplish’”, showcasing its results to the general public and awarding the participants with acknowledgments and certificates.

Today’s event was attended by the representatives of the Municipality of Ilidža, Fourth Gymnasium, Technical High School (Secondary Technical School?) of graphical technologies, design and multimedia, various educators and participants in the project.

When talking to the attendees, Denis Muhović, aide to the mayor of the Municipality of Ilidža for education, culture and sport, thanked the Foundation for its high-quality approach to working with young people and the realization of projects which are thematically very important to the youth of Ilidža.

“We want to help organizations that truly work with young people. Several years ago, we received the projects of the Foundation ‘Source of Hope’ which we examined in detail, concluded that they are quality projects whose realization is approached with utmost seriousness and that the Foundation respects deadlines and agreements, notifies the local community and ensures quality media coverage.

Why is there a need for a project like this? Because, dear children, through a project like this you are gaining certain experiences and knowledge. Unfortunately, not everybody has an opportunity to learn how to overcome certain life obstacles, and some people do not have motivators and inspirers who are good enough to motivate them to overcome obstacles. You should strive towards gaining valuable knowledge and experiences by attending these kinds of workshops as much as possible, and aim to accomplish your goals in that way”, Muhović said during his address to the youth.

Sanela Sulejmanović, pedagogue of the Technical High School of graphical technologies, design and multimedia Ilidža expressed her gratitude to the Foundation for being brave enough to start and realize this project.

“This is a rather sensitive topic which concerns the mental health of young people. It is hard to paraphrase all the moments when your students arrive relaxed and full of confidence and new skills, praising the moderators and educators and saying: ‘This is great, this is amazing. We have been enriched by this new experience. We are ready to share what we have learned with our peers.’ This is a great form of peer education, especially when it is positively directed towards transferring of acquired skills and knowledge onto others.

My thanks go to the Municipality of Ilidža for their support, as well as to the hosts who carried out this topic and project in a highly responsible manner; thank you for making us a part of this activity and we are sincerely looking forward to future projects”, highlighted the pedagogue Sulejmanović.

Alma Kantardžić, a member of the Board of Directors of the Foundation “Source of Hope” thanked the Municipality of Ilidža for their support and the opportunity to gain the trust of the local community through high-quality project realizations.

The gathered audience had a chance to listen to astute observations of the psychologist Ozrenka Kadrić, pedagogue Merjem Salihagić, and student of the Fourth Gymnasium, Ajdin Mahmutović, who talked about specific aspects of the realized project.

The project was an opportunity for the youth from the Ilidža area to learn more about themselves, build healthy foundations of personality, learn how to deal with fears, obstacles, praise and criticism, and how and where to find inspiration and motivation. Moreover, they also learned about depression in youth, personal growth and development, boosting self-confidence and improving the motivation for success.

The lecturers during the aforementioned workshops were the psychologist Ozrenka Kadrić, pedagogue Merjem Salihagić and motivational speaker Kemal Balihodžić, and additional help during the realization of workshops for more than 30 young people over the course of two months was provided by mentors and students of the Foundation “Source of Hope”.