As part of the local initiative “Young Creators”, organized by the Youth Center Desnek Breza, 67 children participated in creative workshops designed to encourage artistic expression, the development of life skills, and mutual cooperation. The goal was not only for children to master various techniques for making jewelry and souvenirs through creative activities, but also to empower them, help them express their emotions, and build self-confidence and mutual understanding. The workshops became a space not only for creating art, but also for connecting and breaking down barriers among peers.
Below is a reflection from Amin, a fifteen-year-old participant, about his experience in the workshops:
I’ve never been someone who fits in easily. At school, I sit alone in the back row because that way I don’t have to talk much, and being tall doesn’t really help. My eyesight isn’t the best, so sometimes I can’t read what’s written on the board, and I always feel too embarrassed to say it out loud. People often think I’m cold or unfriendly because I’m quiet, but the truth is that I’m just afraid of making a mistake.
When I heard that workshops would be held at the Workers’ Hall, I wasn’t sure if I should go. I thought it would just be another place where everyone already knows each other, and I would once again be “the quiet one.” Still, my mom convinced me to try at least one day. During the workshop, we were making beaded jewelry. At first it was difficult, because small beads are not really friends with my eyes. But a girl named Emina sat next to me and said, “Do you want me to help you thread these? I can hold the string for you.” That moment stayed with me. For the first time, I felt that someone cared not about how well I could see or how much I talked, but about how hard I tried.
At the next workshops, I started coming earlier, helping others, laughing, and even telling jokes (which were bad, but everyone laughed anyway). I wasn’t rejected. I was shocked. I liked it so much that my sister started coming with me. We spent time together outside the workshops too—we went to the playground, and sometimes we even sang to make others laugh. Now, looking back, I realize that these workshops didn’t just help me learn new things, but also to see the world differently—not through my eyes, but through people. Maybe the most important lesson I learned is that you shouldn’t judge people before you really get to know them.
This story shows how creative workshops can be a key to breaking down barriers and building self-confidence. The boy overcame feelings of isolation, found friends, freed himself from the fear of judgment, and learned that value doesn’t lie in perfection, but in effort and openness. The workshops helped him develop empathy, connect with others, and discover that togetherness can change the way we see the world. That is the strength of the “Young Creators” initiative—art as a bridge toward acceptance and understanding.
The “Young Creators” initiative was implemented within the project “Connecting the Dots 2.0 – Advancing Child Participation in Decision Making for Enhanced Child Rights and Democracy in Bosnia and Herzegovina”, implemented by World Vision BH Foundation and the Association Naša djeca Sarajevo, in cooperation with the Ministry of Human Rights and Refugees of BiH, and with the financial support of the European Union in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
