After two days of intensive work at the 3rd joint UPSHIFT workshop, the moment we all waited for finally arrived – the day of solution presentations and the announcement of the grant-winning teams. This time, we had the honor of spending time with incredibly energetic young people from Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia, who showed enormous motivation to improve their local communities. During the workshop, a total of 20 fantastic projects were created, and selecting the best ones was extremely difficult, making the presentation day very tense and exciting.
Five teams from Bosnia and Herzegovina won award grants totaling 15,000 KM (approx. €7,669). Teams from Teslić, Trebinje, Velika Kladuša, Čelić, Mostar, Sokolac, Čajniče, Sarajevo, Gračanica, and Kakanj participated in the workshop, as well as ten teams from Serbia. Fascinated by their creativity and driving energy, the mentors and the entire UPSHIFT team enjoyed every moment of the interaction. We watched as the teams transformed initial problems into innovative solutions that will change their local communities for the better.
The jury, as always, had the most challenging task—after listening to the presentations and questions from all 20 teams, to select the ten teams that will receive a grant for solution implementation. Almost all participants in the joint UPSHIFT workshop wanted to share their experience and excitement about the workshop, and they believe they gained many skills that will be useful in the future.
And now, the most exciting part – the teams whose ideas were awarded grants of 3,000 KM (approx. €1,533) each are:
Pčelice, Čajniče
Team Members: Srdjana Tanaskovic, Nikolina Klisura, Natasa Gigovic, Sara Simic
Mentor: Azra Keljalić
Topic: Insufficiently developed awareness of the importance of the Cicelj nature park
Empower girls, Čelić
Team Members: Avdić Lejla, Cifrić Amina, Ibrišimović Emina, Salihović Lajla, Selimović Hana
Mentor: Tijana Živković
Topic: The problem of entering into minor marriages
Salus Progressus, Trebinje
Team Members: Neda Zirojević, Teodora Drapić, Stefana Korol, David Grubačić, Sara Spaić
Mentor: Ivana Radić
Topic: The impossibility of conducting practical classes in the Medical High School
Vršnjački Altruisti, Gračanica
Team Members: Elma Subašić, Eldin Bećirović, Alija Husić
Mentor: Milica Jovičić
Topic: The problem of peer violence
Tristelle, Velika Kladuša
Team Members: Talić Belma, Dizdarević Lejla, Đogić Nejla
Mentor: Sonja Ilić
Topic: Lack of a dedicated space for public breastfeeding
The teams that won the grants now face a period of intensive work, and the teams that did not receive a grant can certainly (and we hope they will) implement their ideas in their local communities.
Our support remains available to these teams as well:
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Team Helana, Teslić
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Members: Lana Kojadinović, Jovana Dujaković, Helena Stokić
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Mentor: Amela Kukuruzović
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Topic: The problem of young people expressing personal opinions due to judgment from their surroundings
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Zajedno Možemo (Together We Can), Sokolac
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Members: Maja Grujić, Ana Gazija, Željana Rundić
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Mentor: Kerim Omerbegović
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Topic: Youth passivity
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Arhitekti sreće (Architects of Happiness), Mostar
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Members: Hamza Čustović, Hana Sarajlić, Adna Gvozden
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Mentor: Ankica Marinković
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Topic: The problem of depression among youth
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StartMeUp, Sarajevo
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Members: Lola Ivankovic, Alek Jurić, Hamza Mašić
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Mentor: Željana Kovačević
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Topic: Lack of support for youth entrepreneurship education
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Inovatori (Innovators), Kakanj
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Members: Farisa Čobo, Duneja Goralija, Samna Šljivo, Kanita Smolo, Eman Musić
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Mentor: Dino Šakanović
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Topic: The problem of pedestrians in traffic
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We thank all participants, mentors, and jury members for their patience, effort, and hard work in making this joint UPSHIFT run perfectly, and our long-time partners at UNICEF BiH for all their support, without which UPSHIFT in BiH would not be possible.
The UPSHIFT program originated in the UNICEF Office of Innovation and is implemented in 38 countries worldwide. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, UPSHIFT is implemented by the Humanitarian Organization “Genesis Project” in cooperation with the UNICEF Office in BiH.
Additional information about the UPSHIFT program in BiH can be found on the UPSHIFT website and on the following pages: