„I’m not quite sure how to describe what YU-Peace has brought to my life. In so many different ways, it has changed things from the ground for me. The first activity I was a part of was a weekend visit and two girls from Serbia stayed in my house. The bond I made with them in just two simple days is quite remarkable now that I think about it. To feel so much pain at saying goodbye to someone who was a stranger two days ago doesn’t make a lot of sense normally. But in YU-Peace, everyone will tell you, that just makes perfect sense. These bonds are made even stronger during the summer camps. And so, one of the next activities I was a part of, was the summer camp in Split, Croatia. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to forget the things I learned in those two weeks, the friends I made, the conversations we had, the laughs we shared, the hugs that I still can feel if I just close my eyes. The relationships that are built through YU-Peace, even if they aren’t nurtured for a long time, always remain strong bonds because having gone through the experience of hanging out and becoming close friends, all while learning about the truth of the past war together and realizing how they are not any different, just brings people together in a way that is impossible for me to explain. Even though I never had many prejudices about other nationalities, this camp still broadened my views immensely and I am forever grateful that I am able to be a part of such an incredibly valuable project. I miss my friends very much and the situation concerning the COVID-19 virus hasn’t made it easy on us either cause we all weren’t able to meet each other. Hopefully, this next year, it will all get better and we’ll get to see each other again and have a massive YU-Peace group hug. I believe we all need it right about now.“

Maida Avdić from Tuzla, Bosnia-Herzegovina