Our social cohesion work
The communities in which NDC Mostar works remain affected by inter-ethnic divisions and socio-economic challenges. Our work seeks to restore trust and mutually beneficial relationships, since this is a precondition for peaceful and sustainable development. To this end, we support activities that are chosen jointly to benefit entire communities and show the tangible positive results that diversity can bring.
NDC Mostar works with a holistic and community-oriented approach. This means that our social cohesion work is strongly connected to our other strategic priorities and based on local ownership. Based on lessons learned from earlier engagement in various communities and schools, NDC Mostar has identified a constructive niche for achieving greater interaction among school and community actors. We seize opportunities in the locations where our education work takes place to expand our work beyond the classroom and engage with students, parents, teachers and other community members to identify and respond to local priorities.
By bringing divided communities together around shared needs, social cohesion initiatives enable positive long-term cooperation and shared successes. These initiatives typically revolve around:
- Refurbishing school infrastructure
Since 2009, pupils and teachers have worked with us to refurbish 8 classrooms in 8 schools. We also created a “Nansen classroom” which now offers a shared space for pupils of both shifts.
- Rehabilitating community spaces
For example, in 2020 we worked with Stolac High School teachers and pupils and Stolac Public Utility Company to improve the Stećak Necropolis Radimlja near Stolac.
- Supporting sport and cultural activities self-initiated by local youth
For example, in Prozor-Rama, 2 students set up a summer volleyball school involving elementary and high school kids from all local communities. NDC supported them by providing mentoring (through local teachers) and seed funding.
- Showcasing and celebrating positive stories of collaboration
We believe it is critical to create an enabling environment for dialogue. To that end, we have for example been making sure that positive stories of cooperation are visible in the local media and in public spaces. From 2012 to 2019, NDC supported students from Mostar, Stolac and Prozor-rama in preparing documentaries that bring attention to issues relevant to social cohesion in their local communities and celebrate tolerance. These have then been featured at various local and regional events and festivals, such as the Stolac festival SMART, WHF (West Herzegovina Festival) and SFF (Sarajevo Film Festival) as well as in school clubs.
Social Cohesion Benefits
After co-designing activities that respond to stakeholder needs, we actively work to ensure that these are implemented jointly and lead to positive interactions across ethnic lines. In addition to supporting such activities directly in our projects, we are ready to provide advice and mentoring for the activities that our stakeholders self-initiate (i.e. support in developing projects, additional fundraising, logistics etc.).
By bringing tangible benefits to the involved communities, these projects are an effective way to transform relationships and bring much needed positive and future-oriented energy. By relying on our students’ ideas and energy, these activities also contribute to youth activism and greater civic engagement.
11 Local Communities
Involved so far in Social Cohesion projects
40 Social Cohesion
Projects implemented in the last 3 years
120+ Social Cohesion
Ideas generated and developed
1200+ Participants
actively involved in the last 3 years