Youth Resource Centre (ORC) Tuzla

Contact Information

• Where – Bosnia and Herzegovina (The Balkans, Europe)
• Website – www.omladina-bih.net
• Contact Person – Miralem Tursinovic
• Email – orctuzla@bih.net.ba
• Address – Hadzi Bakirbega Tuzlica 1, 75000 Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Areas of Expertise

The Research and Documentation Centre Sarajevo has expertise in a range of areas, including:

• Youth Empowerment

Main Aims and Objectives

Some of the basic activities of ORC Tuzla are:

• meetings with the representatives of youth organizations, authorities in Tuzla Canton and in the whole of Bosnia and Herzegovina;
• gathering information from youth organizations from Bosnia and Herzegovina, and creating a database;
• information about activities of the youth sector in Bosnia and Herzegovina are daily gathered and distributed to youth organizations;
• publish monthly information about the activities of the members of the Youth Network in Bosnia and Herzegovian, together with other useful information, in the form of a monthly bulletin. This bulletin is also published in English language. The monthly bulletin is distributed to about 2,000 addresses.

The goals of ORC Tuzla are:

• empowering and strengthening of the youth sector in Bosnia and Herzegovina;
• empowering and strengthening the capacities and resources of youth organizations and informal youth groups, especially in small communities;
• monitoring, stimulating and strengthening the work of young people and youth organizations;
• stimulating and strengthening cooperation between youth organizations, on the local, national and regional level;
• gathering and creating of a database about youth organizations, including information about their activities and their work;
• building cooperation between youth organizations and the government on all levels;
• starting the process of institutionalizing the youth sector in Bosnia and Herzegovina;
• providing expert and logistical support to youth organizations in their work, especially to the organizations that are in the process of founding;
• establishing and creating of better communication and flows of information between youth organizations;
• connecting and cooperating with youth organizations in the region, Europe and the World;
• enhancement and development of the activity and work of youth organizations, according to European standards;
• establishing and realizing cooperation with other similar associations in the country and abroad;
• realization of other common interests of youth and youth organizations.

Upholding the Principles of Conflict Transformation

By the work with youth organizations and youngsters, and through different activities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, ORC Tuzla are working to uphold most of the principles of conflict transformation. ORC Tuzla believes that youngsters possess the power to prevent possible future conflicts in, and that is why they are ORC Tuzla’s main focus.

Where and with Whom?

Within the Youth Network in Bosnia and Herzegovina, ORC Tuzla works with approximately 150 youth organizations and 70 individuals from Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Within the Anna Lindh Foundation Network (www.euromedalex.org), ORC Tuzla serves as head of the network in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which contains 50 organizations from Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Within the regional youth action against discrimination and militarization, ORC Tuzla works with partners, including NGO’s from Macedonia, Kosovo, Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Main Activities in the Field of Conflict Transformation

Youth Network in Bosnia and Herzegovina (1997 to present)

The Youth Network in Bosnia and Herzegovina is the youth’s project, which was initiated in 1997 on the initiative and co-ordination of the Helsinki Citizen’s Assembly (HCA) Organisations from Banja Luka and Tuzla, respectively. The lack of contacts and co-operation between youth organisations in Bosnia and Herzegovina has motivated ORC Tuzla to start this initiative. Before that, the attention of many organisations and donors was directed toward citizen’s initiatives, refugee organisations and female groups, so youth as the special social grope were ignored for a long period of time. ORC Tuzla’s basic idea was to connect youth initiatives (independent organisations, informal groups and individuals) from the whole territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina, to work on their strengthening and support implementation of their projects, activities and ideas. Special attention was given to young people living in small communities and cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Partnership project “RIME”

Helsinki Citizen’s Assembly (HCA) Tuzla is a member of this project, the leader of which is the University of Birmingham (United Kingdom). The central objective of this project is to contribute to combating racism, xenophobia, ethnic discrimination and related intolerance. The director of HCA/ORC Tuzla, Mr. Miralem Tursinovic, is a member of the steering group within this project. Within this project, HCA Tuzla organized an International Workshop (Tuzla, May 22-25 2005), entitled ‘Releasing Indigenous Multiculturalism’, which gathered around 35 NGO activists from the United Kingdom, Ukraine, Russia, Croatia, Serbia and Montenegro, Bulgaria and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Regional initiative – ‘Citizen’s Pact for South East Europe’ (CP for SEE)

Helsinki Citizen’s Assembly (HCA) Tuzla is one of the main founder of this initiative, which gathers cities and NGOs from South East Europe. The Director of HCA/ORC Tuzla, Mr. Miralem Tursinovic, is member of the Board of CP for SEE. Members of HCA/ORC Tuzla are involved in all activities performed within CP for SEE. Also, ORC Tuzla were the main organizer of the annual meeting of CP for SEE, held in Tuzla in November 25-25, 2004, which gathered around 100 representative of NGOs, local authorities from the region, as well as a huge number of media.