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film by Adem Lisicic ( www.nestovise.org )
At the camp, we gain a lot of knowledge and skills.
We learned about teamworkand about cheering that is unusual in our clubs in B&H.
Our coach tell us a lot about his US experience.
And we are just now using those methods here.
Kids that participated in the camp came back with much more energy and motivation.
And that is something Americans focus on much more than us..
They also focus on organization, training preparations, and quality of instructional staff, which is something we still need to work on.
My project is Universal Sports School.
I got the idea from seeing how kids in the US were introduced to the idea of sports clubs very early on, in that way functioning as a refuge and keeping them off the streets.
We also gained a lot of skills by having US coaches at the Sarajevo camp.
This project united Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Basketball is not just about scores and players but making one complete person.
My project is about working with kids who do not have parents, and this is ideal situation to show positive impact of sport.
Girls are less privileged in many sports.
I wanted to give them that chance.
We show here that we can do it with a lot of work and willingness.
For us, it is not important who you are in terms of religion, race or whatever.
For us important things are that you like sports, want to play, and are up for some competition..
Now, you can ask my friend Dragana.
Hi, I am Dragana. Purpose and goals of this camp are great.
We have girls playing together and for some of them this is first time playing basketball.
We hope they will like it and through it offer better future and prosperity in B&H.
We, in our club in Bijeljna have implemented project "Bijeljina Plays Street Basketball".
We wanted to bring back to B&H something we learned in US.
About a hundred of boys and girls, ages between 5 and 15, participated in the project.
I think we achieved friendship that will last forever.
I think, to make one stable person, it is important to be open to different things,
to get in touch with people who are different in terms of ethnicity, because we all are same.
We all like to play and to live and it is not important why one's name and ethnicity are different.
Friendship is important. And in ten years from now, they will remember friends that they made from various cities around B&H.
And they will meet again.
Our reason for getting involved in this project was to establish cooperation with schools and clubs from others cities.
My project was to build an access ramp at the entrance of the school for persons with disabilities.
Also, we would like to build a safety exit at the school, which we do not have now.
We wanted to show to everyone that we care about our kids and everyone's needs.
Now we have a lot of friends, not just from Bosnia and Herzegovina, but from the US too.
We improved our basketball skills by participating in the Program.
Our kids who came to the camp now have many new friends with which they stay in touch through social networks, which is great.
This project helped us a lot, starting from the basics in project writing through all other important details.
We learned about logistics, getting information, doing finances, and we did well. Our projects are a proof of that.
My project was a two-day competition between four clubs with more than fifty kids. It was a great event and a useful project.
This kind of Program is very rare here in Bosnia and Herzegovina, but it is extremely helpful and useful
because kids with different backgrounds are going to make friendships,
and through sports.they will createa better Bosnia and Herzegovina.
To participate with our kids at the camp in Sarajevo where we had coaches from the US, to have a chance to visit America.
and to be able to learn and network with others, more experienced coaches, has been something very special and priceless.
My project has been a Mini-School of Sportswhere we train young kids and try to help them find the right sport for them.
Last week we went to Prnjavor where our kids were hosted by the local club.This was the first time for me and my kids to go there.
Now we plan to have more competitions together.
Here is one interesting example about the strength of this project. When we came to Prnjavor one of the boys got a call from
his girlfriend and she was worrying because he came to Republic of Srpska. She wanted to make sure he was taking care of himself.
He told her that he was with his new friend and that she had nothing to worry about.
That is something that I will remember all my life, and they will remember that for sure.
Because of things like this, I know this Program will make people become closer and treat each other better.
The best 21 days in my life, from basketball to traveling with a great group of people who are still together.
My goal is to become a better coach, and we received the necessary information and contacts to be able to achieve that.
Trainings that we saw were excellent, as well as all the infrastructure in schools, gyms, universities etc.
In those 21 days we wanted to present our country in the best light, and they also did the same.
They asked us what we wanted to see and they spent a lot time with us, for which we were very grateful.
They showed us how their camps work, and we are attempting to implement a similar system at this camp here.
Other than that, they offered us a very rich cultural program, including a lot of their history.
It is a big thing to have had twelve of us, coaches,travel to the States, come back here, remain in touch, and continue the cooperation.
I am very happy to see that the kids have had a chance to do something in Sarajevo,and experience volunteering
because many of them never participated in something that is beneficial to their local community.
It is important that they know how to give something back to their community, not just continue taking from it.
We can already see the importance of volunteering. We never had this at the camp before, but it was great to see how many kidswanted to volunteerat the last tournament.
To be honest, my kids were questioning why they had to volunteer, but in the end they were happy, and
after coming back home, they are planning on doing something similar in our town.
I spoke with my kids after the volunteering action, and it was great to see that they realized that it was not just about cleaning up the trash, but about community and giving back.
We left behind us something that others can use, a place kids can enjoy and play in, and that is something special.
That activity in Sarajevo had a huge impact on them because after coming back to Tuzla, a group of them organized themselves and cleaned up an old playground that now they are using regularly.
film by Adem Lisicic ( www.nestovise.org )
special tnx: Marina Maric and Adnan Mackovic