In order for citizens – particularly those from socially excluded groups – to have a greater opportunity to influence decision-making processes, advocacy, and the creation of public policies, the PRAGG project designs activities tailored to the real needs of the community. A key part of this process is strengthening civil society organizations, which are the voice of citizens and drivers of change in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

One of the innovative methods in this process is learning through experience (the so-called Job Shadowing concept), a model developed by the Youth Development Institute KULT. This approach allows civil society organizations to gain new knowledge firsthand, learn about the work of more experienced colleagues, explore different organizational development models, and find practical solutions to the challenges they face.

For this reason, we hosted representatives from the Association of Citizens with Visual Impairment in Tuzla, who spent a day in discussions with employees, exchanging experiences, and seeking answers to key questions important for improving the work of their organization.

"I consider this an excellent opportunity because there are many organizations that are 'lost', don’t have well-developed capacities, and fail to find ways to implement certain procedures. Job shadowing offers a lot of useful information – it will take time for me to process everything, but we already know that we will apply some of the things, we just have to figure out how exactly", said Tifa Tučić, Executive Director of the Association of Citizens with Visual Impairment in Tuzla.

The visit was also appreciated by Mersiha Hurić and Magbula Terzić, project assistants: "It was wonderful! The people we talked to were extremely professional, and I think we learned a lot of useful things. We hope to apply most of what we heard, as there is a lot of information that makes work easier, not just for one organization, but in general – wherever you work. Thank you for the opportunity!"

The Association of Citizens with Visual Impairment in Tuzla is a partner organization within the program to strengthen organizational capacities through the PRAGG project, funded by the Swiss Government, and implemented by a consortium consisting of HELVETAS and NIRAS in Bosnia and Herzegovina, in collaboration with local partners Civil Initiatives Centers (CCI) and Institute for Youth Development KULT.

You can read more about the Job Shadowing concept HERE, and for further information, you can contact via email at: selma.sljivo@mladi.org.