How do we communicate in a way that people truly hear us? How do we present our work to the media, communities or donors while staying authentic to the message that made us start this work in the first place? Representatives of PRAGG community organisations from across Bosnia and Herzegovina explored — and found — answers to these questions during the two-day training “Communication 360°: Media, Public Speaking and Social Media.”

What happened over those two days was much more than learning communication rules. It was a space for connection, support and mutual understanding — something people who tackle serious social issues every day often lack the most.

New techniques, new approaches — and new confidence

Anica Ramić from the organisation “Stop Mobbing” in Trebinje has been working in the civil society sector for almost twenty years. Still, this training reminded her how much room for growth there always is.

“I learned new techniques, new approaches to presenting our work, how to promote what we do so our efforts are visible, and how to attract people to join us in creating change.”

For her — as for many other participants — the most valuable part was connecting with others and realising they are not alone in what they do.

For new organisations — support that means everything

Sanita Bišić from the association “Be My Friend” in Jablanica is only just entering the world of civil society organisations. For her, every part of the training was a major step forward.

“I can’t single out one specific part of the training because all of it was extremely useful. As a new organisation, we must use all communication channels — from social media to cooperation with local authorities — to achieve our goals,” she said, adding that improving her skills in writing press releases was particularly valuable.

Sanita’s honesty shows how important it is to support small and newly established organisations, which often have the strongest motivation to make a difference.

Why was this training important?

As explained by Selma Šljivo from the Institute for Youth Development KULT, the main goal of the Communication 360 training was to give PRAGG organisations the space, knowledge and confidence to make their projects and valuable initiatives visible.

“From the beginning of PRAGG, we have invested a lot of effort in strengthening their capacities — these are all organisations doing incredible work on the ground and truly changing people’s lives. However, they often lack the time, resources or skills to present these results in a way that reaches people and shows how important their work is. That’s exactly why we designed this training — to give them the opportunity to learn what they previously couldn’t. We believe these practical skills will help them show what they truly do and how meaningful their work is.”

Why communication matters

Because good work should not remain hidden.
Because citizens deserve to know that there are people and organisations improving lives in their communities every day.
Because clear, honest and timely communication builds trust — and trust creates change.

This training is just one small, but meaningful step toward making the powerful work of organisations across BiH seen, heard and recognised.

A short video recap of Day 1 is available in the PRAGG Instagram profile, and the full photo gallery is included below.

The training was organised within the PRAGG project, financed by the Government of Switzerland, and implemented by HELVETAS and NIRAS, in partnership with CCI and the Institute for Youth Development KULT.