Beskrivelse af organisationen

“Center for Education and Socializing” (shortly: “COD”) is a non-governmental, multiethnic organization from the central Bosnian town of Jajce. Our main mission is to strengthen inter-ethnic reconciliation in our from system divided society and to support and gain sustainable peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Our submission is to promote capacities of local population and to improve their social skills. Through our work and multi-ethnic team, we show and promote constantly that differences in our society are an advantage, not a weakness as political ideologies are promoting currently in our country. Main target groups are: youth aged from 16 to 30 and children aged 3 to 15 years. As secondary target group we also include adults aged 30 and above – also elderly people if our support and programs are needed by these groups.

For achieving our mission and goals we organized many important projects and activities, which out some of them are still
present:
- Media project “Jajce Press” – first local magazine, printed version, after local digital web info portal (www.jajcepress.com) (2015 – 2020.);
- Youth Tourism Project ”Visit Jajce“ – first tourist activity to promote Jajce as tourist destination (www.visitjajce.com ) / 2015 – 2021;
- support of young people (self)-employment through engaging own start-ups - “Business Center” / 2016. – Today;
- Children workshop “Ciciban” (children day-care and educational program – 2017. – today)
- informal educational programs for young people (daily workshops for many different topics, trainings, seminars and conferences)
- many humanitarian actions (helping local people in need with supplying with food and clothing, equipping local schools with computers and
school tables, fundraising for reconstruction of Jajce national monuments etc.), environment protection activities (cleaning action of Jajce and
nearby Pliva lakes, public campaign in stopping building private power plants in Jajce nature, supplying and installing garbage cans in Jajce
town center and on the lakes, organizing many ecology workshops in local school with children ages 7 to 14) and public events (organizing New
Year’s Eve open air concert 2016. and 2017., children New years celebration – 2018 & 2019, cultural event “ Day of Europe” in Jajce city park,
summer music festival (2015) and many more).
- International voluntary services (European voluntary service- EVS, European Solidarity Corps – ESC, German voluntary program – Weltwaerts) –
sending and hosting young volunteers (2015. - today)
- We additionally organized both local and international exchange programs for children and youth with special focus on disadvantaged and rural
youth coming from different ethnic and religious background.

For almost two decades of our on-the-ground work (many of our staff worked previously in local Youth Centre Jajce organization established 2002), we have trained our staff to approach young people with methodology needed for work in multi-ethnic communities and post-conflict environment. Our work and the results of our organizations engagement are well known to our partners throughout BiH and abroad. Our organization has for many years successfully established cooperation with organizations across Europe, we cooperate with organizations from Germany, Switzerland, France, Austria, Slovenia, Serbia, Kosovo and North Macedonia).