Youth Resource Centre (YRC) Tuzla was established in 2004, and grew out of the international NGO called Helsinki Citizens' Assembly (hCa) Tuzla, which was active in Bosnia-Herzegovina since 1995.
When hCa started mobilising young people in Bosnia and Herzegovina and connecting them through networks, it was still impossible to travel freely throughout the country and to cross inter-entity lines. Phone lines were not fully operational as yet, and young people from the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Republika Srpska did not have any opportunity to meet each other and socialise, which would invariably help them understand that they are actually not so different from each other.
In that period, hCa/YRC Tuzla mainly worked on programmes focused on young people, minorities, and regional cooperation. The main motivation for Miralem Tursinović who has been there from the beginning and is now Director of YRC - are ever-present despair, division and isolation in his country.
At present, one of YRC's most signficant projects is 'Youth Networks of Bosnia-Herzegovina', which was initiated in 1997 in cooperation with hCa Banja Luka. The major idea behind this project is to connect youth initiatives (NGOs, informal groups and individuals) from across Bosnia-Herzegovina, provide support for their development and assist them with the implementation of jointly conceived projects and activities. Particular attention has been put on young people living in small communities and rural areas, in order to enable them to also be part of youth initiatives and exchange programmes.
Since the project's inception, YRC organised a significant number of various activities, including: workshops, seminars and trainings as part of informal education, public debates, conferences, pre-election campaigns for young people, actions of support to organisations and individuals from across the country, inter-entity and regional exchanges, as well as regional and international meetings.
Since 1997, thousands of young people 'passed' through the Youth Network, many of whom now occupy important and responsible functions in public and political life. At the moment this Youth Network comprises around 120 members (youth organisations, informal youth groups, individuals).
Besides this project, YRC implemented a number of other youth programmes and initiatives, both in Bosnia-Herzegovina and in the region. YRC actively takes part in regional and international initiatives and campaigns concerning minority rights and protection, gender equality, and demilitarisation.
