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The 2001 Youth Leadership Program for Bosnia and Herzegovina is designed to expand upon the successful Youth Leadership Program conducted by Project Harmony in January, 2000.
Two groups of students and teachers from Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) will be hosted in Vermont and Boston for three weeks in January 2001. The 28 participants will examine the concepts of citizenship and participation in a democratic society through leadership activities with American students and community leaders. The participants will represent four BiH cities: Bihac, Brcko, Mostar and Trebinje.
Key components of the three-week program for each delegation include:
 Homestays with host families in rural and urban areas of the northeast United States
Participation in classes at a rural and urban high school
Problem-solving workshops
Computer training workshops
Democracy seminars with legislators and officials from the Governors office in Vermont
Goal-setting exercises and action planning sessions
Follow-on workshops conducted by US program staff in BiH communities
The program will affect a wide audience in the United States and in BiH. In addition to the 28 BiH participants in the 2001 program, alumni from the 2000 program will be directly involved in follow-on activities. Students and teachers from both program years will work together to implement action plans and democratic initiatives in their schools and communities.
American students, teachers and community members from program locations in Vermont and Boston will develop an expanded world view. Foremost, they will learn about the history, the lifestyles and the current political situation in BiH from program participants whom they will host in their communities. Secondly, American participants from Boston and Vermont will have the opportunity to get to know each other in program planning and program debriefing meetings, creating the opportunity for urban and rural school communities to develop exchange programs. American participants will learn about the challenges facing BiH participants and will have the opportunity to demonstrate principles of active citizenship.
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