In this week’s story about volunteers in Bosnia and Herzegovina, we talked with Dijana Radić from Banja Luka. Dijana recently graduated from the Faculty of Philosophy, University of Banja Luka, Department of Psychology. She is currently working as a teaching assistant, and in 2019 she was awarded the national award for the best volunteer of the year by the Ministry of Family, Youth and Sports of the Republika Srpska.
Dijana knew from an early age that the work she would do when she grew up would have to do with children, and later, through formal education, she looked for ways to further educate and improve her work with children, and that is how her volunteer story actually begins.
“In my second year of college, I heard about “Djeca svjetlosti” Association, which works with children and adults from the autism spectrum. I had an idea of what autism is, what the characteristics are, but until I started volunteering, I had no idea how diverse the range of disorders is. The Psychology curriculum does not provide much knowledge about this type of disorder, especially in the second year when we have general subjects. For me, volunteering was a big challenge. Each child I worked with was different, some had a milder autism spectrum, some more serious one, and each required a different and individual approach. So, I research everywhere for information about autism, both from professors and reading articles on this topic, all in order to get a clearer picture of which methods would be best.”
The biggest motivation for volunteering, she says, is that she wants to give her contribution to people in need, especially children who are on the margins of society. At the same time, she is motivated by the fact that her volunteer engagement raises awareness about autism in the community in which she operates.
“For me, as a volunteer, the most important value of volunteering is that in this way we help people who are in some way on the margins of society and that by volunteering with them and for them we make those people not feel lonely, neglected, we show them that there are people who will always help them and be there for them. Volunteering is, I would say, a two-way street. Although you are helping other people, at the same time you experience personal growth and development, you meet different people, many of whom become good friends. By volunteering, you actually have the feeling that you are all one big family.”
Due to the specifics and nature of the activities implemented by the Association “Djeca svjetlosti”, various trainings for volunteers are regularly organized, and among the trainings that Dijana attended, which helped her to improve the quality of volunteering, stress management techniques work with people from the autism spectrum. In addition to thematic trainings, she says that she learned other important life lessons through volunteering.
“The most important lesson I learned during volunteering is that prejudices should be set aside and we should do our best to help those who need it the most. What I would especially point out if I learned is that if something is different or does not fit into some pattern of everyday functioning, it does not automatically mean that it is bad. Everything should be approached with a slight dose of curiosity and everyone should be given the opportunity to give the opportunity to meet that person, regardless of their differences. Diversity is not necessarily bad.”
When she first started volunteering with children from the autism spectrum, due to the specifics of her volunteer engagement, people from the environment often asked her questions and said that they could not do that. Dijana was never discouraged by such things. Thanks to her dedication and perseverance in good intentions, she motivated other people to get involved in volunteer activities.
“It really shouldn’t be difficult to motivate others to volunteer. I was surprised how many volunteers there are in Banja Luka and in which areas and activities. I think it’s wonderful that young people get involved in different organizations that help others. Volunteering really gives volunteers the opportunity to get a clearer picture of what they want to do later in life, to gain practice and gives us young people the opportunity to show that we do not sit 24 hours in cafes and look at phones, but to use our free time to help those who need help the most. In addition, it provides invaluable experience and knowledge that cannot be acquired anywhere else.”
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 virus pandemic, which, among other things, has limited access to collective residence institutions, Dijana has not volunteered, but plans to start again soon. This young woman sees her future in the field of working with children from the autism spectrum.
“I miss the feeling that volunteering provides – the pleasure and happiness that I have contributed to making someone’s future at least a little more beautiful. Through volunteering, I realized that I want to direct my professional career towards working with children with autism spectrum disorders. First of all, I want to educate myself as much as possible so that I can better understand them, and then help them. I want to raise awareness that autism is not something unknown that should be feared, but that we need to work together with people with autism, regardless of their differences.”
At the end of another story about exceptional volunteers, discreet heroes who make a difference in the Bosnian society, Dijana tells young people that volunteers are always needed in all areas and invites everyone, especially young people, to get involved as soon as possible.
“My message to young people is that we can all set aside at least an hour a week to help those who need it. Although not everyone can tell us thank you, the gratitude you receive from them cannot be measured by any feeling, because they express that gratitude to us through love. And just imagine how you would feel when you know that you were the ones who contributed to someone learning something new or learning something that was believed they would not be able to” – said Dijana.
The series “Priceless Stories” is implemented in the spirit of promoting volunteering as an opportunity for individual and community development, and the support that volunteering gives to our society. The series is implemented by the Institute for Youth Development KULT and UN Volunteers in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
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