After Safet Kubat gave an introductory speech and presented the meeting agenda, other speakers that made this Meetup so memorable and exceptional were also announced.
The representative of the local government, Maša Škrbić, addressed the gathered participants and suggested that a special honorary award should be given to the representatives of Zenica diaspora at the award ceremony that the local authorities organize every year in celebration of Zenica Day on March 20.
Later the participants could hear more about an inspiring story of Dijana Muminović, a photographer from Zenica that decided to found the first School of Photography in her home city once she returned from the United States. The gathered assembly was delighted and thrilled with the insights and experiences Dijana shared with them. After listening to Dijana's story, we moved from the States to Japan, where Elma Kablar was eagerly waiting to tell us more about the first eco trail race that is soon to be organized in Zenica. Her presentation was praised as participants showed great interest and will to help her and support her project.
Our meeting last night finished off with the words of Nikola Burić, a chief executive officer at i-platform and i-diaspora. He introduced participants to the project “BALKAN COOP” and the great potential and possibilities it has since its main goal is to sell and export the organic products grown in Zenica to the global market. Nikola’s words were met with great contentment, interest, and pride.
That the 11th Zenica Meetup was indeed special and remarkable was reflected in the productive discussion on many other topics: circular economy, cooperatives, solar energy, the transformative approach, etc.
Since participants showed genuine and great interest for the first eco trail race and the School of Photography in Zenica, it was agreed on that another meeting would be held soon in order to work out how the two could be incorporated together. At the end of the 11th Zenica Meetup, a project coordinator and network representative of i-platform and i-diaspora in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Aldin Vrškić, suggested that the 13th Zenica Meetup is to be held during the eco race. The idea of meeting offline was welcomed with positive reactions and feedbacks.
This year’s first Zenica Meetup was quite a success in regards to the topics, stories, ideas, and energy that were exchanged during the event. We hope that each next Meetup will be equally successful and that Zenica Meetups will become a tradition and a safe space where Zenica diaspora could meet and work together on transforming their home city into a better and more prosperous place.
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