A better side of Srebrenica

Ismar Porić (born 1988) - Social entrepreneur/teaching artist/professional musician from Bosnia and Herzegovina . 10 years of experience in developing and implementing Social and cultural projects in the Western Balkans. Dedicated to Community development to empower individuals and groups of people with the skills and knowledge to create changes within their communities.

Since 2012 I'am working in the House of good tones organization from Srebrenica,  as its General manager and Artistic Director and through Social Entrepreneurship, Cultural Agency, Teaching Artistry, Civic Leadership, and Organizational Management.I'am dedication to children’s and youth development and to their educational needs.

Encouraging cultural development of the city Srebrenica, to promote universal civilization values through art, to give the youth the tools to help them actively get involved in society and to provide space to the generation of their parents, the survivors of the genocide, that they will recognize as the place of the reconstruction of social, cultural and moral values.  Through the activities of the organization, we will provide the basis for more intense and versatile work on the establishment of a new set of values that would rest on the common goal – to create better social environment in Srebrenica

The activities of the center are based on the idea that culture and art are tools in overcoming conflict relations. The created cultural and artistic space would be a ground for the exchange of cultural values, the recognition of differences and a pleasure gained from meeting with ‘others’ and ‘different’.

Unlike other post-conflict areas in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Srebrenica is particularly in focus of national and international public because of the verdict for genocide rendered at the ICTY, which made that town an important symbol for two dominant nationalistic politics – the Bosniak one and the Serb one. Within that context, Srebrenica has become a subject matter of political debates that end without any specific benefit for local population.

Official politics do not include the idea of cultural, economic and democratic development of the town.

In an post-conflict environment such as Srebrenica, and in transitional society such as one in B&H, the work of our organization, whose activities include several program fields and which enjoys the trust of a large number of citizens, is the core for the creation of better social environment in Srebrenica.

“House of Good Tones”  Srebrenica implements projects aimed at supporting the processes of reconciliation and the creation of better social environment for children and youth in Srebrenica. The organization was founded on the principals of multi-ethnicity, with a mission to educate children and youth of different ethnic backgrounds by implementing innovative educational projects and using modern teaching methodology, with the final goal to exert positive influence over the community in which it operates.

 Our activities are accessible to all citizens in the Srebrenica region regardless of their ethnicity, religion or any other affiliation. In that sense, we see intercultural dialogue as the process of mutual learning, the exchange of information and experiences, through the activities of common interest for all groups. We are trying to organize events for our users that will bring them closer to each other and establish lasting relations among their different traditions, cultures and positions, and energize them for establishing new positive every-day atmosphere in their environment

House of Good Tones is an organization that manages to organize activities in the Srebrenica region that would not be accessible to citizens otherwise. Our activities are inventive because we create content in accordance with the interest of our users. Since we have worked here for eight years, we know which content is important to people and we try to include that into activities. We believe that any work in conflict-sensitive environment implies a careful research of the needs and the creation of work methods. 

''House of good tones''  Srebrenica founded in 2012 ( with the support of the BHB foundation  from Austria) heal deep wounds in the town that had been the site of the worst genocide in Europe since World War 2. The two ethnic populations still live side by side in hostile disengagement with every effort at reconciliation has given little success . I have started  El Sistema-inspired program to foster friendships in the children, and building on these, bring humanity back to the community.

The town of Srebrenica is world-wide known (unfortunately) for the the Srebrenica massacre, also known as the Srebrenica genocide (July 1995, during the Bosnian War), where more than 8000 men and young boys where killed.

At the begging,  music is used as a tool of creating reconciliation and creating a better coexistence, bringing people from conflict sides and different ethnic groups together and changing the whole community.

My final goal is to present Srebrenica in a more positive way, as beautiful town with many talented young people whose voices need to be heard.  

I communicate with the members of our organization on a daily base, and gaining their trust was the hardest, but also most important thing that I had to accomplish. 

The key is in that change cannot be done ALONE, but with others – it requires INTENSIVE INTERPERSONAL INTERACTIONS with the local community

Community members must be recognized as the experts of their own lives.

I have been working in Srebrenica for many years and I have witnessed many different organizations  trying to make a change, but with no success. Why? .....Wrong approach to  the complex community  context of Srebrenica. 

Understanding the community context is the most important issue to co create a positive and sustainable change. It is not enough to not do the things that are bad, we need to create active and creative ways that are good, instead just not harmful. 

The attempt to create a change in the communities without understanding the social, historical, political and human relationship context can do more harm than good. 

I have dedication to educational needs,  encouragement of creativity and higher-order thinking to increase development children’s and youth in Srebrenica and B&H. 

I have more than 10 years of experience in developing and implementing social and cultural projects, organizing more than 200 concerts, youth and music camps around Europe and creating collaborations with youth and music projects around the world. 

Raise the level of the active participation of young people in society through workshops of critical thinking, a culture of dialog, media literacy and lectures about the importance of involvement for the wellbeing of local community;

Enable young people to solve tasks of general interest for society and develop skills necessary for proper understanding of social situation in order to be able to take on social responsibility and act accordingly in local community;

In the course of its work so far, “House of Good Tones” has received, among others, the following prestigious awards and recognitions:

1. Main prize – Fillipas Engel, Fillipas Engel Foundation Germany (Frankfurt) – Main prize for young Europeans (under 30) for extraordinary engagement in the cultural, social or environmental field.
2. Global Music Award, 2017 – Global Music Award – Top achievement in music for the video "Love People" (Global Peace Anthem);
3. Intercultural Achievement Award, 2018 – Federal Ministry for EUROPE, INTEGRATION AND FOREIGN AFFAIRS
4. Award of the Network for Building Peace in B&H.

Our organization is the first organization that gave children and young people in Srebrenica a chance to grow up healthily, to develop the key life skills, the feeling of comradeship and responsibility. After the war and the genocide, the situation in the town was raising concern, the ideas about dividing schools were conceived and nationalistic rhetoric became a part of children’s upbringing and education. Therefore, our organization is a safe place for those who want to live differently and create better environment for the upcoming generations. 

In 2017, Working with El Sistema-inspired programs in 15 countries around the world, I have created and launched the first-ever worldwide Sistema creative project. 

Choruses around the world sing the global peace anthem   Love people ,  into one five-minute film.

A worldwide chorus singing this message of solidarity with lyrics in English that speak of global unity, in a time of anxiety and political aggression. Envision a film cutting from one part of the world to another as we meet chorus after chorus singing his hopeful, empowering anthem. 

We are changing social life in Srebrenica by helping young people develop the key life skills and become the creators of change. They will organize life in the local environment, based on the idea of universal human values. Young people will be inspired to get involved in volunteer and activist activities from which all citizens will benefit. The concerts that we organize in foreign countries give our users an opportunity to meet different cultures and customs. Changing perspective, their entire experience of everyday life changes as well, while traveling to other countries widens their horizons.

As we do research in the community , it is important to remember that despite that technical skills and academic knowledge we bring to the work, the community members are the exerts of their own lives.  

Regardless of Your motives, we must know for which kind of changes is the community ready/prepared and acknowledgment of expertise and knowledge that already exits within the community in which we engage

Before You enter any community, we must be   aware what are the positive and negative impacts of your presence in the community and do people feel comfortable when You are in their space ?

Understanding of the opportunities and capacities must be balanced in real and live experienced   of our partners in the community  Community members must be recognized as having agency in their own decisions in their own community. 

Direct project users of the work of our organization are students of elementary and high schools, women and all interested citizens of Srebrenica from the Srebrenica region.  600 students and young people from Srebrenica and other towns and settlements in the radius of 80 kilometers – Potočari, Bratunac, Skelani and Konjević Polje – take part in the work of the center in the course of one year. 

All activities that the center offers are free of charge.

 We have partnership with the elementary and high school in Srebrenica, as well as with regional film and literary festivals. Foundation “Bauern Helfen Bauern” from Salzburg is a long-time partner (since 2014)  and “Hilti Foundation” is a long-standing partner (cooperation agreement 2019-2022)