The end of a beautiful story, a cycle within the Older Brother, Older Sister (OBOS) program, was marked by a joint excursion organized by the NARKO-NE Association on May 4, 2023, at Stojčevac, Ilidža, in collaboration with the Association for Promoting Social Solidarity Heart for Others (Srce za bližnje).
What made this excursion different from previous ones was its aim to connect all generations. The excursion was attended by coordinators, volunteers, and children from the OBOS program, members of the Heart for Others Association, the Center for Healthy Aging from the Municipality of Ilidža, and the Older Brother, Older Sister Foundation. The first part of the excursion included a visit to the Center for Healthy Aging, where the children and volunteers met with the beneficiaries and learned about their activities. They created a positive atmosphere and helped prepare food for all the participants at the Center.
The idea for this joint excursion came from the coordinator of the Older Brother, Older Sister program, Sanela Šehić, who shared how such gatherings can be beneficial to all generations:
Spending time with older adults helps children and youth develop empathy and understanding for others. Through interactions with different generations, children and young people learn that every person has their own unique life stories and perspectives, which helps them become more compassionate and tolerant. On the other hand, for the older adults, spending time with children can bring joy, laughter, and a connection to the world. Our desire was to encourage intergenerational solidarity and empathy, in order to build a harmonious and connected society through shared activities between the children and young people in the Older Brother, Older Sister program and the older adults at the Center for Healthy Aging in the Municipality of Ilidža. This successful initiative allowed us to see the incredible benefits of bringing children, youth, and older adults together, motivating us to organize more such gatherings in the future.

After visiting the Center and enjoying a delicious lunch, the participants were eager to continue their day at Stojčevac. A variety of fun games were prepared to help participants connect with each other, including games like Twister, Crazy Worm, Guess Who I Am, Darts, Uno, and many more that encouraged active participation from everyone.

Considering the unique nature of this excursion, we were curious about how the activities were organized, especially those that would be interesting to participants of different ages. One of the volunteers, Božica Vasilj, shared with us how organizing such an event was challenging but ultimately rewarding, especially when the final result was so positive:
The whole activity was fun but also demanding, considering everything we had to do. The birthday party for one of the girls, which we celebrated on the excursion, is something I will always remember, as well as all the fun moments and those when we connected with each other, discovering new common interests.

Of course, none of this would have been possible without the excellent cooperation with the older generation, who equally enjoyed the weekend spent with the children. Sister Magdalena Schildknecht, director of the Heart for Others Association (and former director of NARKO-NE), was one of the participants in the activities and shared her thoughts with us:
Since I am also part of the older generation and have previously worked with young people in various NARKO-NE projects, I sometimes miss the spontaneity, curiosity, and joy of life that children and young people bring. Yesterday, I fully experienced that. For us older people, it was a great pleasure and privilege to spend time with you. I felt that we, the older generation, are interesting and valuable to you. You young volunteers have motivated us to express our connection with you.

After everything said so far, we can conclude that age is just a number and that, in essence, we are all children at heart-honest, eager for love, attention, and companionship. The time and love we give each other are the most precious gifts we can offer.

Ajsela Kučinar