The new cycle of the Older Brother, Older Sister (SBSS) program is about to begin. In preparation, a training session was held for 40 new volunteers who will serve as mentors and provide support to at-risk children over the next eight months.
Due to the high number of interested volunteers, the training was conducted in Sarajevo in two groups. The first group attended training on November 9 and 10, while the second group participated on November 16 and 17, 2024. The sessions were led by Izanela Mahmutović and Jovana Perović, program coordinators for Older Brother, Older Sister at the NARKO-NE Association.

During the training, participants became familiar with the program’s structure and learned what it truly means to be a “older brother” or “older sister.” Throughout the cycle, volunteers will attend a monthly group advisory meeting and a life skills development workshop. They will also spend quality time with their “little brothers and sisters” at least once a week.

Volunteers Asija Muslić and Sara Hodžić shared their impressions after the training and expressed their expectations for the program:

Jovana and Izanela managed to convey some of the love they have for their work and inspire me with ideas I plan to incorporate into my volunteer activities with the child I’ll be mentoring, as well as in my relationships with friends. I expect to learn a lot more and for all of us to have the opportunity to grow and work on ourselves. The whole SBSS story—ever since I first heard about the project and the foundation—is something I am proud to say exists in my city. This is undoubtedly a valuable and interesting experience, and I believe even greater benefits await in the upcoming phases of this volunteering program.– Asija Muslić

From the training, I take away not only new knowledge but also a sense of community and a strong desire to pass on everything we’ve learned to the children we’ll be working with. After this training, I see how much effort and passion is invested in the entire SBSS program. I am convinced that both the children and we as volunteers will gain immense benefits from this program. – Sara Hodžić

For 20 years, the Older Brother, Older Sister program has successfully matched volunteers with at-risk children, offering them opportunities to develop positive behavioral models. This cycle will undoubtedly contribute to the personal development of the volunteers while simultaneously enriching the childhood of the “little brothers and sisters”—which is the program’s ultimate goal.

The Older Brother, Older Sister program is implemented with the support of the Foundation for the Support and Development of Mentoring Programs Older Brother, Older Sister. It is also carried out in other cities across Bosnia and Herzegovina in the same way. This cycle is being implemented in partnership with the Network for Building Peace, as part of USAID’s Local Works/Supporting Local Resource Organizations (LRO/A) project.