"This program, in my
view, is a wonderful opportunity to learn about Kosova and
more important to learn about the challenges of
post-conflict development. I am confident that your
experience in this program will serve you in your future
educational and professional endeavours..."
Mr. Ibrahim Makolli
Minister of Diaspora
Government of Kosova
"You
walk into this programme with the eyes of an arbiter. Ready
to judge and evaluate. You think you understand, that you
are prepared but although you may have heard the stories,
your ears never truly had the ability to listen. You can't
learn understanding in a history book. The story of the
Balkans is one of individual struggle and a shared humanity
- you can't capture that in writing, you can only live it.
You stop evaluating and begin experiencing and you fall in
love. You fall in love with the over-the-top weddings and
the coffee strong enough to fuel a small car, with the
people and their optimism and their unwavering strength. You
are also challenged, floored, and broken but among those
pieces you learn not only the potential and the pitfalls of
this fledgling state, but about yourself and the kind of
person you want to become. You walk into this journey a
judge, but you leave familja."
Ciara
Gallagher
University College Dublin, Ireland, BPP 2014 Participant
"The
Balkans Peace Program is one of the best experience in my
life. I learned so much in only one month and the way to
learn was really different from what I am used to. We
learned concretely : we experienced the State building
process and the peace keeping by discussing with the locals,
different civil servants (mayors, ministers, advisers, etc.)
and international actors (ambassador, OSCE). In addition, I
met such intelligent people from all over the world. We
shared our point of view about security, democracy,
education, health in developing countries, making this month
one of the most intellectual stimulation moment of my life."
Justine Creteur
Lille University, France, BPP 2014 Participant
"I
took part in the Balkans Peace Program in Kosovo in the
summer of 2014, and it was truly one of the most amazing
experiences of my life. The people in the program from Faton
Bislimi down to the volunteers and the host families, were
nothing but accommodating. Literally all day every day, you
were positive there was an incredible group of people
looking out for you. The program itself was extremely
informative, the lectures put on by Mr. Bislimi were filled
with incredible knowledge, experience, and passion. Every
moment in the classroom was filled with fun and laughs, yet
some of the most important knowledge and experiences were
taught outside of the classroom. The way the locals acted to
each other and us international students spoke volumes of
their true character, and I know that Kosovo is on my short
list of places to return. I have nothing but good things to
say about the program and the Bislimi Foundation, and would
highly recommend the experience to all my fellow peers. I
made international friendships that will last a lifetime,
with people all over the world, established friendships that
have flourished now that I have returned home, and have
learnt an amazing amount of information on the politic,
social, and daily lives of the people of the Balkans. I
truly believe that this was, and is, a worthwhile
experience, and the people that ran the program and helped
out, were amazing and more than helpful and hospitable.
Thanks again, you guys are amazing."
Brett Karperien
University of Alberta, Canada, BPP 2014 Participant
"The
Balkan Peace Program was for me a unique opportunity as not
many student in Poltical Science have the chance to actually
experience the reality of a Post-Conflict society. It was
also the occasion to travel around some of the most
beautiful places of the Balkans and to meet amazing people
from all around the world sharing my passion for politics
and international relations."
Nicolas Pavlovic
Lille University, France, BPP 2014 Participant
"The Balkans Peace Program
is a wonderful opportunity to see life in a post-conflict
society and how a still healing country is growing every
day. The magic of the program however comes from the
homestay families and the amazing stories they tell about
their experience in the war not long ago, giving insight to
the rich and amazing history of Kosovo."
Daniel Emirkhanian
Soka University of America (California), BPP 2014
Participant
"The
program, in short, was an eye-opening experience. The Balkan
Peace Program gave, in my opinion, a chance to see the real
effects of the area's history and the on-the-ground
challenges of rebuilding a state; something you cannot gain
simply through an academic course. By living with local
residents, it allowed me to understand the culture, and the
grief and anger many still feel, which showed how far the
reconciliation process has come, and how far it still needs
to go. All in all, it was amazing opportunity, in a
beautiful country, where it allowed me to learn more than I
ever could from a book or a class."
Carly Manning
University of Alberta, Canada, BPP 2014
Participant
Some
Pictures:
Mind you that between the program staff and participating
students, thousands of pictures have been taken. In what
follows, we will only be able to present of few of these
pics...
A moment from daily lectures with lead
instructor, Faton Bislimi
Cheers to another successful and fun
day...
A visit at the Adem Jashari Memorial
Complex
Lunch time, during one of the out-of-town
tours...
With Mr. Fabris (middle, front row) of the
US Embassy after his address to the BPP 2014 class
With Mr. Gnocchi (4th from the left, front
row), Deputy EU Special Rep to Kosovo, after his address to
the BPP 2014 class
At an official meeting with Mr. Abazi,
Deputy Minister of Culture, Youth, and Sports.
At an official meeting with Mr. Elmazi at
the Ministry of Economic Development
With Mr Makolli, Minister for Diaspora, at
the Government of Kosovo Press Room
At a meeting with Mr. Ivanovic (sitting,
center), Mayor of Novo Berda
At the Castle of Ulqin in Montenegro
Ulqin Beach, Montenegro
Castle of Shkoder, Albania
Castle of Kruja, at the National Museum of
Skenderbeg, Albania
At the Mother Teresa Museum and Birth
House in Skopje, Macedonia
Picnic in Bukovik, near Gjilan, Kosovo
Mayor of Gjilan, Lutfi Haziri, and Faton
Bislimi address the graduates of BPP 2014 during the closing
ceremony
Mayor Haziri and Faton Bislimi do the Ice
Bucket Challenge in support of ALS after the BPP 2014
closing ceremony.
TBG
Foundation 
