Youth Resource Centre (ORC)

National Network
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Address

Hadzi Bakirbega Tuzlica 1
75000 Tuzla
Bosnia & Herzegovina

Telephone
00387 35 258 077
Fax
00357 35 258 077
E-Mail
orctuzla@bih.net.ba
E-Mail (2)
hcatuzla@bih.net.ba
Mobile Phone
00387 61 194 304
Mobile Phone (other)
00387 61 168 929
Organisation Type
Non-Governmental Organization
Year of Establishment
2004
Fields of Activity
  1. Democracy and community development
  2. Human rights
  3. International/Cultural relations
  4. Youth and education
General Information

Omladinski Resursni Centar Tuzla (Youth Resource Centre Tuzla, ORC Tuzla) is an organization for and led by young people, focusing on peace-building, reconciliation, the prevention of violent extremism and the promotion of a healthy lifestyle.

In January 2004, the inaugural assembly of the ORC Tuzla took place. Prior to 2004 and since 1995, we were a part of the international organization Helsinki Citizen’s Assembly (hCa), specifically of its branch operating in Tuzla. ORC Tuzla is coordinating the Youth Network in BiH, an ongoing project since 1997, which was started in 1997 on initiative and coordination of the hCa organizations from Banja Luka and Tuzla.

Mission and Objectives

The decision to found and register this centre was made based on the neglected needs of youth. Most of the NGOs in Bosnia and Herzegovina had been working in cooperation with international organizations or institutions, but youth organizations were left to themselves. Most of them did not know what to do in that situation and had to close their offices. This was a common scenario for youth organizations in smaller communities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which were not able to fulfill basic needs of young people without adequate help. ORC Tuzla will offer support and help to all youth organizations in need of assistance.

The lack of contacts and cooperation between the youth organizations in BiH has also motivated us to start with this initiative. Special attention was directed towards young people that live in small communities and cities in BiH, a mission that still lives on to this day. Since 2004, ORC Tuzla has continued with this project and has made it a trademark of sustainability for youth projects in BiH.

Main Projects / Activities

We are regularly publishing our monthly newsletter and sending it to over 5.000 email addresses each month. This has been an ongoing project since 1999 and we have published 248 editions of the monthly bulletin.

For the past several years, ORC Tuzla is actively working on including digital and online tools in youth work. In addition, as we are witnessing a rapid rise of violent extremism and spread of extremist narratives on social media, we have made prevention of violent extremism one of our top priorities in BiH and in the rest of Europe. We have started an online initiative, Citizens Against Terrorism (CAT BiH) as an answer to extremist narratives directed at young people in BiH. CAT BiH is now the largest youth-led internet initiative in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Our initiative promotes alternative and countering narratives, creating opportunities for young people in online and offline spaces. We currently have 6 active local teams in different communities in the country. CAT local teams are coordinated by youth leaders from the targeted communities.

Contact (1) Full Name
Mr. Miralem Tursinovic
Job Title
Head of Network
Head of the organisation
Mr. Miralem Tursinovic
Contact (2) Full Name
Emir Sejranic