Sanela Banović University of Sarajevo Currently National Student Representative of Bosnia-Herzegovina Expected Year of Graduation: August 2008

 
Motivation and goals

International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW) is one huge network of medical doctors and students, *people with strong hearts and good souls*. Since its establishment, the members of the IPPNW have organized and participated in numerous projects. I had pleasure to be involved in one of the projects in past three years.  I realized that students are enough strong to buildt ideas and cooperation for peace, tolerance, human rights, health, human dignity and disarmament. It's not easy, but dear friends we have responsibility to make better future for our children and children of our friends.

I am from Sarajevo, capital city of Bosnia and Herzegovina. In my country, in the  period from 1992 to 1995, was horrible war. Sarajevo is the best example of the painful past, and this is why it is an important starting point towards the establishment of new relations and communications among the young people from all over the world.

Biography

In the period from 1997 to 2000, I served as the main coordinator of the youth organization *Post – Pessimists*, which operated within Norwegian National Assistance. I have organized a series of seminars on topic *Youth against Smoking, Drugs and Alcohol* in few towns in my country. An international conference, attended by the youth representatives from all over the world, took place in September 1999. I actively participated in a series of projects and seminars, which deal with the topics of youth, perspectives, nationalism, health, racism, tolerance etc.

In a period from 1997 to 2002, I attended seminars in Maribor and Ljubljana (Slovenia), Zagreb (Croatia), Johannesburg, Cape Town (South Africa), Rotterdam, Amsterdam, The Hag, Utrecht (The Netherlands),Brussels (Belgium), Paris (France), Munich, Frankfurt (Germany), Rome and Milan (Italy), Vienna and Graz (Austria), Luxembourg, Copenhagen (Denmark), Budapest (Hungary), Podgorica and Cetinje (Montenegro).

I have been involved with IPPNW student movement for around two and half years. I active participated in a one-mounth clinical elective in Wuerzburg- Germany. The main aim of the project is to bring together students from different ethnical groups in former Yugoslavia at the Medical Mission Hospital in Wuerzburg, in order to rebuild cantacts, reduce prejudices and to establish a neutral platform for communication and cooperation.

I organized meeting of the students from the former Yugoslav republics, who have participated in the IPPNW projects in the past years and of the members of the organization itself, which took place on June 2-5, 2006 in Sarajevo   

Very important fact of this meeting is media message on the IPPNW initiative to establish mutual communications and cooperation at various levels, among the students from former Yugoslav republics, which went through a difficult historical period in the 90s.

In the future I will try to work more to promote ideas of this organisation throw media, newsletters, radio etc. During my involvement with IPPNW's students movement, I worked in three levels – national, regional and international. I started with few friend and after three mounths, I have great time of doctors and students. We organized seminars to promote IPPNW and to spread ideas among young people. On regional level, I made very good conection with IPPNW group in near countries. We made one common project to make better internet friendship line between us.

Plan of action
For the next two years, my priority will be on the following:


1. Strengthening the different existing student projects and making them more functioning and result–oriented.

    - NWIP, ReCap, MedEx

    - Other projects like Brain Drain and Stranger and Strangeness will all be made stronger

    - Full support for every meeting on regional or international level

 

2. Partnership with other organisations

    - Make better contact with organisation who are working on similar field

    - Try to be equial partner with World Health Organisation

    - Make network with IFMSA and organisation on local and regional level

 

3. Moral and financial support for IPPNW's group

     -Look for necessary man and monetary resources to make there projects well-functioning

 
4. Organizational

    - Coordinate to establish new student chapters around the world

    - Make meetings with IPPNW's group in region and internetional level

 

5. Good relationships with mother organisation

 

In a period of two years, I will try to make every ideas possible. *Hope dies last*

Thank you for your confidence!

Motto: *With strong hearts and good souls* - we can do everything possible.....

                                                                                                                                            SANELA BANOVIĆ