2011 Bosnia & Herzegovina: The Journey volunteer Tabassam Hameed shares his thoughts on why you just can't miss next year's programme!

Before being immersed in its universe, I had an expectation that living in Bosnia would have a transformative impact on my life. I was aching to escape the confines of an everyday, repetitive, life-sapping existence; and so when the opportunity to volunteer in Bosnia came up, I felt instinctively that this was the time and this was the place.

Not merely (or even primarily) because I needed to experience a new world, but because I had a (very) basic awareness that the Bosnian people had suffered immensely and were still going through a process of regeneration and rediscovering their identity. MADE in Europe’s mission to revive the concept of Islamic brotherhood was something I found innovative- in hindsight it seems obvious, but in hindsight all the best ideas are.

Anyway, we were in Bosnia. I say we, but in fact I mean everyone except me. This was because my passport...was a magical passport which disappeared at the precise moment it was needed. The great passport incident thereafter became the source of a great deal of (routine, daily, month-long) laughter. It was all tremendously funny, except I felt humiliated and victimised. But no, I’m joking-even I found it funny, and the fun began even before we touched down in beautiful Bosnia. The passport incident allows me to mention some things about the people I went to Bosnia with. Every one of the volunteers in whose company I took the journey to Bosnia taught me something new about the world, about myself; and about what in life is valuable, worthy and estimable. It was MADE in Europe’s selectors who were responsible for sourcing these wonderful individuals, and I’ve no doubt that if you are successful in applying you will have the pleasure of taking the trip to Bosnia with similarly wonderful people. As for the people you will meet in Bosnia: you will find yourselves in the presence of men and women of towering stature. I met veterans of the war, war heroes, artists, 20 year-old Imams donning a thawb to lead a congregation one moment, and mesmerising disbelieving eyes with their football skills the next. These are the people of Bosnia, and they are talented, humble and dignified. I was welcomed to Bosnia by a legendary man called Senad, and he embraced me as though we had always known each other- as though I was a long lost son retuning home. Beautiful people.

And what a beautiful country. The contours of this spectacular land will weave themselves into your heart and implant themselves in your mind for a lifetime. It is a country where the sun’s majesty is never dimmed by clouds, where the hills and fields glow with striking vitality, where sheep roam during the day and the fire-flies dance their way through the night.

This is the country whose past and present it is vital for young people of our generation to know. It is a country whose people have stories to tell, stories that are pertinent to our society today with all its schisms, differences, and conflicts. It is a country re-emerging from the ruins of its past. I urge you to make yourselves part of this re-emergence.

Applications for the 2012 Bosnia Journey close on 28 November.  To find out more and apply click here