Good, beautiful and honest, this is what volunteerism is for me. I've been engaged in it for over 15 years through various forms of activism. The call to action, the urgency of the issues, and the desire for social change are what drive me. I am Safet Kubat and this is my story.
I am a Doctor of Interdisciplinary Social Sciences by vocation, although my educational background is diverse, ranging from completing the Institute for Digital Media in Dublin to earning a master's degree in health management, pedagogy, political ecology, and more. I am quite specific and like to combine different tools, knowledge, and experiences to achieve my goals.
As for my specific involvement with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in Bosnia and Herzegovina in the role of UN Community Volunteer Youth Champion, what motivated me was the desire to show that social media can be used positively as well. I had witnessed the damage caused by hate speech on media platforms, often leading to violence.
I try to translate my theoretical knowledge into practice, with the focal points in this case being youth and peace, although I have also touched on the right to water and similar activities.
As Youth Champions, we have started to introduce a new and unique narrative with clear messages like: 'Rivers know no borders,' 'We breathe the same air,' and 'Waste knows no nation.'
I believe that what we achieved was significant, especially since there were three of us involved in the entire process.
We came with different backgrounds—Nikola Lero brought his artistic and poetic expression, Robert Dacesin his visibility and popularity through his tourism and educational travels, and I brought ecological topics. What connected us was volunteering and that we were UN Community Volunteer Youth Champions.
We began bringing topics to the mainstream that unite us rather than divide us. We also created a safe space and demonstrated, through the movement, how to communicate via social networks and how important it is to be creative. I've built a large network of contacts, with the highlight being the Global Conference in Paris, where we had the opportunity to speak directly with people who regulate Facebook. It's beneficial when there's a chance to hear from someone on the ground.
What is important is that people trust us, that regardless of their faith, nationality, or political affiliation, they recognize us and ask how they can get involved.
This is our life; we must try to act for the good of people wherever and however we can.
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The project “Social Media 4 Peace” funded by the European Union and implemented by UNESCO aimed to strengthen the resilience of fragile societies against the spread of potentially harmful online content, especially hate speech.