Balkans community trip 2025

October 19 – 31, 2025

Over two weeks across Bosnia, Montenegro, Kosovo, and Albania, 22 participants explored how societies remember, rebuild, and live with the legacies of war and trauma. Led by the CIEL team and in the second week joined by Dr. Elton Skendaj from Georgetown University, the journey focused on questions of justice, reconciliation, and democratic development in a region still marked by its recent past.

In Bosnia, we examined how memory and identity are negotiated—from Srebrenica’s pursuit of justice to Sarajevo’s efforts to foster coexistence and confront intergenerational trauma. In Montenegro, we reflected on shared histories and the challenge of preserving heritage while looking forward. In Kosovo, conversations with journalists, activists, and civil society leaders highlighted the ongoing work of building institutions and trust. And in Albania, we turned to democratic reform, civic participation, and the country’s European aspirations.

Words that continue to echo:

• “My identity was determined by the guy on the other end of the Kalashnikov.” - Dr. Hikmet Karčić (University of Sarajevo)

• “Peace is fragile, fragmented, and unevenly experienced.” - Zerina Mandžo Čolić (UN Project Coordinator, Sarajevo)

• “The younger generation has a lot of transferred trauma, but no direct experience of it.” - Psychologist (Sarajevo)

• “Silence does not bring reconciliation. You don’t prevent war by separating people, but by letting them tell their stories.” — Dr. Vjosa Dobruna (Pristina, Kosovo, Carter Fellow for Human Rights)

• “I am not a victim. (flxing her biceps)” - Kada (Mothers of Srebrenica)

Grateful to the many people who shared their experiences and to everyone who made this journey possible.