Dear Reader,
The volunteers at Voices of the Bosnian Genocide (VOBG) are proud of our contribution to the Bosnian-American community over the last six years. Since then, our mission to educate people about the Bosnian Genocide has landed well and is now positioned to scale. We believe that we can have broader reach and be more effective by encapsulating all that we do through the structure of a parent organization – The Bosnian American Institute (BAI), which encompasses and expands on the mission of VOBG.
BAI volunteers (left to right) Zlatka Velagic, Mirza Velagic, and Irfan Mirza
Six years ago, VOBG’s founders set out to raise awareness about the Bosnian genocide. The founders felt a responsibility to build a platform to help people learn about the genocide. As we built on our expansive outreach, our constituents began asking us to expand our research so that it could include content relating to the nationality, culture, religious diversity, as well as the identity and heritage of the people of Bosnia-Herzegovina. Over the last two years, we have expanded into those areas and are ready to grow our platform concurrently.
To ensure that our mission is able to cover such broad scope, we began transitioning VOBG into BAI. Continuing with genocide awareness as a core pillar, we expanded our scope to include culture, education and outreach as additional pillars under BAI.
Our Mission
To educate, inspire, and empower people to participate in preserving the culture and history of a sovereign Bosnia-Herzegovina in order to enrich the American experience.
The audience reach that we have gained over the last half decade is due to the dedication and persistence of our volunteers, contributors, and supporters—each one of you. We are accountable to you collectively, so we are working hard to provide the right level of transparency about the institute. From our mission and vision, to our operating and engagement model, all the way through our fiscal management processes, we are committed to sharing just the right amount of information, so that you are fully apprised of our intentions and plans, while ensuring that we retain sufficient assurance of our members’ safety and organizational sustainability.
You have all been a part of this important mission that the founding members started. On behalf of the members of VOBG and BAI, our President and Trustees, we thank you for the rich collaboration, and for your time, energy and passion. We sincerely wish to maintain a high level of productive collaboration with each of you, and look forward to a successful transition. Please like our BAI Facebook page so you can receive updates on the transition as soon as they are posted.
Sincerely,
BAI Board & Volunteers