Vildana Bijedic, one of the BH Futures Foundation board members, was a featured speaker at the third annual BiH Diasporic Conference (BiHDC) which took place in USA’s capital, Washington D.C., on April 28th and 29th, 2017. The event brought together predominately a young generation of diaspora who has spent many years living in the US and/or Canada.
As a passionate advocate for education, as well as one of the directors of “BiH Futures
Foundation”, Vildana spoke on the topic "Transforming Youth into Future Leaders
through Education and Technology”. She emphasized the vital importance of a
sustainable cooperation between the diaspora community and BiH youth and presented
effective tools such as travel grants and diaspora mentorship program.

“They are the next leaders who will lead our country and all of its citizens to a better
future by setting new standards and creating new opportunities,” Vildana reminded the
participants of the conference. Representing “BiH Futures Foundation” Vildana’s shared
foundation’s numerous accomplishments and expressed her commitment “to
empowering the youth in BiH and cultivating the future generation of leaders”. As a
result, most of the participants immediately signed up for the mentorship program to
proactively include the diaspora in the lives of BiH young talents.
Vildana found the BiHDC to be a success: “all the participants were inspiring, the
presentations encompassed a vision of solidarity and education, while celebrating the
country’s vibrant culture”. Vildana is looking forward to continuing to contribute to
BiHDC and has expressed her thanks to its sponsors: Bosnian-American Genocide
Institute and Education Center (BAGI), as well as the Advisory Council for Bosnia and
Herzegovina (ACBH), an independent, non-governmental organization dedicated to
promoting the interests of Bosnian Americans and advocating for a united, multi-ethnic
and democratic BiH.
After the conference, Vildana also had the distinct honor of being received by His
Excellency Ambassador Haris Hrle for a meeting as well as a tour of the BiH
Embassy in Washington. During the visit, they had an insightful discussion about the
American BiH diaspora community and the various ways in which we can all partner up
to implement channels for educational and cultural programs between the two countries.
With the initiative of the Ambassador Hrle they decided to organize a conference hosted
by the Embassy later this year for the purpose of a more effective inclusion of the
diaspora in the sustainable development of BiH.

Na trećoj godišnjoj konferenciji BiH Diasporic Conference (BiHDC) održanoj u glavnom gradu Sjedinjenih Američkih Država, Washington D.C. od 28. do 29. aprila 2017. godine, Vildana Bijedić, jedna od članova odbora BH Futures fondacije, bila je istaknuti govornik na događaju koji svake godine okuplja mlade dijasporaše koji su proveli mnogo godina živeći i radeći u SAD-u i/ili Kanadi. Kao strastveni zagovornik znanja i obrazovanja i kao jedan od direktora BH Futures Foundation, tema o kojoj je Vildana imala priliku pričati na spomenutoj konferenciji govori o transformaciji mladih u buduće lidere kroz obrazovanje i tehnologiju, “Transforming Youth into Future Leaders through Education and Technology”. U svom govoru istaknula je važnost i značaj održive suradnje između dijaspore i mladih Bosne i Hercegovine, uz prijedlog primjene efektivnih alata za postizanje tog cilja, kao što su razni programi mentorstva, putni grantovi i slično.

“Oni su budući lideri koji će voditi našu državu i sve njene stanovnike ka boljoj budućnosti kroz postavljanje novih standarda i stvaranja novih prilika”, izjava kojom je Vildana obilježila svoj govor na konferenciji. U svom govoru posvetila je pažnju i radu fondacije BH Futures Foundation i prezentovala njene brojne uspjehe do sada te napomenula da kroz rad fondacije želi “osnažiti omladinu Bosne i Hercegovine i pomoći im da postanu buduće generacije lidera”. Koliko je utjecaja imao ovaj govor na konferenciji dokazuje činjenica da je veliki broj učesnika izrazio želju da postane član fondacije u smislu mentorstva i na taj način proaktivno učestvuje u spomenutom cilju.

Vildana smatra da je konferencija BiHDC bila jako uspješna: “svi učesnici su bili inspirativni, prezentacije su bile spoj solidarnosti i obrazovanja, uz isticanje kulture države”. Vildana se nada daljoj suradnji sa BiHDC, a ovim putem želi izraziti svoju zahvalnost sponzorima: Bosnian-American Genocide Institute and Educaion Center (BAGI), Advisory Council for Bosnia and Herzegovina (ACBH), nezavisnoj nevladinoj organiziciji posvećenoj promociji interesa bosanskih amerikanaca i zagovaranja jedinstvene, multietničke i demokratske BiH.

Nakon konferencije Vildana je imala posebnu čast biti primljena od strane ambasadora Haris Hrle i biti pozvana na obilazak ambasade Bosne i Hercegovine u Washingtonu. Tokom ove posjete razmijenili su ideje i razgovorali o zajednici američke dijaspore, te razmatrali na koje sve načine mogu implementirati programe povezivanja ove dvije države kroz kulturu i obrazovanje. Ambasador Hrle je nakon razgovora predložio da krajem ove godine ambasada organizuje konferenciju u cilju efikasnijeg uključivanja dijaspore u bolji razvoj BiH.

BH Futures Foundation presented in Washington DC