Writing Contest ” I am WBAA” – article by Isidora Janeva

Author: Isidora Janeva – North Macedonia Chapter

Content:

“Are the participants arriving?”

“The gift bags are ready right?”

“Please take some photos of the people while we’re waiting to start.”

These were some of the most common sentences I heard while volunteering at my first WBAA event. I wasn’t even a member back then. But I still wanted to help. I wanted to be a part of this big international family. A Western Balkans family of young enthusiasts, just like me. Today, I am not only a member but an active teammate in the Communications Team. But let’s go back to the start.

My journey with WBAA started with the first project that I was a part of. Its topic was building a socially conscious business. I can genuinely say that I had never heard of the concept before participating in this project. Needless to say, I was excited to learn something new. Also, I was excited to finally do something with WBAA.

I had heard about the organization through our Erasmus coordinator at my University. There were hundreds of photos circulating the internet about this organization. WBAA looked like a community made up of likeminded people. It is a space where creativity is valued. It fosters a leadership mindset. It was something that I wanted to be a part of.

One thing that I never expected was to meet so many incredible people. Their energy, their enthusiasm, and their life stories inspired me as a person to further develop myself. These people were ambitious, well-spoken, kind, and generous. They were the type of people that I wanted to associate myself with. Six months later, I applied to become an official WBAA member, and here I am, telling my story of how this organization opened up the blinds which were in front of me for a long time.

I learned some very crucial lessons while being a part of WBAA. It is the fact that excellence is everywhere around us – you just have to decide to be a part of a group that embodies it. Through their projects and events, this organization is one of the driving forces in the Western Balkans region, fostering a culture of knowledge and teamwork, only to prove that these capable, like-minded young people can bring about fantastic changes in the region.

This why I am proud to say that I am a student. I am a leader. I am WBAA.