The Bosnian Youth Tutoring Program offers tutoring in the following subjects for high school students:Algebra I/II,Geometry,Trigonometry,Pre Calculus,AP Calculus AB,AP/Honors/Basic Statistics,Chemistry I/II/AP,Biology I/II/AP,Spanish I/II,Any Computer class,AP English 9/10/11/12/Basic/College English,AP Government & Politics,and AP U.S. History.Elementary and middle school students are offered help in English,Math,Science,History,and Computer classes.Anyone from ages 7-18 is encouraged to come!When the Bosnians came to America,they felt that they had to conform to the American standards of living and in the process,forgot their roots;not only did they lose their sense of tradition,but also their foreign dialect.Forgetting a native language isn't “cool”-it's very detrimental in the college admissions process.There are many aspects of my program that guarantee a better focus on not only school, but on the issues happening in the world. I am of Bosnian ethnicity and have always looked to my family for inspiration to continue in my endeavors, but lately, I have noticed that people my age don't receive the same type of guidance.We need to prove to the world that the war has not stopped us in our educational pursuits. What many fail to realize is that to truly achieve in school and understand the concepts presented, they need to be aware of problems that are occurring globally, not just in their communities. The first step in gaining a newfound perspective of the world is getting your opinion across-in turn, people will be able to provide constructive criticism. Criticism can help you form ideas that are configured more to fit the general audience’s ideas.I feel that it is important to teach others the same information that I know so that they can become fast thinkers and be quick to react to extenuating circumstances that they had not planned on.Life can be overwhelming and I want to prepare the kids in my program for not only school AND the world,but also for dealing with life.I think that some young children don't have good role models and they need someone to look up to-I want to be that person.I have worked with the parents of my students in order to ensure that their kids completed the assigned homework that I gave them. I call their houses regularly to make sure that they are having a good day and to wish them luck on upcoming quizzes and tests-a positive attitude is needed for a positive outcome. I had to come up with an idea, organize all of my thoughts onto paper in a coherent and logical pattern, find a place where the tutoring would take place, find people to tutor, get their information, and finally start the program. Not only does starting a project require passion, but also strong willpower and determination. I have helped my students learn how to look at an assignment and figure out the objectives of it immediately. I know that time is precious and rare-I want them to use their intelligence and hard work to the maximum and gain more independence and maturity.The Bosnian Youth Tutoring Program has accomplished many great things for the future generations of Bosnian Americans: belief, trust, confidence, security, maturity, openness,respect,and self-control.I have helped all of my students gain the characteristics mentioned above.They are more happy individuals that are ready to take on the challenges of everyday life, as well as try to help others that are stuck in the same place that they are in. They have seen how education can help them move forward with their dreams and goals-that is the most important realization of all.Education is not merciless:it is kind towards everyone if they just take a moment to understand it.I have also told my students the famous quote,"With knowledge comes great responsibility"-they need to know that it can be used for good or evil,but the consequences of their actions will come back to haunt them.Their mothers are very proud and feel that their children have accomplished much since the time that the program began. Even though they are younger,they can tell other kids their age that it's not okay to bully others just because they're different-that's one step closer to reaching diversity and togetherness.If anti-hatred is engraved into their minds when they are young, they will never accept hatred if they see it once they get older.Since they are our future, they need to be treated like adults and be given responsibilities in order to become law-abiding, helpful citizens later on.It takes a plenty of love to make someone a good person,but it only takes one action to make them spiteful and vengeful-that's one of the reasons why I made this program. Martin Luther King Jr. gave a perfect quote for the situation with genocide and keeping quiet about it, "The ultimate tragedy is not the oppression and cruelty by the bad people but the silence over that by the good people."Teaching people to expand their minds is never an easy job:it requires persistence and determination, no matter how cooperative they are. I have managed to understand the basic principles of education: hard work is the path to achieving any type of goal. If people deny themselves an open mind, they will lose their own moral integrity and the opportunity to excel. I have learned to work well with others, be more calm and assertive, rationalize situations and stay analytical even when I feel like crumbling, and trust my instincts. An abundance of new skills have been acquired: communication with people that I don't know, adapting to situations quicker and taking as much from each experience as possible, and making conclusions about people on a faster rate. I never knew that I could be so determined and stay focused on one goal at a time, but throughout the entirety of this program, I have challenged myself.On the first day of tutoring, I met Amar, a Bosnian boy who had not survived through the Holocaust of our people, but had parents who did. When I tried to explain to him the importance of our heritage and not being quiet about the atrocities that the Bosnians endured, he questioned why I even bothered explaining this to him: he thought that the past should be forgotten and buried. I illustrated what I meant when I told him,"Amar, you can't expect history to be frozen or taken away.Why do you think that people have History courses in school?People need to be aware of what has happened so that it never repeats itself. In fact, that's what the Jews promised themselves after World War II, but it has happened again. Mankind doesn't follow rules because it's are careless, but you should because it will come to the betterment of your future. If you learn and excel in school, you can make a positive contribution to the world and become more wise-what's better than that?"
