Visiting Scholar from Banja Luka, Bosnia,
to Bloomington, Indiana

The first Frank McCloskey Visiting Fellow, Jelena Savanovic, has had great success during her visit to the United States. The McCloskey Fellowship Program is a joint project of the Indiana University Russian & East European Institute, the National Democratic Institute, and Frank's Friends. The program commemorates the life and work of Frank McCloskey, a former U.S. Representative.

Jelena Savanovic has taken leave from her third year as a law student at the University of Banja Luka in Bosnia and Herzegovina to take part in the program. She is spending three months, from January to mid-April, in Bloomington and Washington, DC studying local government and youth policy.

Savanovic has been extremely busy during her visit to Bloomington. She met with people in several departments at the City of Bloomington to learn about how they share information with local citizens and with young people in particular. She tells us that she learned a great deal at the Department of Community and Family Resources and also at the Department of Housing and Neighborhood Development. Savanovic especially enjoyed an afternoon spent with Maria Heslin, the Communications Director in the mayor’s office at city hall.

Savanovic also spent time talking to young people. She interviewed the director of Rhino’s Club, a gathering place for youth in Bloomington, and she visited elementary schools and Bloomington North High School. In addition, as president of her local Rotaract chapter at home in Banja Luka, Savanovic took part in the meetings of the Rotaract group in Bloomington.

On the IU campus she met with the staff at the Center on Congress and spoke with the College Democrats. She also visited the Democratic Women’s Caucus and attended a lecture by former Indiana Congressman Lee Hamilton.

Savanovic spent part of her time in Bloomington sharing her own experiences and views with the local community. She participated in the IU Law School class taught by Ed Delaney on post-conflict societies, where she explained her perspective on events in the Balkans. She regularly visited the Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian coffee hours, and she participated as a panelist in five different symposiums on the Balkans, Muslims in Europe, and other topics.

Not all of Savanovic’s time was spent working. She also found time to taste “American culture” when she visited a quilt show, a luncheon celebrating women’s history month, and a Pacers basketball game in Indianapolis.

While the rest of the IU community was on spring break, Savanovic traveled to Washington, DC to discuss her research at a wide variety of organizations. She met with several representatives from the National Democratic Institute, whom she describes as “especially helpful” in thinking about how to continue her work when she returns home. She also met with leaders and staff at several NGOs, including Youth Service America, The American Council of Young Political Leaders, “You Can Make a Difference,” and the Close-Up Foundation. She met with officials from the Department of State and the National Endowment for Democracy, and she toured the capitol with a staff member from the office of Congresswoman Heather Wilson. Savanovic also met with Robert Guttman, editor-in-chief of Transatlantic Magazine, and spent time with former Indiana Congressman Lee Hamilton. She rounded out her trip to Washington with an informal happy hour with many of “Frank’s Friends” at the Dubliner, one of McCloskey’s favorite spots in Washington.

During her time in the United States, Savanovic has spent long hours in the library researching best practices for improving communication between local government and young people. She describes her research as two-pronged. First, she seeks to explain the importance of youth information policy at the local level and to convince government officials of the usefulness of engaging young people in local affairs. Second, she investigates the tools available to local governments and analyzes how a communications program could be implemented in Bosnia.

Savanovic says that her one-on-one meetings with staff from government and NGOs provided a lot of insight. “I saw and learned about so many different types of organizations and ways that young people can participate in and influence society. It’s been wonderful.”

She also notes that one of the biggest surprises for her was the number of young people that she found engaged in government in the U.S. at all levels. “I was shocked when I came to city hall and saw all these young people working as interns. And even in Congress, where they’re practically not paid. I realized that young people here have the chance to work the way they want. If you want to work for society or for government, you can fi nd support.” She says that one of the most useful lessons she learned was that in volunteering and interning, students “gain experience in these organizations, learn about what goes on there. It’s not only a job—you work and you learn.” She will recommend that local governments at home create opportunities for students to intern and volunteer in order to take advantage of the skills and enthusiasm that young people can offer.

The McCloskey Fellowship Program was initiated in 2005 through the efforts of Frank McCloskey’s late wife Roberta and the McCloskeys’ friends and colleagues. The program is supported by the generous contributions of over one hundred donors from the Bloomington area, Washington, DC, and overseas.