Religions for Peace Youth Media Team Interviews Ms. Emina Frljak about Manresa 2022 Forum
“We come from different background but our aim is a healthy planet for all”
Can you imagine not seeing the hand in front of your face on a normal winter’s night in Sarajevo? This experience of extreme air pollution is what Emina Frljak from Bosnia-Herzegovina describes when asked about how the environmental crisis is playing out in her context. As a member of Religions for Peace‘s International Youth Committee and Programme Coordinator of Youth for Peace, Emina is constantly thinking about how youth from different faith backgrounds can come together and take action for creation care and towards transforming individual and communal behavior to enable a future for all.
“It is important that we are putting the topic of Responding to the Social and Environmental Crises in the context of multi and interreligious cooperation, as well as with an intergenerational approach,” Emina says highlighting that it is already “five minutes past twelve” to do so.
Religions and faith traditions transport a history of relationship of the Divine and humanity. They remind us of those who were before us and help to focus our attention to the responsibility we have for those who will be coming after us.
When there is genuine dialogue of generations and concrete actions are agreed upon that go beyond mere statement, our common goal of working towards what the faith traditions have inherent to them – protecting the Earth – will become closer to achieve. “Together, we can do it but youth have to be taken seriously as partners in their concerns, input and expression of faith.”
Youth for Peace organises trainings where interfaith youth meet and have a safe space to share about their spirituality and act together as stewards of Creation. Past activities included planting trees or cleaning up public parks or graveyards. This is an expression the dynamic nature of religions, which are yearning for action – rather than stiff texts or a set of rules to follow. “Practice before you preach” is a guiding principle for Emina who herself has been vegetarian for 14 years for ethical but also environmental reasons.
If individual activities and practice are bundled and everyone is doing their parts, it is already a big impact that has to be accompanied by structural changes that need to happen on policy level.
To this end, Emina is looking forward to the upcoming conference. Faith leaders bear a huge potential to encourage action in their communities but also to signal unity towards policy makers in the quest to care for a healthy planet for all. “If this comes to the ears of those making decisions and if they implement it, I would consider this conference a success,” Emina concludes.