Atelier for Community Transformation – “ACT” is a U.S. 501(c)(3) nonprofit, with its sister Bosnian Foundation Atelje za Društvene Promjene, organizes activists and artists in the Western Balkans to lead their people in rebuilding thriving communities – like they enjoyed over many long-lasting historical periods. ACT emerged in 2019 as the emergency protector of rivers of Bosnia which were under a sustained and well-funded attack by local and foreign small-hydropower “investors”. ACT‘s team led communities of activists and artists throughout Bosnia with international support from RiverWatch, Patagonia, and Leonardo DiCaprio, shocking everyone and itself with the record level of civic engagement, change in national conversation, and ultimately revocation of many building permits and changing key laws in a divisive political environment.

The work continues…

From ACT’s initial success with Bosnian rivers, a new collective called Healing Balkans spontaneously emerged. It is centered on the pervasive personal and collective trauma resulting from series of wars in the 20th century, WWI, WWII, and most recently the 1991-1995 Bosnian war, with unspeakable atrocities. It was followed by 30 years of social dysfunction, corruption, and continued political instability, generating further trauma. Anchored in pioneering work of MAPS in the U.S., and partnering with leading global trauma organizations and professionals, Healing Balkans is bringing the latest thinking, treatment modalities, and solutions to war/post-war PTSD and trauma. It launched “overnight” in 2023 with a splash: the first MAPS + Healing Balkans training and conference in Sarajevo bringing together Ukrainians, Americans, Israelis, Lebanese, Armenians, Britons, Canadians, Dutch and others, with warm-hearted personal support and visit from MAPS founder Rick Doblin.

Healing Balkans:

Equitable and safe access to treatment options and scheduled substances for trauma healing and other medical uses.

Balkans as Precursor for the World:

We will be inspiring practices of healing communities and nurturing our “strength in diversity” in the Balkans, to create a positive change in the world, restoring human relationships with the web of life.
What happens in the Balkans, often seeps into the world!