TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT PERIOD 1 APRIL 2024 – 31 MARCH 2025 A Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation (SCIO) SC046540
Trustees
(Chair) (Vice Chair) (Treasurer) (Secretary)
(from 14 March 2025)
Contact Address
Princes Exchange, 1 Earl Grey Street, Edinburgh EH3 9EE
Recruitment and appointment of trustees
Beyond Srebrenica’s charity trustees are appointed or reappointed at general meetings of the SCIO, or by the Board of Trustees as and when a vacancy arises, in accordance with the organisation’s constitution.
Governing document
Beyond Srebrenica is a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation. The governing document is the charity’s SCIO constitution which sets out its objectives as well as its administrative and governance arrangements. The constitution was amended in March 2024 to take effect 1[st] April 2024 to reflect the charity’s change of name and broadening of objectives.
Charitable purposes
Beyond Srebrenica’s purposes are:
‘to advance education on the Srebrenica Genocide, and wider atrocities against the Bosnian population; to advance citizenship, reconciliation, religious and racial harmony; to promote equality and diversity by tackling hatred and intolerance; and to help build a better, safer and more cohesive society.’
History of Beyond Srebrenica
Beyond Srebrenica is an independent charity but contributes to wider initiatives which operate across the UK, and which exist to remember and share stories of what happened in Bosnia during the conflict in the early 1990s.
The charity exists to help Scotland be a better, safer and more cohesive society by learning lessons from the genocide in Srebrenica in July 1995, as well as other atrocities which took place between 1992 and 1995 across Bosnia and Herzegovina.
During the Bosnian War, Srebrenica was declared a ‘safe area’ free from fighting and protected by UN Peacekeepers. However, in July 1995, the Bosnian Serb army and Serb paramilitaries stormed and captured the town – deporting thousands of the young, the frail, and the elderly, perpetrating sexual violence against women and girls, and systematically killing more than 8000 men and boys. The
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International Court of Justice ruled that the killings constituted genocide – the first on Europe’s shores since the Holocaust.
Activities and achievements 1 April 2024 - 31 March 2025
Here is a snapshot of our output between April 2024 and March 2025.
For the period of this report, the trustees volunteered 1271 hours of their time to the advancement of our mission.
In the lead-up to our 30th Anniversary in July 2025, our work throughout 2024/25 has combined forward-looking preparation with the continued delivery of our core mission, bringing people together through delegations, education, and community engagement. This milestone year has offered a powerful opportunity not only to commemorate the past, but to deepen our impact across communities in Scotland.
We contributed to and hosted a series of meaningful events, including a White Armband Day commemoration in Aberdeen and a special reception at the Scottish Parliament showcasing our schools’ drama project, Inseparable: Lessons from a Nation Divided. We are grateful to Paul O’Kane MSP for sponsoring the event, and to the parliamentarians, former delegates, and supporters who joined us. Members of the Bosnian Scots community were also warmly represented, and we were honoured to welcome Almasa Salihović from the Srebrenica Memorial Centre in Potočari, who shared her personal testimony of surviving the genocide -an experience that resonated deeply with all present.
Our visibility and voice have grown significantly this year. Alongside a dynamic presence on social media, our work has been highlighted extensively across Scottish and international media. (Chair until December 2024) and (Vice Chair, Chair from January 2025) featured in separate BBC Radio Scotland documentaries. ~~eS~~ (Treasurer) spoke to Bosnia’s main television broadcaster, N1, and former delegates published reflective articles in major Scottish outlets including The Scottish Daily Mail and The Herald. These contributions have helped amplify our message to audiences far beyond the communities we work with directly.
In January 2025, our incoming Chair, ~~a~~ , took part in the nationally televised UK Holocaust Memorial Day Commemoration in London, where she shared her family story and met members of the Royal Family and national political leaders. Here in Scotland, we also participated in the Parliament’s commemoration, where second-generation Bosnian Scots delivered the Srebrenica prayer - an important testament to the enduring role of memory across generations.
During 2024/25, we delivered four delegations to Bosnia, engaging individuals who play significant roles across Scottish public life. Participants included MSPs, MPs, civil servants, journalists, creatives, thirdsector leaders, and educators, each returning with renewed commitment to fostering cohesion and challenging prejudice within their own spheres of influence.
Our theatre-in-education production Inseparable: Lessons from a nation divided, created by Beyond Srebrenica in partnership with Collingwood Learning, completed its second tour in September 2024. Visiting 23 schools across the Central Belt, Perth, Tayside, and the Northeast, the play reached 3,338 pupils in S4–S6. Nearly 4,500 young people in Scotland have experienced this powerful production (up to April 2025). The enthusiastic and reflective responses from both pupils and teachers reaffirm our belief that live theatre offers an exceptional medium for engaging Scotland’s youth in the lessons of Srebrenica, and in the universal importance of empathy, inclusion, and human rights.
Together, these activities have strengthened our connection with communities across Scotland and underscored the continuing relevance of our work as we approach three decades of remembrance, dialogue, and education. We received this appreciative comment from a teacher:
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“We really loved it! The power of the performances really engaged our pupils and leads really well into our look at hate speech and discrimination in PSHE over the coming weeks. The workshop was interactive and engaging, and feedback from the pupils has been very positive.”
Our profile has begun to reach beyond Scotland and, along with contributions to events and activities in the wider UK, we have been invited to share our approach with a peacebuilding think tank in Norway as well as with Bosnian Genocide memorial groups in France and Switzerland.
We also launched the inaugural Beyond Srebrenica Schools competition. The annual competition is for secondary school students, focusing on education about the Srebrenica genocide and its lessons on prejudice and hatred. Divided into age categories for S1-S3 and S4-S6, the competition aims to use the history of the genocide to teach about contemporary issues. A prizegiving was held at the Scottish parliament (in May 2025) where young people were awarded copper plates designed and created by coppersmiths in Sarajevo.
The charity commissioned and distributed a dedicated White Armband Day pack to faith groups and schools, including the Scottish Council of Muslims and Interfaith Scotland. This initiative reflects our ongoing commitment to meaningful engagement across all communities and sectors, not only within school settings, to promote understanding, solidarity, and remembrance.
Trustee remuneration and expenses
The Trustees did not receive any remuneration or expenses during the year.
Reserves
Beyond Srebrenica recorded a deficit of income over expenditure for the year to 31 March 2025 of £6,187. This was a fully planned programme of £72,523 expenditure that aligned to our charitable purposes and was funded with £66,000 of restricted grants with the rest from charity reserves.
This charity has no property or staff. It delivers its outputs in Scotland through its Trustees and other volunteers. The charity therefore has no overheads and negligible running costs for its day-to-day activities in Scotland.
The Trustees continue with the policy of only committing to spend income they already have or are guaranteed. They will continue to fundraise for unrestricted purposes, with the aim of holding an appropriate reserve of unrestricted funds to mitigate any risk posed by unanticipated events. They are satisfied that their current unrestricted reserves and guaranteed income are at an adequate level for activities planned in the immediate future.
The total of unrestricted funds held at the year-end was £9,307
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Looking ahead
The Trustees have several delegations to Bosnia planned, including a delegation focused on the experiences of women and girls in conflict in March 2026. As with all delegations, priority is given to those participants who are expected to make the greatest impact in Scotland upon their return. We are also continuing to strengthen our network of Scottish opinion-formers, whom we value as supporters of our work.
We will broaden our work in schools by expanding access to Inseparable: Lessons from a nation divided as a digital resource across Scotland, starting with a pilot in rural and island communities in January 2026, and by exploring opportunities to deliver the play and workshop within informal and further education settings. This will form part of a more deliberate, and notably ambitious, education strategy.
We will also launch a new accreditation programme for schools and youth settings, offering a formal pathway for those who wish to engage with, and commit to, our education work over the longer term.
Acknowledgements
We again gratefully acknowledge the financial support received from Scottish Government which allows us to focus very much on delivering our charitable objectives. In addition, we are indebted to the Gordon Cook Foundation in Aberdeenshire who have enabled us to develop our drama in education project and pilot it across Scotland. We are also grateful for their grant of £30,000 to develop and launch the film and accompanying education resources for Inseparable: Lessons from a nation divided.
Above all, we extend our deepest thanks to every individual and organisation that has supported us in any way throughout the year. Your commitment has enabled us not only to share the vital lessons of the Bosnian conflict, but also to inspire dialogue, challenge prejudice, and strengthen understanding across communities. The impact we achieve, shaping perspectives, informing future leaders, and fostering a more compassionate and informed society, would not be possible without your support.
Approval
Approved by the charity’s trustees and signed on their behalf Se , chair of the Board of Trustees.
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