“Domovina” encouraging youth with Croatian roots to move to Croatia

Zagreb

ZAGREB, 28 Sept (Hina) – The summer school “Domovina” (“Homeland”), a two-week programme through which young descendants of Croats from around the world come to discover Croatia, was promoted this week in Chile, home to around 200,000 people with Croatian roots.

“Croatia wants the descendants of its emigrants to return,” said Ivana Pečarević, the Domovina coordinator for Latin America, while appearing on the podcast of the Croatian association Profesionales Croatas (CPEAC) in Chile.

Croats from Dalmatia began settling in Chile at the end of the 19th century, with further waves of migration continuing throughout the 20th century.

“What our grandfathers did, we now want to do in the opposite direction,” Pečarević emphasised.

The Central State Office for Croats Abroad, based in Zagreb, launched the Domovina programme in 2018.

Young women and men aged 18 to 30 apply for the programme in March, may request a scholarship if needed, and then come to Croatia in June.

“They come to experience Croatia in a different way. The idea is to travel across the country not as a tourist, but as someone who belongs here,” said the coordinator.

“It’s not about lying on the beach, but about learning and getting to know the country. To see that Croatia is open and modern.”

The young participants visit museums, climb the Knin Fortress, tour Šibenik, dine in restaurants serving traditional food once prepared by their ancestors, learn about history, and meet with politicians…

“They visit Vukovar to see the war and what happened to our nation during the Homeland War first-hand. They go to the hospital and the sites where those who brought us freedom suffered. It’s always an emotional experience,” said Pečarević.

The summer school brings together descendants of Croats from all over the world, with the largest number coming from the United States, Canada, and Australia. Initially, there were not many young people from Latin America, which is why Pečarević says she got involved — to act as a bridge, thanks to her knowledge of Spanish and familiarity with the local culture.

Croatia has not forgotten us

She was born in the Argentine city of Rosario after her father emigrated from the island of Vis in 1965 due to economic and political reasons.

Together with other family members, he sold everything he had in order to build a new life in Argentina. Part of the family was already living in Paraguay and Argentina.

“Croatia has not forgotten about us – it knows we exist. And they want us there,” Pečarević said during the broadcast in Chile.

An estimated 850,000 people of Croatian descent live in Latin America.

A significant portion of them belong to the older wave of expats and are therefore gradually losing the language and with it, their culture and traditions.

“We carry a deep love for Croatia; people want to stay connected to their roots, but often we don’t know how to channel that,” said Pečarević.

As part of the Croaticum programme, she studied the Croatian language in Croatia.

She encourages descendants of Croats to get involved in local associations and communities so that “our culture remains alive.”

Recently, five young people from Punta Arenas, a city in southern Chile, visited Croatia through the Domovina programme. They connected with each other and with the other participants, building lasting friendships.