Project Light
Contributing to a Lighter and More Beautiful Life on the Balkan Peninsula
Contributing to a Lighter and More Beautiful Life on the Balkan Peninsula

Contributing to a Lighter and More Beautiful Life on the Balkan Peninsula

Project Light is an inner social impact platform dedicated to contributing to a lighter, more beautiful life on the Balkan Peninsula through three key pillars: Awareness and IntentionalityTransformational Learning, and Collective Trauma Healing

Our Three Key Pillars:

Awareness and Intentionality

Shedding light on the objective state of our collective inner landscape to foster mindful, intentional choices

Transformational Learning

Enabling young adults to step into authorship of their story, and make informed, conscious choices from there

Collective Trauma Healing

Bridging divides, unfreezing and integrating our shared collective trauma to unlock its inherent wisdom

By collaborating with individual leaders from all sectors and stakeholder groups who are also committed to contribute to a similar aspiration, we aim to support the inner development of 5% of the population living in the Balkans until 2050. 

In the first phase (2023-2027), our focus is on the Western Balkans (ex-Yugoslavia).

Meet Nikola, the Founder

Meet Nikola, the Founder

When I was 7, we went on a school expedition to the Tara mountain – a lush Yugoslav national park. But this was no ordinary trip – we were here to become Pioneers! During the ceremony, I gave my word to “study diligently… develop brotherhood and unity… and value all people of the world”.  Little did I expect that before I turned 10, conflict would break out… and the country fragmented.

I have since been walking with this question: How is it that after more than 40 years of peace, brotherhood and unity, we could collectively descend into such a dark place, so quickly? What was missing?

Project Light was born as an invitation to journey with this question. It is the highest contribution I can imagine making. And I am encouraged by how many others feel the same. It is a collective question, which necessities a collective response. Project Light was born as a platform to enable this response.

Before founding Project Light, I worked in McKinsey & Company for 14 years, where I led the Culture & Change service line for the ~90 countries of Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa. In this role I had the opportunity to learn about leadership and culture transformation working with over 200 leading public and private sector organizations around the world.

The ideas and organizations that have shaped me are both more intellectual (McKinsey & Company, London School of Economics, The Economist Group) and more intuitive (coaching, facilitation, spent >20k hours in workshops and >5k hours in silence).

Our Principles: How We Work

We Cultivate the Inner World

We Cultivate the Inner World

We focus on recognizing, developing, and nurturing the inner world to contribute to positive collective outcomes and address social challenges 

People and Organizations that Inspire Us

Tomas Bjorkmann

co-author of Nordic Secret and co-initiator of the Inner Development Goals

Zoran Todorovic

leading global master coach for mindset transformation

Anthea Indira Ong

Singapore based leading social entrepreneur and ex-MP

Bob Anderson

founder of the Leadership Circle Profile leadership assessment

Hans Andeweg

pioneer in creating large scale (e.g. Europe wide) healing ecosystems

Paul Mojzes

academic of genocide and ethnoreligious studies with 50 year career, author of Balkan Genocides

Thomas Hubl

pioneer in the field of collective trauma, integrating science and spirituality

Gita Bellin

master facilitator and wisdom carrier in the field of Conscious Evolution

Alan Watts

leader of the human potential movement, spiritual entertainer, bringing eastern wisdom to the west

Gabor Mate

global expert on trauma, addiction, stress and childhood development born in Hungary

Our Projects

Ruzica Ray

Ruzica Ray

Awareness and Intentionality

Balkan Ecosystem Healing (BESH)

Creating a natural healing ecosystem on the Balkan Peninsula by 2027

Ruzica Ray

Partner

Help2Heal Europe Foundation

Funding

The Pocket Project, Project Light and volunteer facilitators

Duration

Dec 2022 to Dec 2027

Susanne Stillhammer

Susanne Stillhammer

Collective Trauma Healing

Collective & Transgenerational Trauma in the Balkans Lab II

Exploring the Balkan’s history to foster healing and inclusivity through gatherings that process trauma, build trust, and inspire collective action

Susanne Stillhammer

Partner

The Pocket Project

Funding

The Pocket Project, Project Light and volunteer facilitators

Duration

January to December 2024

Nikola Jurisic

Nikola Jurisic

Awareness and Intentionality

Project Light Silent Retreats

Supporting the Project Light community in deepening personal practice and strengthening the collective healing field through retreats happening twice a year

Funding

Participant self funded

Duration

Every 6 months

Danijela Debelic

Danijela Debelic

Awareness and Intentionality

Lighter Heart

Supporting the Balkan Cluster of the GCP 2.0 project (measuring consciousness to bring humanity together)

Danijela Debelic

Partner

HeartMath Institute

Funding

Citizen Scientist self funded; Project Light supported

Duration

May 2022 to Ongoing

Marko Milicevic

Marko Milicevic

Transformational Learning

PEAT Academy

Scale up the impact of Balkan born PEAT method to help >1m people heal

Partner

PEAT International Association

Funding

TBD

Duration

Nov 2022 to Ongoing