Drugi jezik na kojem je dostupan ovaj članak: Bosnian
Priest Tvrtko Barun, head of the Jesuit Refugee Service, talks directly and openly about one of the biggest challenges facing contemporary Europe – the refugees and the migrant crisis.
Thanks to that, Barun has been nominated for the Communicator of the Year, a title that is awarded as part of the Grand PRix awards of the Croatian Public Relations Association – HUOJ.
“Barun’s communication is authentic because it is based on personal experience of encountering and working with refugees on the ground and good knowledge of the integration system, that is, its inefficiency. With his calm, but decisive communication style, he positively influenced the perception of the refugee and migrant problem, encouraged humanity and solidarity among many of us, thus justifying his mission as a priest, becoming a true leader in the community. Due to the excellent communication of humanitarian work and fundamental Christian values, Tvrtko Barun deserves to enter the finals for the Communicator of the Year,” said Maja Gradišar Perotić, president of the jury of 12th Grand PRix.
She points out that Barun teaches the society what should be promoted not only by religious communities, but by all communities, starting from the family, and that is the basic civic principle of providing assistance and protection to people in need.
“I think everything we communicate to the public needs to be based on personal integrity and authenticity: that our lives and our actions do what we say, what we preach. Conversely, our words should originate from the experience of life, encounters, openness to others. It seems to me that it is good that public communication is primarily aimed at the general good rather than the limited and exclusive wishes and interests of us personally, or the group we belong to. In the end, as a spice to all this, I would add some humility. I believe that we aren’t showing enough awareness of our own fragility and limitations in our public communication. If there was at least a little bit more of that, we would find it easier to hear others, to understand those we disagree with, to find a common language, and sometimes perhaps even to apologize,” said Tvrtko Barun.
He stressed that he wants to be accessible in communication, and in building closes he attaches great importance to emotions, especially to their manifestation through a smile or touch. He considers touch as the pinnacle of communication, because a hug for example is a clear proof of trust. When he discusses with people, he tries to avoid emotions. Then, Barun says, arguments come first.
Apart from Barun, finalists for the Communicator of the Year are also Vojko V, Igor Rudan and Petar Stipetić. The name of the fifth finalist will be announced by HUOJ in a few days.
Who will become Communicator of the Year will be revealed on Wednesday, March 13, 2019.