DAYTON, Ohio — A group of students and teachers from Bosnia and Herzegovina are in Dayton to experience culture, study democracy and take in everything they can about American life, all in a matter of three weeks.

This is the sixth year for the Dayton-Bosnia Youth Leadership Program.

“We were in the Air Force museum. It was a really brilliant experience,” said student Haris Telalovic as he scrolled through recent pictures on his phone.

Like many of the students in the program, this is his first trip to the United States.

“My teacher came to the classroom and said ‘Haris I have something for you. You can go to Dayton.’ My God I can go in Dayton!,” he said.

Telalovic is 18 years old and is very interested and invested in politics, government and sociology.

“Here is me in the Statehouse of Ohio,” he said, while scrolling past another photo.

Dayton has close ties to Bosnian history.

The Peace Accords were signed in Dayton in 1995 and brought an end to the Bosnian War.

“Our first day we really spent time with Commissioner Matt Joseph at the Holbrooke Plaza, dedicated to Richard Holbrooke, the chief negotiator of the Dayton agreement," said Miranda Brooks, the Dayton-Bosnia Youth Leadership Program stateside project manager. "We go to the Hope Hotel at the Wright-Patt base where the negotiations actually took place."

“In Bosnia, only trying to find a leader. In America it’s different because you’re trying to hear the opinion of the whole country and all people,” said Telelovic, describing the differences between American and Bosnian democracy.

While the trip certainly places a big focus on democracy, civic engagement, conflict management and diversity, there is still plenty of time to take in American culture and have some fun.

Like most teenagers, this group loves taking pictures, hanging out, trying foods and creating new memories.

“I loved the Botanical garden. I also loved the Peace Museum where we got to do our own artwork and improv class. I really enjoyed that,” said student Lea Gotovac.

To be selected for this program, students have to speak and comprehend the English language.

The students all have different interests and academic focuses.

By staying with host families they can really see cultural similarities and differences.  

“The people here talk to each other a lot more, and there are interactions that happen a lot more frequently," Gotovac said. "You don’t know someone on the bus, but they’re still going to talk to you even though they don’t know you."

However, this trip isn’t just about comparing America and Bosnia.

The students and teachers come from three different cities.

“Them coming together here, a bit out of their element in a new environment, they are able to have experiences with each other that perhaps they would not have had otherwise,” Brooks said.

For Telalovic, it’s been an experience he’s been wanting for a long time.

“The goal is to be a diplomat in Bosnia, but the experience is good for me of course, and I see America as a real friend of Bosnia and Herzegovina and sometimes our only friend," he said. "I would like to see or create something the same in my country, and I hope that I will."

The group will be leaving the Dayton area on Nov. 6, the day after the election.

They’ll be heading to New York City to take in even more experiences in the big apple.

The city of Dayton has already started scheduling plans for next year’s student visit.