The workshop was organized as part of the global “Prove It Matters” campaign launched by the Office of the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict. The campaign calls on world leaders to reaffirm their commitment to protecting children and upholding the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, while also inviting children around the world to share their own messages of peace.

Guided by the facilitator Mersiha Began, students had discussions about the consequences of war, children’s rights, and the role young people can play in building a more just society. They then created peace messages that will become part of an international art installation set to be exhibited at the United Nations Headquarters in New York in February 2027.

The workshop was joined by UN representatives Dragica Mikavica and Ariane Lignier.

Children’s Messages About Peace and Childhood

One of the participants, 12-year-old Eli, said after the workshop:

“Children should not be sent to war, nor should they have to fight for their country. They should enjoy their school days, their parents, and their childhood.”

Another student, 12-year-old Dejna, shared: “Peace and rights should not be considered blessings, but something standard for every human being and every child. Wars and genocides should also disappear because they bring no good.”

School psychologist Džana Živojević emphasized the importance of supporting children to feel safe, heard, and free to express themselves openly:

“I am proud of them, their reflections, and their freedom to express their opinions. It is important to me that children’s voices are heard, that children’s rights become a priority, and that as a society we focus more on ensuring that every child grows up without violence, fear, or any form of discrimination.”

“Children’s Voices Are Too Often Left Behind”

Ariane Lignier explained that the campaign was launched around a year ago and has since been implemented in several conflict-affected countries around the world, reaching more than 10,000 children.

According to Lignier, the goal is not only to collect children’s messages, but to ensure they genuinely reach decision-makers and become part of broader advocacy efforts.

“We wanted to bring the voices of children to the forefront because they are always left behind and we need to bring them back to the discussion.”

She added that children’s messages are incorporated into different aspects of the work carried out by the Office of the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict Vanessa Frazier, including speeches, reports, meetings, and social media campaigns.

Through this workshop, children from Sarajevo joined thousands of young people around the world who are using their voices to remind us that peace, safety, and a childhood free from violence should never be privileges, but rights guaranteed to every child.

The 2026 scholarship award amounts to 3,000.00 BAM and is granted as a one-time payment.

Eligible applicants include doctoral students who are citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as foreign nationals conducting research in Bosnia and Herzegovina, whose work falls within the fields of anthropology, archaeology, psychology, education, history, sociology, linguistics, literature, philosophy, art history, law, political science, journalism, or related disciplines. In addition to the quality of the application and the research proposal, the evaluation will also consider how closely the research aligns with the mission and scope of the War Childhood Museum.

The recipient will be required to provide proof of research completion, as outlined in a formal agreement. There is no obligation to submit financial reports on how the funds are used.

The selection will be made by an expert jury appointed by the War Childhood Museum.

To apply, please send your application with the subject line “Application – Lejla Hairlahović-Hušić Scholarship” no later than March 6, 2026, to info@warchildhood.org.

Applications must include:

• A brief summary or proposal of the research project for which the scholarship would be used (up to 3,000 characters);

• A professional CV;

• One academic recommendation letter.

The scholarship recipient will be announced at the end of March 2026. Take a look at previous recipients here.

You can take a look at the complete application call here. For any inquiries, feel free to contact us at info@warchildhood.org.

Laura first learned about the Museum during a multi-seminar program, where she attended a lecture by Amina Krvavac, the Director of the War Childhood Museum Bosnia and Herzegovina. Inspired by the Museum’s work and storytelling through objects, she later applied for an internship on her own initiative.

What has the experience in Sarajevo been like for you?

Living in Sarajevo has been a new and fascinating experience. It’s my first time in Bosnia-Herzegovina, and I was struck immediately by the multicultural, multireligious atmosphere of the city. On the first evening, I heard the call to prayer and saw how different cultures and histories: Ottoman, Austro-Hungarian… intertwine here. 

What kind of work have you been doing at the Museum?

I’ve been focused on collection work, mostly creating condition reports for various objects, everything from drawings and coins to textiles and toys. It’s been valuable hands-on experience, especially since I hadn’t worked with museum collections practically before.

Has this internship sparked any new ideas for your future work?

Definitely. I’m thinking about new research projects that might connect monuments and memory with migration stories, especially of people from the former Yugoslavia who came to Luxembourg during the 1990s. It’s an angle that hasn’t been explored much, and it ties into my academic interests.

What is the importance of institutions like the War Childhood Museum, in your view?

I think it’s essential, especially the focus on childhood, which is often overlooked in war narratives. Children experience conflict differently, and the objects in the Museum carry those stories forward. Each object has its own life, and its presence in the Museum becomes a new chapter in its story.

This interview was edited and condensed for clarity.

It was with this goal in mind that the War Childhood Museum created the exhibition “Speaking Out” in 2021, entirely co-created with women who survived conflict-related sexual violence and children born as a result of war. Since then, the exhibition has been presented to the public in Sarajevo, Mostar, and Belgrade, offering space for dialogue around a topic that too often remains unaddressed.

From Gender Justice to Sustainable Peace

The most recent edition of the exhibition was held from June 12 to 18, 2025, at the European House of Culture and National Minorities in Sarajevo, as part of the cultural-educational program “Women Lead. Peace Follows.” This program accompanied the international conference “From Gender Justice to Sustainable Peace: A 25-Year Vision”, jointly organized by the Ministry for Human Rights and Refugees of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the United Nations in BiH, under the initiative “Women Lead on the Path to Peace and Security in Bosnia and Herzegovina,” implemented by UN Women, UNFPA, and IOM, with support from the UN Secretary-General’s Peacebuilding Fund (PBF). The conference was additionally supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark.

Our bodies are not just bodies. They are archives. Maps. They carry stories the world often refuses to hear. Through body mapping, we are not asking for pity. We are asking for truth. For visibility.
— Midheta Kaloper, survivor and co-author of the exhibition

Survivors’ Voices in Public Space

Through personal testimonies, objects, and excerpts from video testimonies, Speaking Out created space for experiences that are rarely acknowledged. At the heart of the exhibition were body maps, created during artistic-documentary workshops, enabling survivors to express their experiences in ways that do not require verbalizing trauma.

These stories are part of us—transferred onto paper so that each visitor may receive a message and a lesson: that these are women of strength who have mapped out their own stories. Sometimes, in life, it is easier to express so much on paper than to speak it aloud—so that visitors may understand the weight and depth of our stories, our pain, our joyful moments, and our struggle.

— Midheta Kaloper

Amina Krvavac, Director of the War Childhood Museum Bosnia and Herzegovina, emphasized that the body mapping methodology, through the use of life-sized body outlines, allows for a space to map pain, memories, and key life events without having to verbalize them.

This methodology offers survivors a chance to reflect on their entire life story. In doing so, they no longer see themselves solely through the lens of having survived sexual violence, nor is their identity reduced to that trauma. Instead, they recognize that they are so much more. It is essential that they find their inner strength and speak about their experiences—because through that visibility, we can all contribute to their fight for justice and against stigmatization.

The exhibition was the result of months of collaboration between the Museum and associations including Forgotten Children of War, Wings of Hope, Psiholab, and individual survivors’ groups. In addition to women’s testimonies, a crucial part of the exhibition focused on the voices of children born as a result of wartime sexual violence—individuals whose existence is still socially marginalized.

Space for Dialogue

The closing of Speaking Out does not mark the end of the need for truth, nor the end of the call to action. On the contrary, June 19 reminds us how important it is to continue talking about conflict-related sexual violence—without stigma, without silence, without turning away.

In Bosnia and Herzegovina, systemic support for survivors and children born of war is still lacking. Exhibitions like this demonstrate that cultural institutions play a vital role in recognition, documentation, and opening space for dialogue. They invite us to listen and not to forget.

During the multi-day workshops, participants were introduced to tools of peace pedagogy, enabling them to later use these tools in workshops they will lead for their peers in local communities.

Workshop Impressions

Amina Bitići from Vareš highlighted that the most interesting part for her was the practical component of the training, where they practiced what they would later be teaching themselves.
“What matters most to me is bringing as much positive energy as possible into every classroom, so even those who might not initially find this interesting end up enjoying it,” she said.

Mina Vehabović from Doboj Istok praised the approach of the educators:
“It was very engaging, not dry or just theoretical. Everything was presented in a really nice way, and I plan to pass it on to my peers in a similar way.”

War Childhood Museum Visit

As part of the program, participants also visited the War Childhood Museum’s permanent exhibition. Teacher Nedžad Jukan from Lukavac shared that many of the objects on display took him back to his own childhood, as he too belongs to a generation that grew up during the war.“Many things reminded me of what I used, what I experienced,” he said, adding that using stories from the museum’s collection in workshops encourages peace, tolerance, coexistence, understanding, empathy, and acceptance of diversity.

An important aspect of the program was also the interaction among young people from different parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Teacher Alma Mahmutović from Vareš noted that some students arrived with certain prejudices, but overcame them through shared experiences and collaboration: “These workshops are a fantastic way for children to connect and to learn what peace truly is.”

In the next phase, students will implement workshops in their own schools, with support from mentors from the War Childhood Museum and its partner organizations.

Nataša Šantić, a graduate theologian and religious education teacher, has been connected to the War Childhood Museum since 2023, when she participated in the international seminar Children in War. The seminar focused on educational approaches and the use of materials from the collections of the War Childhood Museum and the Anne Frank House.

Empathy and Human Rights in Religious Education

Šantić was drawn to the seminar because she strives to teach her students and younger generations about acceptance, respect for diversity, and fundamental human rights, including the right to life, regardless of nationality, religion, or race.

“The training deepened my understanding of how to engage students in discussions about remembrance, particularly of child victims, and how to inspire them to develop respect, empathy, and a sense of responsibility for building a better and more just world,” she explained.“

Following the seminar, she introduced her students to the Museum’s work and organized visits in October 2023 and November 2024. More than 200 students from her school have since visited the Museum, confronting difficult but essential lessons about childhood in war.

“They felt very sad while reading about these events, but at the same time, they found the experience highly educational and expressed gratitude for having a normal and peaceful childhood,” Šantić emphasized.

The Educational Impact of the Visits

She noted that some students were unaware of the Museum, while others didn’t even know there had been a war in Sarajevo. This visit, therefore, also served an important educational purpose.

“They said the Museum taught them about the long-term consequences of war on education, health, and, most importantly, childhood itself. It made them reflect on the importance of preserving peace and preventing conflicts worldwide.”

Nataša Šantić has personally experienced the trauma of war and, as a child from an occupied area, deeply related to the museum’s artifacts and stories. “I, too, spent some time in an occupied area, not knowing whether my family was alive or dead. These experiences never truly fade, which is why it’s important to pass them on so that younger generations can understand how precious peace is,” she emphasized.

Why Initiatives Like This Matter

She sees the Museum as a vital tool in educating future generations to build a more just society. According to her, initiatives like the War Childhood Museum carry profound significance, as they help preserve the memories of experiences that shaped the lives of many during the war.

“Such initiatives create space for understanding the past through personal stories, making traumatic experiences visible and accessible for future generations to learn from. For individuals, they can provide support in the healing process, as well as education and awareness,” says Šantić, adding that the Museum also offers those who have lived through war a sense that their memories and emotions are acknowledged and respected.

“Through personal stories, often told through words and objects, initiatives like this serve as reminders of human resilience and strength. They help us recognize the universality of human experience. At the end of the day, no matter who we are, we are all human,” she concluded.

We thank Nataša Šantić for her dedication and engagement with the War Childhood Museum. We look forward to continuing our shared efforts in educating young people and promoting peace through stories that must never be forgotten.

The workshop brought together 31 participants from various schools and municipalities across Bosnia and Herzegovina. Over the course of a three-day program consisting of eight interactive sessions, they had the opportunity to explore innovative tools for peacebuilding.

Teacher Sanja Tomić from Sveti Franjo Elementary School in Tuzla shared her impressions of the training techniques: “We step into a child’s shoes, the child we all carry within us, and start seeing everything around us through a child’s eyes. That, in my opinion, is when the learning process truly begins.”

Innovative Methods

Educators Merima Ražanica from the War Childhood Museum (WCM) and Namir Ibrahimović from Step by Step trained participants in innovative and interactive teaching techniques and methods, such as image theater, opinion line, and the use of video games. Through these approaches, they explored topics including stereotypes, prejudice, and justice.

“The training was very successful – all participants showed great interest and engagement in learning new techniques for peacebuilding. Many stated after the training that their motivation had further increased and that they are now even more enthusiastic about passing on the knowledge they gained to their students,” said Ajla Fazlić, Monitoring and Evaluation Officer for the project.

Creativity for Peace is part of the broader PEACESTORY project, implemented by the WCM in collaboration with local partners, with the support of the United Nations Secretary-General’s Peacebuilding Fund (PBF).