Read more about our activities this month:

Educational Programs and Visits

Throughout May, we welcomed educational groups and visitors from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Germany, Kosovo, Albania, Montenegro, the United States, Turkey, Italy, and Slovakia. 

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 WCM welcomed students from Hasan Kikić Elementary School in Sarajevo for a workshop focused on peace, children’s rights, and the importance of ensuring that children’s voices are heard. 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 encouraging children around the world to share their own messages of peace.

In May, we also welcomed a delegation of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the Parliament of the Kingdom of Sweden during their visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina. The twelve-member delegation was received by the Museum’s Director for Bosnia and Herzegovina, Amina Krvavac. Discussions focused on the Museum’s mission, the importance of preserving and sharing children’s wartime experiences, and the role of memory work in building more peaceful societies.

Conferences

On 7–8 May, Jasminko Halilović, Founder and Director-General of the War Childhood Museum, participated in the second annual Ukraine Cultural Security Forum in Warsaw, Poland.

As part of the panel discussion “Fake Past, Stolen Future? Disinformation, Weaponized Culture and the Fight for Truth,” Halilović joined representatives of leading museums and cultural institutions, the Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, and the Ambassador of France to Poland. The discussion explored the role of cultural institutions in confronting disinformation, protecting historical truth, and safeguarding cultural heritage during times of conflict. 

Exhibitions and Youth-Led Initiatives

As part of the “Furaj mir” (“Live Peace”) program, youth teams from across Bosnia and Herzegovina continued to explore peace, identity, memory, and belonging through community-based exhibitions.

On 9 May, the exhibition “Perspektiva” opened at the Cultural Center in Srebrenica. Through art and documentary materials, the exhibition presents stories and perspectives gathered by young people from Bratunac and Srebrenica, creating space for dialogue, encounter, and reflection on a shared future.

On 11 May, the exhibition “Pod istim mirom” (“Under the Same Peace”) opened in the Milanović House Atelier in Banja Luka. Through photography, video, and personal testimonies, the exhibition explores different experiences of community, peace, and everyday life within a shared society.

On 20 May, young people from Modriča and Gradačac opened the exhibition “Sve(mir) među nama” (“Peace Among Us”) at the Serbian Cultural Center in Modriča. Drawing on conversations with residents from both communities, the exhibition transforms personal stories, reflections, and experiences into photographs and messages about peace, closeness, and mutual understanding.

On 22 May, the exhibition “Krivaja grad(i) mir” (“Krivaja Builds Peace”) opened at the Cultural and Sports Center in Zavidovići. Through photographs, interviews, and a central installation made from wood, young participants explored how the Krivaja industrial complex shaped the city’s history, memories, and sense of community, while reflecting on the connections between economic wellbeing, belonging, and peace.

In Ukraine, the War Childhood Museum Ukraine concluded the exhibition “Books That Walk With You Through War”in Chernivtsi with a public reading of the book With Love, Dad (З любовʼю — тато). The event featured a conversation with the author and serviceman Valeriy Puzik, moderated by Svitlana Osipchuk, Program Director of the War Childhood Museum Ukraine. The exhibition was developed with the support of the ProPeace Programme Office in Ukraine in cooperation with the Ivan Mykolaichuk Cultural and Art Center.

Awards and Special Projects

In May, the War Childhood Museum’s video game “We Grew Up in War” was selected as one of ten recipients of the 2026 Unity for Humanity Grant. The game was developed through collaboration with partners from the Czech Republic, studio Charles Games. 

Chosen from more than 500 applications worldwide, the project received funding and technical support through Unity’s flagship social impact program, which supports creators using real-time 3D technology to advance the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The recognition will support the continued development of the game and expand its ability to engage audiences with stories of childhood affected by war through innovative digital storytelling.

Media Mentions

The War Childhood Museum continued to receive attention in both Bosnian and international media throughout May. Below is a selection of coverage from the past month:

• From Kyiv to the Balkans: How a Museum Opened My Eyes to Shared Wartime Childhoods
• Decoder Replay: The children of war
• War Childhood Museum as a Guardian of Memory and a Voice for Children Affected by War | Preporod.info (BOSNIAN) 

Educational Programs and Visits

During April, we welcomed almost 50 educational groups from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, the Netherlands, the United States, North Macedonia, Italy, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, and Czechia. Through guided visits and conversations, participants engaged with the Museum’s collection and reflected on the experiences of children growing up in war. 

In collaboration with the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS), we organized an educational visit and guided tour for unaccompanied minors from Sudan, Morocco, and Syria, together with students from local schools in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

We also welcomed Doris Schmidauer, the First Lady of Austria, accompanied by Mirela Bećirović, spouse of the Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina. During the visit, our Director for Bosnia and Herzegovina, Amina Krvavac, guided guests through the permanent exhibition and opened conversations about children’s rights and childhood in war. 

Ninth Anniversary

In April, we marked the Museum’s ninth anniversary with a week of activities held from April 13–17, 2026. The program included workshops, educational activities, and public conversations with international guests. 

Activities throughout the week included peacebuilding workshops for high school students, educational programs for blind and visually impaired children and youth, an international peacebuilding workshop, workshops with peer educators, and creative activities for preschool children. 

As part of the central program, researchers from Palestine and Ukraine joined the Museum in Sarajevo to present how new objects continue to enter the collection from contemporary conflicts. We also hosted guests from the Netherlands, South Africa, and Portugal to discuss the Museum’s international development and future collaborations. At the same time, children and young people from Bosnia and Herzegovina presented the Museum’s peacebuilding program, currently implemented in more than 50 communities across the country. 

Conferences, Seminars, and Public Programs

On April 27 and 28, Sarajevo hosted the closing event of the “Creativity for Peace” program, which brings together teachers and young people from across Bosnia and Herzegovina with the goal of strengthening peace education. More than 150 peer educators and teachers from across the country gathered to exchange experiences, present the results of their work, and discuss the future of peace education in schools. 

Our Research Coordinator, Ajnura Akbaš, also held an online presentation on trauma-informed archiving as part of the Survivor-Centred Visual Narratives project. 

Meanwhile, our Director for Bosnia and Herzegovina, Amina Krvavac, participated in the session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, representing the European Museum Forum in her role as Chair. During the session, she addressed the Committee on Culture, Science, Education and Media on the role of museums in strengthening democratic values and fostering more connected societies. 

On April 23, we also marked World Book Day by reflecting on the role books play in the lives of children growing up in conflict, where reading can become a source of comfort, imagination, and emotional refuge.

Exhibitions and Youth-Led Initiatives

As part of our “Furaj mir” (“Live Peace”) program, youth teams from different cities across Bosnia and Herzegovina opened five exhibitions exploring peace, memory, identity, and belonging. 

In Tešanj, young people opened the exhibition “MiRazličiti,” (“Peace in Difference”) exploring how differences can connect rather than divide communities. The exhibition reflects on life in a community shaped by different identities, customs, and experiences, and what it means to truly live together. 

In Teočak, the exhibition “Priče iz kofera” (“Stories from a Suitcase”) focused on young people who leave, stay, or search for a sense of belonging. Developed through conversations with youth from five municipalities in the Majevica region, the exhibition explored migration, uncertainty, and attachment to place. 

In Bugojno, the exhibition “Mi(r) kad profesori ne gledaju” (“Peace When the Teachers Aren’t Watching”) examined the everyday lives of high school students navigating division within the education system while continuing to build friendships and shared spaces beyond imposed boundaries. 

In Prnjavor, the exhibition “Nekad se zakuha” (“When Things Come to a Boil”) used food as a starting point for conversations about war, displacement, survival, and peace. Through everyday ingredients such as rice, potatoes, and pasta, the exhibition reflected on memories of scarcity, leaving home, and rebuilding life. 

In Prozor-Rama, the exhibition “Zaroni u prošlost, izroni u budućnost” (“Dive into the Past, Emerge into the Future”) explored questions of memory and identity in a landscape transformed by the creation of an artificial lake. Using butterflies as a symbol of change, memory, and hope, the exhibition reflected on what remains even when physical spaces disappear. 

In Ukraine, the War Childhood Museum Ukraine opened the exhibition “Books That Walk With You Through War” in Chernivtsi. The exhibition features personal stories and objects from 15 children and teenagers for whom books became an important source of support during wartime. Alongside the exhibition, public programs for children and adults explored literature, empathy, and the role of reading in difficult circumstances. The exhibition is supported by the ProPeace Programme Office in Ukraine in partnership with the Ivan Mykolaichuk Cultural and Art Center.

Events

On April 1, the NS-Dokumentationszentrum München hosted the multimedia staged reading “I’m sick to death of war and shells, of big ‘men’ selling lies,” based on testimonies from “War Childhood” by Jasminko Halilović. Performed by Ivona Baković, Maja Zećo, and Enes Şahin, the reading brought memories of Sarajevo to new audiences in Munich through a combination of testimony, sound, and performance. 

Media Mentions

The War Childhood Museum continued to receive attention in both Bosnian and international media throughout April. Below is a selection of coverage from the past month: 

• Beyond museum walls: games that let you step into history 
• In A “Time of Monsters”, I Felt Safe In Sarajevo
• War Childhood Museum celebrates its Ninth Anniversary with Numerous Activities – Sarajevo Times

Read more about our activities this month:

Educational Programs and Visits

During March, we welcomed educational groups from Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as Denmark, the United States, Croatia, Italy, Germany, Japan, Scotland, and France. Through guided visits and conversations, participants engaged with the Museum’s collection and explored how personal stories and objects can deepen understanding of childhood in war.

We also hosted a delegation of British parliamentarians at the Museum. The visit was an opportunity to present our work and reflect on the role of memory, education, and storytelling in promoting children’s rights and peacebuilding.

Conferences, Seminars, and Public Events

In March, we organized the international roundtable “Closing the Gaps: Memory, Prevention and Social Cohesion in Europe.” The event brought together civil society actors, scholars, and policymakers from across Europe to examine how memory practices can contribute to preventing violence, strengthening democratic resilience, and fostering social cohesion.

Our Director in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Amina Krvavac, also participated in the conference “Different Memories, Shared Futures: Towards Inclusive Memorialization in the Western Balkans,” in Rijeka, Croatia, contributing to regional discussions on memory and inclusive approaches to the past. 

On March 27, 2026, the War Childhood Museum and the Center for Historical Research (CEHIS) organized the public panel “Childhood in Wartime – The Case of Bosnia and Herzegovina.” The discussion gathered historians and researchers working across different historical periods to reflect on how war shapes children’s experiences and how childhood is approached within historiography.

During the panel, the recipients of the 2026 “Lejla Hairlahović-Hušić” Scholarship were also announced. This year, the scholarship was awarded to two PhD candidates whose projects received nearly identical top scores:

• Emina Zoletić (University of Warsaw)
• Nikola Lero (University of Sheffield)

We also held the online seminar “Children in Genocide: Educational Approaches,” bringing together more than 30 participants from 16 countries. In collaboration with HERMES, educators and professionals exchanged experiences and explored ways to approach sensitive topics such as genocide, war, and childhood in educational settings.

In addition, the War Childhood Museum Ukraine launched a lecture series open to researchers and the wider public, offering interdisciplinary perspectives on childhood in wartime. The series will continue in April. 

Exhibitions and Youth-Led Initiatives

This month, youth teams across Bosnia and Herzegovina continued to create spaces for dialogue through exhibitions developed within our peacebuilding programs.

In Sarajevo, one of the youth teams opened the multimedia exhibition “Roma, As Usual,” which explores prejudice against the Roma community and emphasizes the importance of listening and understanding. The opening brought together more than 350 visitors and featured video interviews, films, archival materials, drawings, and photographs by Milomir Kovačević Strašni.

In Breza, the youth team MirKreatori opened the exhibition “Invisible in Peace.” Through personal stories of people with developmental disabilities, the exhibition invites visitors to reflect on inclusion, empathy, and the importance of recognizing voices that are often overlooked. The opening sparked meaningful conversations among visitors, some of whom shared their own experiences and reflections. 

News and Updates

In March, we published our Annual Report, highlighting key activities and milestones across our core areas—education, exhibitions, and research. The report also reflects on partnerships, ongoing projects, and future directions that continue to shape our work.

Work With Us

We currently have an open position for a Museum Guide.
Learn more about the position and how to apply on our website.

Media Mentions

The War Childhood Museum continued to receive attention in both local and international media during March. Below is a selection of coverage from the past month:

Kuća za svu našu djecu — Portal Novosti
https://www.portalnovosti.com/kuca-za-svu-nasu-djecu/

Münchner können szenische Lesung zur Belagerung von Sarajevo im NS-Dokumentationszentrum besuchen — TZ München
https://www.tz.de/muenchen/stadt/muenchner-koennen-szenische-lesung-zur-belagerung-von-sarajevo-im-ns-dokuzentrum-besuchen-94235205.html

Sarajevski okrugli sto o memorijalizaciji i društvenoj koheziji — Vijesti.ba
https://www.vijesti.ba/clanak/748205/sarajevski-okrugli-sto-o-memorijalizaciji-i-drustvenoj-koheziji

Read more about our activities this month:

Educational Programs and Visits

During February, we welcomed educational groups from Spain, Italy, Northern Ireland, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Through guided tours and discussions, participants explored how children experience war and how personal objects and memories can help build empathy, understanding, and dialogue across cultures.

We also visited one of the schools participating in the Creativity for Peace program in Bosanski Petrovac. During the visit, we spoke with peer educators who are leading workshops for their classmates and using creative approaches to explore themes of peace, dialogue, and shared responsibility in their communities.

Take a look at the interviews with peer educators here.

Conferences, Seminars, and Exhibitions

On February 20, War Childhood Museum Ukraine’s Program Director Svitlana Osipchuk participated in the 2nd IEG LivArch Workshop, hosted by the Leibniz Institute of European History. During the workshop, she discussed how sensitive topics are reflected in the Museum’s archive, which was established in the context of the war in Ukraine. Svitlana also highlighted the institutional growth over the past year that has strengthened the museum’s capacity to work with complex and sensitive themes.

On the eve of the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Svitlana also participated in the panel discussion “Civil Conflict Transformation in the Midst of the Ongoing War” as part of the Cafe Kyiv events in Berlin. She shared insights into the origins of the War Childhood Museum Ukraine and its development while operating under the conditions of war. During the discussion, she emphasized why children’s stories are as important as those of adults and why they must be integrated into the broader narrative of war and conflict.

News

This year, the War Childhood Museum signed a long-term Memorandum of Cooperation with the Professional Center for Addiction Prevention, enabling mentor–volunteer pairs involved in the Older Brother, Older Sister program to visit the Museum free of charge. The partnership aims to support children and young people through meaningful cultural and educational experiences.

We spent time with participants in the program and shared their story about the Museum as a space for connection and mentorship.

Read the full story here.

In February, we also opened the call for applications for the Lejla Hairlahović-Hušić Scholarship, which supports young researchers working on topics related to childhood, war, and memory.

You can read more about the call here, and an interview with last year’s scholarship recipient Amer Maslo here.

February also marked the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. On this occasion, we shared a text highlighting how the War Childhood Museum Ukraine team continues its work under the conditions of ongoing war.

Operating since 2020, the War Childhood Museum Ukraine has become one of the key institutions in the country systematically documenting children’s experiences of the Russian-Ukrainian war. Despite the immense challenges brought by the invasion, the Museum’s team continues collecting stories, preserving objects, and working with communities.

Learn more about how the Museum operates under the full-scale invasion here.

Projects

Throughout February, the War Childhood Museum Ukraine team conducted five workshops for educators as part of the project “How to Talk to Children About Memory: Using the Object-Based Learning Method.”

Participants explored how objects can serve as powerful carriers of personal memory and learned practical approaches for discussing war with children in ways that avoid retraumatization. In the next phase of the project, participating educators will implement lessons using the methodological materials developed by the museum.

Media Mentions

The War Childhood Museum continued to receive attention in both local and international media during February. Below is a selection of coverage from the past month:

Muzej ratnog djetinjstva: Otvoren konkurs za stipendiju Lejla Hairlahović-Hušić — Federalna.ba
https://federalna.ba/muzej-ratnog-djetinjstva-otvoren-konkurs-za-stipendiju-lejla-hairlahovic-husic-57gp8 (BOSNIAN) 

À Sarajevo, un musée donne une voix à l’enfance en guerre à travers ses objets — La Croix
https://www.la-croix.com/culture/a-sarajevo-un-musee-donne-une-voix-a-l-enfance-en-guerre-a-travers-ses-objets-20260228 (FRENCH)

Read more about our activities this month:

Educational Programs and Visits 

At the beginning of the year, we welcomed groups from Croatia, France, Germany, and Belgium, marking the continuation of our educational visits program. Through guided tours and workshops, participants explored how war shapes childhood and how personal stories and objects can foster empathy, reflection, and dialogue.

Conferences, Seminars, and Exhibitions

As part of the PEACESTORY project, a group of young people from Donji Vakuf, Central Bosnia, opened the exhibition “The City and Us.” Over the past year, the group worked closely with mentors from the War Childhood Museum and partner organizations to learn how to use creativity as a tool for developing museum collections and producing exhibitions. Similar youth teams across Bosnia and Herzegovina are currently working on creating their own exhibitions.

Take a look at the atmosphere from the opening here.

During January, we also announced an open call for the seminar “Children in Genocide: Educational Approaches.” The seminar brings together professionals working with children to exchange experiences and further develop educational practices on the topics of genocide, war, and childhood. Together with educational experts from the War Childhood Museum and HERMES, participants will reflect on their approaches and work on lesson plans tailored to their own contexts.

The seminar is open to teachers, educators, and professionals from different fields who work with children. More information is available here.

News

In 2025, we updated the War Childhood Museum mobile guide to include additional languages, making our content more accessible to visitors from around the world.

Explore the process in this video.

We also published an interview with Nikola Kandić, one of the Museum’s external educators, focusing on creating safe learning spaces, breaking down inherited stereotypes, and the importance of authenticity in peace education. Read the interview here.

In addition, the War Childhood Museum and the Center for the Prevention of Addiction (Stručni centar za prevenciju ovisnosti) signed a long-term Memorandum of Cooperation, formalizing support for children and young people involved in the Big Brother, Big Sister program. Through this partnership, the Museum provides free entry for mentor–volunteer pairs, further strengthening their role in children’s empowerment and healthy development.

Read more here.

Projects

The War Childhood Museum Ukraine team presented a new pilot project for educators titled “How to Talk to Children About Memory: Using the ‘Object-Based Learning’ Method.”
This project introduces the first learning materials developed from the Ukrainian archive’s collection of stories and objects.

Read more about the project here.

Personal story highlight

In this month’s edition, we are publishing a story by Arina from Kharkiv about a special candle. 

Cities and villages across Ukraine continue to face prolonged power outages, sometimes lasting several days, due to repeated damage to the country’s energy infrastructure caused by Russia’s full-scale invasion. In these conditions, people are forced to adapt their daily routines: working, studying, and carrying out everyday tasks without reliable electricity, heating, or water. Many businesses rely on generators to keep operating.

Despite these challenges, our team in Kyiv continues their work, documenting children’s experiences and preserving their stories.

You can read Arina’s story here..

Media Mentions

The War Childhood Museum continues to be featured in both Bosnian and international media. Below is a selection of articles from the past month:

• The Childhoods Lost to War — The New World
  https://www.thenewworld.co.uk/ian-bancroft-the-childhoods-lost-to-war/
• Interview with Andriy Usach and Svitlana Osipchuk — LB.ua (Ukrainian)
  https://lb.ua/culture/2026/01/07/715483_andriy_usach_svitlana_osipchuk.html

Read more about what we did this month:

Educational Programs and Visits

Throughout December, the Museum hosted a series of educational visits for groups from several cities across Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as the United Kingdom.

In early December, members of our team Ajla Fazlić and Hanan Alić participated in the Balkanika Festival in Italy. During the festival, they presented the Museum’s work and led a series of peacebuilding workshops with young people.

Read more about the visit here.

Conferences and Public Discussions

Amina Krvavac, Director of the War Childhood Museum, represented Bosnia and Herzegovina, together with Mirza Halilčević from BIRN BiH, at the CSO–UN Dialogue Initiative on Peacebuilding. The dialogue brought together partners implementing initiatives supported by the UN Secretary-General’s Peacebuilding Fund (PBF) in Bosnia and Herzegovina. 

Our Archive Coordinator, Amina Šurković, delivered a lecture titled “Memorialization and Archival Studies: Art and Collective Memory” on Zlatibor in Serbia, as part of the digital activism school “Link the Change”. The lecture explored the intersections of archives, memory practices, and artistic approaches to collective remembrance.

The Museum also took part in a public discussion titled “Childhood Against War”, held at the Serbian Cultural Center in Zagreb. The discussion focused on the lives of children in war, bringing together different perspectives and experiences that shape childhoods marked by conflict.

In addition, December included a PEACESTORY board meeting, bringing together partners to reflect on progress and plan the next steps of the project.

Marking Important Dates and Public Programs

On Human Rights Day, December 10, the War Childhood Museum shared a story from its collection highlighting violations of human rights in conflict and reminding us why the protection of every child matters, especially in times of war. Read the story here. 

On December 13, 2025, to mark the anniversary of the signing of the Dayton Peace Agreement, a screening of short films by young authors, created as part of the international project Here We Stand, was held at the Cinematheque of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Implemented by the War Childhood Museum in cooperation with partner institutions from Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the project empowers young people to express their views on peace through film.

Take a look at the atmosphere from the screening here.

During the month, the Museum also participated in the UN campaign marking 30 years of peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina, contributing to reflections on peace three decades after the signing of the Dayton Peace Agreement.

Media Mentions

The War Childhood Museum continues to receive attention in both Bosnian and international media. Below is a selection of articles covering the Museum’s work during December:

• Festival Balkanika 2025 — Regione Emilia-Romagna (ITALIAN)
• U Kinoteci BiH održana projekcija kratkih filmova mladih o miru: Ovo smo mi — Klix.ba (BOSNIAN)
• Barnets krigsminne stulet från Kulturmagasinet — SVT (SWEDISH)

Read more about our activities this month:

Educational Programs and Visits

This month, we welcomed educational groups and visitors from Ukraine, Czechia, Italy, Germany, Croatia, and North Macedonia

We also hosted a delegation from the Imperial War Museum London, visiting Bosnia and Herzegovina as part of preparations for a major exhibition on war childhood set to open next year. 

Conferences

At the 27th ICOM General Conference in Dubai, the world’s largest global gathering of museum and heritage professionals, the War Childhood Museum presented two important sessions:

• Jasminko Halilović, WCM Founder, and Amina Krvavac, WCM Director in Bosnia and Herzegovina, jointly delivered the session “War Childhood Museum: Video Games and Museum Collections.” Participants explored community co-creation, how personal stories can be translated into interactive media, and tested a demo of “We Grew Up in War”. 
• Amina Krvavac was also among selected speakers in the “ICOM for Peace” session, where she presented the Museum’s peacebuilding approach and emphasized the role museums can play in divided and post-conflict societies.

WCM Educator Mersiha Began participated in the conference “Museum Education and Family: Intergenerational Learning, Shared Experience, and Identity Development” at the National Museum Kraljevo in Serbia. She presented WCM’s educational materials and shared best practices for fostering empathy, understanding, and intergenerational dialogue through museum activities.

Marking Important Dates

For the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, writer Amal Rafiq contributed a text for WCM reflecting on the shattered childhoods of Gaza’s children during and after the genocide.

Read the article on our website.

Special Projects

The demo of “We Grew Up in War”, a narrative video game based on stories from the War Childhood Museum collection, was released in November. The game introduces players to three children — Melisa, Valeria, and Matej — whose stories illuminate what it means to grow up during war in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Ukraine.

“We Grew Up in War” is developed by the award-winning indie studio Charles Games, as part of the international MEMENTOES project.

  Play, review, and share the demo: https://store.steampowered.com/…/We_Grew_Up_in_War_Demo/
Watch the trailer here.

WCM Ukraine: Public Programs and Workshops

WCM Ukraine continued its series of online workshops exploring oral history, documentary film, education, and childhood studies:

• “Oral, Visual, and Public History: The Experience of ‘After Silence’” — led by historian Andrii Usach and cultural manager Anna Yatsenko, who discussed their field expeditions across Ukraine, the digitization of family archives, and transforming collected materials into exhibitions, podcasts, films, and graphic narratives. 
• “Documentary Filmmaking as a Chronicle of Time” — with film director Bohdan Prykhodko, exploring documentary cinema as a tool for preserving places and moments at risk of disappearing, and as a form of therapy for communities affected by war. 
• “Working with Memory Themes in Participatory Educational Projects” — psychologist Anna Leninchska shared approaches to action-based learning, intergenerational dialogue, teen media communication, and ethical engagement with trauma. 
• “The Evolution of Childhood Concepts in the Soviet Union” — historian Julia Skubytska traced historical shifts in Soviet childhood ideologies and reflected on their lingering influence on contemporary policies toward children.

We also published an interview with Andrii Borutia, Public Programs Coordinator and Researcher at WCM Ukraine. You can read it here.

Media Mentions

The War Childhood Museum continues to be featured in both Bosnian and international media. Below is a selection of articles covering our work this month:

• Sarajevo, le voci dell’infanzia sotto assedio: le storie del War Childhood Museum — Sardegnagol (ITALIAN)
• Ritorno al Museo dell’Infanzia di Guerra di Sarajevo, 30 anni dopo l’Accordo di Dayton — Altreconomia (ITALIAN)
• “Generacija odrasla u strahu i nadi: Tri decenije od Sarajeva do Groznog i Kabula” — Radio Slobodna Evropa (BOSNIAN)

Read more about our activities this month:

Educational Programs and Visits

Throughout October, we welcomed visitors and educational groups from the USA, Sweden, Italy, the United Kingdom, Croatia, Germany, Qatar, and the Netherlands.

Åge Sandal Møller, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Denmark to Bosnia and Herzegovina, visited the Museum, explored our permanent exhibition, and shared his reflections on the experience — from the emotional impact to the importance of initiatives like the WCM both locally and globally.
Read the interview here.

We also welcomed two high school students who joined us for the Social Day, an event giving young people the opportunity to spend one day in a workplace, learn about museum processes, and experience the professional environment of the WCM team.
Read more here.

At the end of the month, WCM Director Amina Krvavac, together with youth and educators from our PEACESTORYproject, met in Mostar with Gwi Yeop Son, Regional Director of the UN Office for Europe and Central Asia, Arnhild Spence, UN Resident Coordinator in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Aida Hodžić, Assistant Minister at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The discussions put special importance on empowering young people and teachers in peace education across Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Read more about the meeting here.

We also shared a new video featuring the visit of journalists from Mediacentar’s School of Excellence, who explored the Museum’s work and learned about its role in documenting and sharing children’s experiences of war.
Watch the video here.

Exhibitions

On Sunday, October 12, the War Childhood Museum joined artists and communities around the world in an act of solidarity through the Gaza Biennale – Sarajevo Pavilion, hosting a film screening and artist talks with creators from Gaza. The event drew attention to the power of art to bear witness to children’s lives under siege and genocide, creating a space for reflection and empathy. The works were on display through November 7.
Read more here.

Conferences

In October, WCM’s Program Manager Katarina Vučković participated in the roundtable “Agents of Peace: Civil Society Driving Transformative Change from the Ground Up,” held as part of the international conference “A Call for Peace: The End of Wars and Respect for International Law.” The discussion explored how museums and civil society organizations can act as catalysts for peace and reconciliation.

Meanwhile, Svitlana Osipchuk, Program Director of War Childhood Museum Ukraine, moderated a talk at the Donbas Media Forum on the role of media in shaping collective memory and its interaction with state institutions during wartime.

Events

The War Childhood Museum Ukraine launched a new series of online events exploring how personal and local stories shape research, cultural, and artistic practices.

The first workshop, led by Andrii Borutia, focused on methods of studying local history, identifying sources, and linking research to public history. The second, led by artist and curator Vitalii Matukhno, examined independent publishing, projects on the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, and how visual memory forms in conditions of limited access. Finally, researcher Viktoriia Nesterenko addressed ethical questions in oral history — including children’s agency, informed consent, and emotional care for researchers.

At the end of the month, the War Childhood Museum’s Bosnian and Ukrainian teams came together for the annual retreat — an opportunity to reflect on the year’s achievements, share insights, and shape plans for the year ahead.

Media Mentions 

The War Childhood Museum continues to be featured in both Bosnian and international media. Here is a selection of articles covering the Museum in October:

• • Mreža i pokret koji nosi nadu kroz umjetnost: Počelo je Gaza Bijenale u Sarajevu — Radio Sarajevo (BOSNIAN)
  • Museum of Free Derry announces special programme of free public events for November — Derry Journal
  • Poezija, razgovori i performansi: Nemojte propustiti završne događaje Sarajevskog paviljona Gaza Bijenala — FBL (BOSNIAN)

Read more about our activities this month:

Educational Programs and Visits 

Throughout September, we welcomed educational groups from Norway, the USA, Denmark, Serbia, Germany, Italy, France, Greece, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, and Sweden.

One highlight was the visit of a group from the Norwegian Center for Holocaust and Minority Studies, which focuses on Holocaust research, documentation, and education, as well as the study of genocides, racism, extremism, conspiracy theories, and minority rights. Read more about the visit here.

The War Childhood Museum also hosted the TexTALES thematic workshop and transnational project meeting in Sarajevo. TexTALES brings together organizations working on the integration of migrants and refugees through fashion, aiming to co-create a joint fashion collection. As partners prepare exhibitions to present this work, WCM contributes its extensive experience in storytelling and exhibiting on these themes. Read more about TexTALES here.

Museum Director Amina Krvavac met with the UK Special Envoy for Women and Girls, Baroness Harriet Harman, and British Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Julian Reilly.

They discussed the importance of strengthening the role of women in society and peacebuilding processes. Krvavac also shared how WCM amplifies the voices of girls affected by conflict — a group especially vulnerable in extreme conditions. See more here.

We also welcomed participants of the Women, Peace, and Security Summer School, organized in Sarajevo. See more here.

In September, the War Childhood Museum also held the first in-person meeting of its Global Advisory Board in Sarajevo. The gathering brought together board members to reflect on WCM’s journey and chart the course ahead, reaffirming our commitment to peace education, reconciliation, and amplifying the voices of children affected by war. Read more here.

Conferences and Exhibitions

After the opening of the exhibition Listen earlier this year at the Swedish Air Force Museum in Linköping, the War Childhood Museum presented a second exhibition in Sweden in 2025.

On September 18, a new exhibition opened at the Sundsvall Museum, presenting stories of childhoods affected by war — not only from Bosnia and Herzegovina, but also from ten other conflicts around the world, including World War II, Ukraine, Palestine, Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Lebanon, Yemen, Croatia, and Kosovo. Read more here.

On September 20, Svitlana Osipchuk, Program Director of the War Childhood Museum Ukraine, gave a lecture titled “Engaging Children in Remembering the War” as part of the Lessons of Memory summer school for teachers from the Sumy and Poltava regions. She discussed the Museum’s principles of documentation, the importance of informed consent, and the process of selecting stories for exhibitions. Svitlana also explained how donating objects and recording interviews affect children and shared insights from experimental public programs such as Ozymi and IMBALANCE.

On September 26, Svitlana participated in the conference “Kherson Region on the Frontier” at Mystetskyi Arsenal, joining the panel “Memory as a Form of Justice.” Using stories from Crimea in the Museum’s collection, she highlighted the impact on children and the long-term consequences. She also reflected on embracing diverse experiences of living through war.

Marking Special Days

On September 21, the War Childhood Museum marked the International Day of Peace by sharing stories from current conflicts in Ukraine and Palestine, reminding audiences of the ongoing realities children face all over the world. Read those stories here. 

Special Projects

This month, the official trailer was released for We Grew Up in War, a new PC and mobile game developed by Charles Games in collaboration with the War Childhood Museum for the MEMENTOES Project.

We Grew Up in War explores childhood in conflict, drawing on testimonies from Bosnia, Syria, and Ukraine. Through a series of vignettes, the game portrays how war seeps into everyday life — from fear and grief to boredom, resilience, and survival. Watch the trailer here.

Media Mentions

The War Childhood Museum is regularly featured in both Bosnian and international media. Here, you can find a selection of articles covering the Museum from the past month.

War Childhood Museum presents the exhibition “Listen” to the Swedish public (BOSNIAN)

The opening of “Listen” highlights the importance of letting children’s voices be heard | Municipality of Sundsvall (SWEDISH)

Educational Programs and Visits 

This month, through our educational programs, we welcomed groups from Italy, France, Germany, the USA, Serbia, Montenegro, and Israel.

A particularly special visit came from Japan, led by our former intern. You can read about their impressions here and watch a short video here.

Exhibitions

Here We Stand
From 14 to 31 August, Bradford (UK) hosted Here We Stand, an exhibition featuring short films created by young people from Sarajevo, Derry, and Bradford. The project is a collaboration between the War Childhood Museum, The Peace Museum (UK), and the Museum of Free Derry (Northern Ireland). It is supported by the British Council and presented as part of Bradford City of Culture 2025. 

Conferences

As part of the workshop “Recall, Reflect, Retell” organized by the Gestapokeller and Augustaschacht Memorials with NGO After Silence, Svitlana Osipchuk, Program Director at WCM Ukraine, delivered a lecture on “Public History: Who Speaks About the Past, and Why?”.

At the same event, Anna Kurnytska, Digital Platforms Manager at WCM Ukraine, developed a public history project exploring the history of her childhood village through the lens of her family story.

Renata Chechel, Project Manager at WCM Ukraine, contributed to the Memory Studies Association 2025 conference in Prague. She also spoke at “Heritage: A Space for Practice”, addressing the role of testimonies, exhibitions, art, and youth engagement in shaping public memory.

Andriy Borutia, Public Programs Coordinator and Researcher at WCM Ukraine, joined NYCamp 2025, an arts and education camp for teenagers from the Donetsk region, where he explored the history of Donetsk and Luhansk with participants.

Marking Special Days

World Humanitarian Day
We shared children’s stories from our collection to mark this important day. Read them here.

Anniversary of the Vijećnica Fire
On the night of 25–26 August 1992, Sarajevo’s City Hall was set on fire, destroying around two million books. Among our collection is a book saved from the flames by Alma. Read her story here.

Special Projects

While school vacations paused Creativity for Peace, we reflected on participants’ experiences. Read more here and watch a short video here.

Our Archive Coordinator Amina Šurković joined the MED 25 – Le Bel Espoir peace training ship, sailing the Mediterranean and listening to stories of migrants seeking peace, dignity, and a better life. See more here.

We also established the Global Advisory Board, bringing together distinguished professionals from diverse fields to provide strategic guidance and support to our mission. Read more here.

Media Mentions

The War Childhood Museum continued to appear in both Bosnian and international media. Highlights from August include:

• Bradford exhibition features young filmmakers’ stories of peace – BBC News
• “There is a museum listening to testimonies about childhood in Gaza and the West Bank: ‘I don’t believe there is a family that hasn’t lost members’” – Expresso (Portuguese)