PEACESTORY – War Childhood Museum

Closing Event of the Creativity for Peace Program Held

Maida Salkanovic — Thu, 30 Apr 2026 10:12:59 +0000

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, teachers, and professors from all parts of the country gathered to exchange experiences, present the results of their work, and discuss the future of peace education in schools.

Exchange of Experiences and Voices from the Classroom

As part of the event, a panel discussion was held featuring Ajla Džambić, a peer educator from Tuzla, Lejla Đulić, a teacher coordinator from Gračanica, and Danilo Vasiljević, a teacher from Modriča. The discussion was moderated by Namir Ibrahimović from Centar za obrazovne inicijative Step by Step, a lecturer and mentor within the program.

Džambić highlighted that participants exceeded the planned number of workshops during the program after recognizing a strong need among young people for this type of content.

“We had the opportunity to learn and develop knowledge and skills for which there is often little room within the formal education system. This project is especially important to me because we had mentorship support that empowered us to independently lead workshops in the classroom,” said Džambić.

Đulić emphasized how meaningful it was for students to receive content from their peers, which made it feel more relatable and relevant.

“We should seriously consider formalizing the role of peer educators in schools,” said Đulić.

Vasiljević noted that the concept of peace is frequently mentioned, but rarely considered in practical terms.

“We encounter the term ‘peace’ all the time, but rarely reflect on how it manifests in everyday life. How do we overcome differences and solve the problems students constantly face? These are the questions we need to address,” said Vasiljević.

Recommendations for the Future of the Program

Nedim Krajišnik, Executive Director of Centar za obrazovne inicijative Step by Step, and Amina Krvavac, Director for Bosnia and Herzegovina at War Childhood Museum, also addressed the participants. During group discussions, teachers, professors, and peer educators shared recommendations on how schools can sustain the program beyond the completion of this project phase.

More than 60 schools took part in the program, while over 240 peer educators, teachers, and professors were trained in methods of peace pedagogy, which they continue to apply in their classrooms.

Meeting with UN Representatives in Mostar

Maida Salkanovic — Tue, 11 Nov 2025 15:35:30 +0000

At the end of October, War Childhood Museum Director Amina Krvavac, together with the youth and educators participating in our PEACESTORY project, met in Mostar with Gwi Yeop Son, Regional Director of the United Nations (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 delegation also visited the exhibition “City in Traces”, produced and presented as part of PEACESTORY by our creative peacebuilders from Mostar, a team composed of four young women. The exhibition reflects on the city’s ruins, what they mean personally to young people and citizens of Mostar, and what potential they hold for building a more connected and peaceful future.

Photo: UN in BiH

Within PEACESTORY, youth teams participating in the “Creative Peacebuilders” component work across Bosnia and Herzegovina are exploring what peace means to them and their communities. Each of the 20 teams researches a specific topic of their choice, creating collections and exhibitions inspired by their findings. Throughout the process, all participants took part in joint training sessions focused on research and exhibition-making and are receiving ongoing mentorship support for different aspects of their work.

The UN representatives also met with participants in the “Creativity for Peace” component of the program, who have been trained in peace pedagogy methods. Throughout the past year, teachers across the country, together with their students, took part in these trainings. The students, who became peer educators, then went on to lead workshops for their classmates, sharing the knowledge and skills they had gained. So far, a total of 248 teachers and peer educators held 420 workshops attended by 7,874 students, across 53 schools in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Through these workshops, they explore how conflict shapes human experience and seek to cultivate empathy by demonstrating the impact of war on people’s lives.

Photo: UN in BiH

PEACESTORY is implemented by the War Childhood Museum and partners Center for Educational Initiatives “Step by Step”, Association of Highschool Students in BiH, and the Mozaik Foundation, with the support of the United Nations Peacebuilding Fund (UN PBF).

“PEACESTORY” Project Board Held Inaugural Meeting

Maida Salkanovic — Fri, 18 Jul 2025 14:39:57 +0000

The first meeting of the “PEACESTORY” project board was held in Sarajevo on July 15, 2025. The project is implemented by the War Childhood Museum Foundation in partnership with the Mozaik Foundation, the Association of Secondary School Students in BiH (ASuBiH), the Center for Educational Initiatives “Step by Step,” and in collaboration with KUMA International, and the NGO “Što Te Nema,” with support from the United Nations Secretary-General’s Peacebuilding Fund (PBF).

Shaping the Vision: Goals, Achievements, and What’s Next

The board members – Adis Salkić (Federal Ministry of Culture and Sports), Amina Krvavac (War Childhood Museum), Samir Omerefendić (UN Secretary-General’s Peacebuilding Fund – PBF in BiH), and Stela Vasić (Ministry of Communications and Transport of BiH) – were presented with the project’s goals and key components, past activities and achievements, as well as plans for the next stages of implementation. The presentation also included detailed information about the project, such as the number of participants, the local communities involved across Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the partner organizations working with schools through educational and creative youth engagement.

Empowering Youth and Educators Across Bosnia and Herzegovina

This two-year initiative aims to lay the groundwork for a paradigm shift in peacebuilding in BiH. Its focus is on empowering a new generation of young leaders in the field of peacebuilding, while also strengthening the capacities of young peace activists in more than 20 municipalities and cities across the country. The project will also support a significant number of educators from over 30 local communities in developing peace education skills they can pass on to future generations of students.