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The War Childhood Museum (WCM) has recently launched “Creativity for Peace: Peace Education in Primary and Secondary Schools”, an innovative project designed to bring peace education to classrooms across Bosnia and Herzegovina. The WCM collaborates with CEI Step by Step to provide students and teachers with the skills and resources needed to foster a culture of peace and empathy. Supported by the United Nations Secretary-General’s Peacebuilding Fund (PBF), this project marks an essential step forward in inclusive peacebuilding, using creative, interactive methods to inspire future generations of peace advocates.

“Creativity for peace” represents a new paradigm in peacebuilding initiatives by blending creativity with peace education for students and teachers across Bosnia and Herzegovina. Through interactive workshops, teachers and students are introduced to the concepts and practical skills of peacebuilding, turning classrooms into dynamic spaces where students can explore and share their perspectives on peace, justice, and social responsibility.

Benefits for Educators

This project not only addresses the gap in peace education within formal curricula but also provides educators with essential pedagogical tools to inspire young people as peacebuilders. As Namir Ibrahimović, Program Manager at Step by Step, explains, “Teachers will master a range of active classroom methods, discuss teaching approaches with their students, and compare their own practices with newly acquired methods. They’ll gain ideas for classroom activities and, through the training itself, learn alongside students as they help develop peer-led workshops.” This training offers a model for effective professional development, Ibrahimović emphasizes, that combines a solid theoretical base, practical application, replication, and mentorship.

Drawing on its deep-rooted connections with schools across the country, the War Childhood Museum recognized the need for a structured peace education curriculum. As Merima Ražanica, the Museum’s Educational Activities Coordinator, notes, “Our close partnerships with schools throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina have revealed a need for additional peace education resources, which are only sporadically included in primary and secondary school curricula.” This project, she explains, offers essential resources for teaching nonviolent conflict resolution, human rights, and democratic participation – skills that are vital to fostering a culture of peace and inclusivity.

Teachers who participate will also experience a transformative journey alongside their students. Ibrahimović highlights that they will gain insights into new active classroom methodologies, compare their practices with these new approaches, and collaboratively develop workshops to share within their schools. “This training,” he explains, “serves as a guide for structuring professional development of teachers in a way that is theoretically sound, practically applicable, replicable, and supported by mentorship.” This comprehensive approach ensures that both teachers and students become peace educators, engaging in meaningful dialogue to nurture positive values and a commitment to peace.

A New Model for Peacebuilding Initiatives

By empowering young people to become active contributors to their communities, “Creativity for Peace” has the potential to model inclusive peacebuilding actions, sparking an ongoing dialogue that not only enriches the educational experience but also strengthens societal bonds.

“Designed workshops deepen the meaning of the concept of ‘peace’ and question what prerequisites and competencies need to be developed in children to ensure that peace becomes a dominant value in Bosnian society,” commented Namir Ibrahimović.

Through mentorship and peer-led education, this project equips teachers and students to address the obstacles to peace within their communities and inspires them to act in ways that benefit society as a whole.

“These workshops will provide young people with a framework to identify issues and obstacles in their communities and local environments that hinder the creation and nurturing of positive peace, and inspire them to engage in resolving and transforming them for the common good,” said Merima Ražanica.

For teachers across Bosnia and Herzegovina, this is a chance to transform the educational landscape and cultivate a generation committed to the values of peace and empathy – principles that lay the foundation for a more inclusive, just, and peaceful society.

For more information and the application form, visit our website.