The War Childhood Museum (WCM) is not only a repository of war-related memories but also an educational hub that actively promotes peace. Since education is one of the key components of our institution’s activities, the Museum has carefully designed programs for children, students, and teachers to help raise awareness about the consequences of war while encouraging a culture of empathy, understanding, and active engagement with issues of peace and justice. Read further to learn more about educational activities of the WCM in the field of peacebuilding.
Why Peace Education Matters
Peace education is about developing emotional intelligence, promoting critical thinking, and encouraging students to question biases, stereotypes, and deeply held prejudices. The War Childhood Museum recognizes the importance of this approach and has developed educational activities and creative workshops to raise awareness of the vital need to build a world in which future generations can live in peace.
Merima Ražanica, the Museum’s Educational Activities Coordinator, explains the Museum’s commitment: “The Museum provides a comprehensive space and resources for learning about peace. On one hand, it offers a historical and cultural context through its collection, and on the other, it presents a safe space for dialogue on sensitive topics. Through these activities, children learn to develop empathy and understanding, essential prerequisites for peacebuilding.”
At the core of the Museum’s peace education efforts are workshops tailored to different age groups, starting with children in the third grade of elementary school up to high school seniors. These workshops are designed to engage young participants in meaningful discussions about their own roles in peacebuilding and help participants reflect on their own experiences and emotions, leading to a deeper understanding of the human impact of conflict.
One student from Bijelo Polje, Mostar, shared: “I learned to be aware of my actions and prejudices.” Another student from Kalesija echoed this sentiment, saying they enjoyed how the workshops created a fun learning experience while deepening their connection to the objects on display.
Support for Teachers
The Museum doesn’t only focus on children – it is also committed to supporting teachers in their role as peacebuilders. Through its Center for Education on Peace and Justice, the Museum provides resources and activity plans to help teachers incorporate peace education into their classrooms. These materials, developed by education experts, help teachers guide students through complex discussions on conflict, empathy, and human rights.
Teachers’ visits to the Museum are also welcome and encouraged. Ana Radaković, Project Assistant at the Belgrade-based Grad – European Centre for Culture and Debate, recently brought a group of teachers from Serbia to visit the Museum. Radaković emphasizes the importance of these interactions in terms of the knowledge teachers can pass on to their students: “I think the key, above all, is getting to know each other. People who know each other, who share some experience, form the foundation. It’s very important for these children, these young people, to grasp that there is someone else out there. That the person on the other side is a child, just like them—who will one day be a teenager, who will grow up, and so on. I believe that through encounters and learning each other’s stories, it becomes much harder to steer these children in a different direction.”
Ivana Popo, a teacher from JU O.Š. “Bijelo Polje” Potoci Mostar, shared her experience when she visited the Museum with her class: “At first, my students were indifferent, seeing it as ‘just another museum.’ But once the workshops began, I saw surprise and interest on their faces. The unique and engaging approach allowed them to grasp the concepts of solidarity and togetherness. Through our visit, they realized that every child affected by war carries the same traumas, fears, and the same single wish – peace.”
Through its collaboration with schools, the Museum offers an alternative educational space that can complement what students encounter in classrooms. Merima Ražanica points out that peace education content within official curricula in various cantons of Bosnia and Herzegovina is highly underrepresented or covered only through a few units in subjects such as Civic Education or Society, Culture, Religion in elementary schools, or through specific units in high school subjects like Sociology and Civic Education/Democracy and Human Rights.
“In this context, the Museum provides an alternative educational space that complements subjects like history and other social sciences. It offers students the chance to connect the content they often learn about through statistics, numbers, dates, and definitions to their own lives, the lives of people in their community, and the world both in the past and today, inspiring them to take active roles,” says Ražanica.
The Long-Term Impact of Peace Education
The lessons learned at the Museum go beyond the classroom. By engaging students in these meaningful discussions, the Museum helps to shape future leaders who are more empathetic, open-minded, and equipped to address the challenges of living in a diverse and often polarized world. As students reflect on their experiences – both through the Museum’s exhibitions and in the structured workshops – they become more aware of their own responsibilities in fostering peace within their communities.
A teacher from Osnovna škola “Silvije Strahimir Kranjčević” in Sarajevo emphasized: “This museum allows us to understand war from the perspective of a child. I believe visiting the War Childhood Museum should be a part of every school’s annual curriculum.”
An Invitation to Build Peace Together
More than 5,000 children participate in the Museum’s educational activities annually. With workshops designed to enhance empathy, solidarity, and mutual understanding, the Museum remains a vital resource for educators seeking to bring peace education into their classrooms.
In our latest initiative, Creativity for Peace, the Museum will further this mission by empowering teachers and students across Bosnia and Herzegovina to become active peacebuilders. Through creative workshops and specialized training, this project will support educators in guiding their students toward transforming their communities and fostering positive peace. For more information about Creativity for Peace or to apply for participation, please visit our website.
