Svitac (Firefly in Bosnia) Project Report – April 2025

Staff: Gordana Varcaković, Dina Vošanović, Sanjin Vošanović, Miloš Popić

Local volunteers: Eldar Bešić, Amna Balija, Aida Slomić, Fatima Bukvić, Edna Čorbadžić, Lamija Tokić, Anela Ražanica

‘Weltwärts’ volunteers: Ada Gabriela Groneick, Paula Scholz

‘ESC’ volunteers: Pia Sophie Jonas

      

ON-GOING PROGRAMME

  • Culture and Art Diversity around the World – Includes Language, Art&Crafts, Music, Drama, and Sports workshops from Monday to Friday (4-14)
    • Standard and Conversational Language workshops – English, German
      • I love English – English workshops for 15-30
      • “Lasstuns Deutsch sprechen!/Pričajmo njemački!“ (Let’s speak German) – German workshops for 15-30
    • Music workshops – samba, guitar for 15-30

    HIGHLIGHTS ON THE MONTH’S ACTIVITIES

    • This month was a dynamic and engaging month for our team, marked by the celebration of several significant international days, including Good Deeds Day, World Art Day, International Day of Planet Earth, and World Book Day. Each team member contributed to the planning and implementation of educational yet enjoyable activities, which were met with great enthusiasm by participants. From creative arts and crafts to music activities, children and young people have been diving into new experiences, expressing themselves, and having a blast along the way. Our team has been there every step of the way – encouraging, teaching, and supporting young minds to learn and grow. Local and international volunteers supported learning in English and German with diverse educational games, made music with young people, and explored art by drawing in the styles of famous painters. International volunteers have been doing a lot of different daily activities and they focused on different things (e.g., supporting online activities, promotion of the organization through social media).
    • About 144 participants regularly attended Svitac’s (Firefly in Bosnia’s) activities in April. Participants were aged between 4 and 30 years old. The youngest and the oldest participants attended Culture and Art Diversity around the World workshops and English/German conversational workshops.
      • Younger group – They talked about spring changes in nature, what happens to plants and trees, but also how spring affects people and their mood. The youngest participants enjoyed the creative part and modelling fun items (e.g. rockets, mushrooms, crocodiles, bracelets, various flowers in vases or with stems, rabbits, and drawings in Picasso’s style). The group continued with practicing rhythms, rehearsing songs, and dance choreographies. The participants continued learning the Cyrillic alphabet and practising writing the letters Џ, Ђ, Ж and И (Dž, Đ, Ž, I). They did warm-up exercises and yoga for children, and every Thursday they danced, did sports and practiced reading and listening to stories. In the English, German, and Turkish language workshops, they learned words related to spring, domestic animals, the 4 natural elements, books, and ice cream. All workshops are implemented with an educational visual method with pictures and video; informal educational workshops aim to develop creativity, memory, motor skills, empathy, socialization, and tolerance for diversities. The highlight with the younger group was the workshop for the Good Deeds Day, when they talked about kindness and how even small actions can make a big difference.
      • Older group –  They discussed the following topics: cultural diversity, peacebuilding, how to support people who have been discriminated against, art, music, film, and the role of women in Hollywood. In this way, we want to provide young people with a safe and neutral space where they can express their opinions and express positive and negative emotions, without fear of condemnation. In the Language Workshops, the group worked on practising everyday communication, reading and translating short texts, phrases, grammar, school homework, and interesting projects. The highlight with the older group was the interactive workshop for the International Day of Planet Earth, during which they discussed the importance of protecting nature, saving water, and keeping the Earth clean.

ESC, WELTWARTS AND OTHER VOLUNTEERS’ PROGRAMMES

  • In April, Svitac (Firefly in Bosnia) very much appreciated the collaboration with 3 international volunteers from Germany.
  • Sending ESC and ‘Weltwärts’ – Three volunteers from Bosnia are doing their service in Germany and Portugal (2 weeks-12 months).

MEETINGS and PRESENTATIONS

  • Svitac’s (Firefly in Bosnia’s) staff continued to attend regular monthly meetings with the youth centre coordinator and the other NGOs based in Brčko. The purpose of the meetings was to discuss conditions and schedules for the continuation of centre activities.
  • Svitac’s (Firefly in Bosnia’s) international volunteers participated in an Erasmus+ project “The Head Heart and Hands for Religion” on the topic of intercultural and inter-religious dialogue. The project was organised in Klagenfurt, Austria, by NGO IniciativAngola. The main project goals were learning about other cultures and religions, practicing interreligious dialogue, breaking down prejudices and stereotypes, cultural learning, and mutual enrichment. The participants were from Austria, Slovenia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Hungary.
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Activities, news, Project Report