https://svitac.org

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

Local volunteers: Eldar Bešić, Amna Balija, Aida Slomić, Fatima Bukvić

‘Weltwärts’ volunteers: Ada Gabriela Groneick, Paula Scholz

‘ESC’ volunteers: Pia Sophie Jonas, Canan Karahan

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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 was a very busy month. Besides regular daily activities, we have held several interactive workshops with the 9th-grade students, worked on new ideas for future projects, and updated the working agenda. The international volunteers also supported a German language communication competition in a high school, helping students prepare for dialogues. Our director Gordana attended a humanitarian reception held at Buckingham Palace, hosted by His Majesty King Charles, and attended a meeting for Firefly’s supporters and Trustees in London. These were both important events to present the work of Svitac (Firefly in Bosnia) and ensure the continued operations of our ongoing projects in Bosnia. 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 143 participants regularly attended Svitac’s (Firefly in Bosnia’s) activities in February. 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 plants and rain gear, aquatic life, rodents, body parts, caterpillars, birds, pets, and how to make cakes. The youngest participants enjoyed the creative part and modelling fun items (e.g. muffins, flowers, aquariums, colourful umbrellas, mice, drew best friends and a caterpillar, favourite part of the house, and birds in the nest). The group continued with practicing rhythms, rehearsing songs, and dance choreographies. The participants started learning the Cyrillic alphabet practising writing the letters A, B, and V (А, Б, В). They did warm-up exercises and yoga for children, and every Thursday they danced, did sports and practiced reading and listening to stories (Hansel and Gretel, Peter Pan, Story about a caterpillar, Golden Fish, The Wolf and the Three Little Pigs and Aladdin). In the English, German, and Turkish language workshops they learned words related to seasons, parts of the house, the human body, birds, insects and emotions. 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 interactive workshop for International Mother Language Day when they created a poster featuring a tree with apples which contained the word “family member” written in B/H/S, English, and German.
    • Older group –  They discussed the following topics: social justice, democracy, digital learning, mother language, proper nutrition, emotional intelligence and what Valentine’s Day is. 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. New art workshops for participants 13+ that offer a creative space for self-expression, where participants can explore their artistic abilities while developing important skills, started this month. Through sketching, they learn to observe the world more attentively, improve their fine motor skills, and boost their confidence in their creative work. It also encourages mindfulness and provides a healthy outlet for emotions. The collaborative environment fosters teamwork and social connections, making it a fun and enriching experience that promotes both personal growth and artistic development. The highlight with the older group was the interactive workshop for World Day of Social Justice when they discussed economic, racial, and social justice, reflecting on how these issues affect their daily lives.

ESC, WELTWARTS AND OTHER VOLUNTEERS’ PROGRAMMES

• In February, Svitac (Firefly in Bosnia) very much appreciated the collaboration with 4 international volunteers from Germany.
• Sending ESC and ‘Weltwärts’ – Three volunteers from Bosnia are doing their service in Germany and Belgium (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) representatives attended the Conference “Building Bridges, Creating Change: The Power of Youth Volunteering”. This conference was organized by the French National Agency in charge of the EU Programmes Erasmus+ Youth and European Solidarity Corps, in collaboration with the SALTO European Solidarity Corps Resource Centre, as part of a partnership involving Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps Agencies from 17 countries. The main objective of the conference was to debate the impact and potential of the European Solidarity Corps (ESC) programme and youth volunteering, in Europe and beyond. The conference explored how EU volunteering cultivates empathy and active citizenship, empowering youth as agents of solidarity and supporting NGOs in crisis response, reflecting the EU’s commitment to unity and compassion. Participants discussed how EU volunteering initiatives foster a profound sense of European belonging among participants and local communities, emphasizing solidarity, democracy, and interculturality to nurture common values and enhance intercultural understanding. It was highlighted how volunteering empowers young volunteers as leaders driving systemic change for environmental sustainability, contributing to a greener Europe. This event brought together youth workers, policymakers, researchers, practitioners, and administrative representatives to discuss the future direction of the EU youth volunteering program.
• Svitac’s (Firefly in Bosnia’s) representatives attended the C.L.I.C. Conference – “SEEDS OF SOLIDARITY” organised in Zrenjanin, Serbia by Young Researchers of Serbia. The main focus was on the topics of mentorship, volunteers’ initiatives, and the impact of volunteering in our communities. This was a fruitful opportunity for networking for any organization involved in mid and long-term volunteering projects. Beyond, it was a milestone for EU-based organizations to advocate together, with youth workers and volunteers’ perspectives, for the future of the European Solidarity Corps. The participants were practitioners, experts, volunteers, and dozens of organizations from EU, and Western Balkans countries but also from Africa, America, and Asia.