https://svitac.org

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

Local volunteers: Adin Midžić, Maja Keserović, Eldar Bešić

‘Weltwärts’ volunteers: Nikolai Karl Pfeiffer, Rike Lea Stollenwerk

‘ESC’ volunteers: Emily Jade Posner, Siobhan Rosemary Coleman, Jara Madleen Schulze, Viktor Hüllmann                

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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 MONTH’S ACTIVITIES

  • This month has been extremely difficult. The number of people infected with Covid increased drastically after the holidays so that the number of people infected in the Brcko District reached the highest number since the beginning of the pandemic. Despite the difficult epidemiological situation, students from the Brcko District returned to school in the second half of January. Although no additional measures were introduced and activities took place normally in the youth centre, to reduce the risk of infection, the Svitac team limited the number of participants in the workshops and increased the number of online activities. Our participants were involved in several science experiments this month, including an air-themed session whereby they had to complete a course by blowing a ping pong ball using a straw. In the water-themed workshop, they learned about what items would float and sink and how oil, vitamin tablets and food colouring behave when added to water. 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 138 participants regularly attended Svitac’s (Firefly in Bosnia’s) activities in January. 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 did jellyfish made of thin cardboard and decorative material, talked about their habitat, and watched an interesting educational video on the subject. The group talked about castles and their role in history and made them out of paper and cardboard. After practising the correct use of scissors and cutting various shapes (zigzag, circle, straight line, triangle) participants received small booklets-permits, with their names and details of what they can do with scissors. The group continued to learn the alphabet practising writing the letters L, Lj, M, N and drawing objects that start with one of these letters. In the English, German and Turkish language workshops they learned words related to school supplies, winter clothes and sports. In the Music Workshops, they rehearsed the song „Visibaba mala“ (Little Snowdrop). In the Dance workshops, the participants were learning a dance called Rock Lobster and rehearsed choreography to the songs „Chocolate“ and „Magic Dance“. All workshops are implemented with an educational visual method with pictures and video; the goal of informal educational workshops is to develop creativity, memory, motor skills, empathy, socialization and tolerance for diversities. Highlight with the younger group was the workshop for International Education Day when they discussed what their dream school would be like and what they would learn there.
    • Older group –  They discussed the following topics: tolerance and culture diversity, volunteering abroad, film art and movies, influencers and the extent to which this profession has a positive, i.e. negative impact on young people. 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, grammar, and got help with homework and school projects. The highlight with the older group was the workshop on the topic of the environment when they shared ideas on how it could be improved in their local community.

ESC, WELTWARTS AND OTHER VOLUNTEERS’ PROGRAMMES

• In January, Svitac (Firefly in Bosnia) very much appreciated the collaboration with 6 Weltwärts and ESC volunteers from UK and Germany.
• Sending ESC and ‘Weltwärts’ – Four volunteers from Bosnia are doing their service in Germany and Slovenia (9-12 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 #SeeTheHuman online event organised by Conciliation Resources. Conciliation Resources connect different groups involved in conflict with political processes with other groups to share their own experiences and bridge the gap between conflicting groups. The event #SeeTheHuman focused on the real-life experiences of those who have been on the front lines of war and who have managed to bring people together across divides to create peace. The main aim was to raise awareness of the importance of peacebuilding on a wider scale.
• Svitac’s (Firefly in Bosnia’s) representatives attended the ‘Campaign Summit’, a two-hour online session where they collected ideas from the UNITED for Intercultural Action, the European network against nationalism, racism, and fascism and in support of migrants, refugees and minorities. This year the annual campaign European Action Weeks against Racism will run for two weeks, starting on the 14th of March and ending on the 27th of March. Participants of the summit will use these ideas to design campaigns in their home countries.