Svitac (Firefly in Bosnia) Project Report – May 2024

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

Local volunteers: Eldar Bešić, Amina Omerović, Teodora Krsmanović, Merjema Behlulović

‘Weltwärts’ volunteers: Jonathan Ludwig, Simon Müller

‘ESC’ volunteers: –

Turing Scheme volunteers: Orla Rose Ryan
Love Volunteers’ volunteers: Andrew Michael Machado

      

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 started in a festive mood, and after the holidays, our younger participants continued with workshops, where they drew, learned English, and socialized in a relaxed atmosphere with laughter! Older participants discussed various topics in English and took part in regular musical activities. They marked International Day of Families and talked about a wide range of families and the importance of having a safe place. Throughout this month our volunteer, Orla has been visiting primary school English classes to lead workshops on Scottish culture and comparing school systems in Bosnia and Herzegovina and her home country. She has enjoyed leading classroom discussions, assisting in the development of students’ speaking skills and using her experiences to raise cultural awareness. In addition, she has deeply appreciated the opportunity to learn about life for young people in Brčko and connect with the wider community. 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 142 participants regularly attended Svitac’s (Firefly in Bosnia’s) activities in May. 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 the human life cycle, plants, ladybugs, and bees, and watched informative and educational videos. The youngest participants enjoyed the creative part and modelling fun items (e.g. small ladybugs, bees, flowers, spring decorations, various objects made of plasticine). The group continued with music workshops, practicing rhythms, rehearsing songs, and dance choreographies. The participants continued learning the Cyrillic alphabet practising writing the letters Ђ, Е, Ж, З, И and J (Đ, E, Ž, Z, I, J). They did warm-up exercises and yoga for children, and every Thursday they danced, did sports, and practiced reading and listening to stories (Prometheus and the Fire, Alice from Wonderland and The Magic Bean). In the English, German, and Turkish language workshops they learned words related to family, urban/rural infrastructure, world food, and greetings. 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 Spring Fest Event, which featured a few plays, dances, songs, recitations, guitar and violin performances, and the creation of adorable costumes.
      • Older group –  They discussed the following topics: peace, understanding, cultural diversity, inclusion, solidarity, manner of speaking and lobbying, careers for young people, financial management, methods of solving difficult situations, and pop culture from the USA. In this way, we want to provide young people with a safe and neutral space to express their opinions and 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 workshop for the International Day of Living Together in Peace when they discussed the importance of mutual understanding, appreciating peace, and enjoying having diversity in their daily lives.

ESC, WELTWARTS AND OTHER VOLUNTEERS’ PROGRAMMES

  • In May, Svitac (Firefly in Bosnia) very much appreciated the collaboration with 4 international volunteers from Germany, the UK and Belgium.
  • Sending ESC and ‘Weltwärts’ – Three volunteers from Bosnia are doing their service in Germany and Romania (6-12 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.
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Activities, news, Project Report