https://svitac.org

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

Local volunteers: Eldar Bešić, Danijela Jović, Lejla Ajanović

International volunteers: Annalena Tabea Milkerat, Elisa Laura Emilia Ryynänen, Maryam Malik

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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 month has been a vibrant and enriching period for our multicultural activities, reflecting our commitment to fostering diversity and inclusion within our community. We celebrated the International Day for Tolerance with various groups, emphasizing the importance of awareness and understanding of differences. Throughout this month, we organized a series of engaging events and initiatives spanning art, music, languages, and international volunteer collaboration. These activities aimed to celebrate cultural diversity, promote cross-cultural understanding, and provide a platform for participants to share their unique traditions and perspectives. By working closely with international volunteers, we have enhanced our cultural exchange programs, creating a more dynamic, inclusive, and welcoming environment for all. International volunteers also engaged in various daily activities, focusing on different initiatives such as supporting online events and promoting the organization through social media.
  • In November, approximately 142 participants regularly took part in Svitac’s (Firefly in Bosnia) activities. 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 made various variations of drawings, umbrellas, talked about animals with horns, sea, polar, and forest animals, and about foxes. At the creative workshops, various decorations and ornaments were also made. The group engaged in rhythm practice, song rehearsals, and dance choreography. This month they finished with the Cyrillic alphabet and started learning and writing numbers 7-10. With each number, they did something symbolic, e.g. number 7 (talked about the seven continents), number 8 (talked about octopuses), number 9 (why do we say that cats have 9 lives), and for number 10 (painted 10 fingers on paper). They performed warm-up exercises and children’s yoga, and every Thursday, they danced, participated in sports, and worked on maintaining focus and concentration while reading and listening to stories (The Fox and the Blackbird, The Spirit of the Orchard, Grandfather and the Turnip, Hansel and Gretel). In the English, German, and Turkish language workshops, they learned vocabulary related to autumn, ocean/ polar/ exotic animals, nature and sports. All workshops employ an educational visual method utilizing pictures and videos; these informal educational sessions aim to foster creativity, memory, motor skills, empathy, socialization, and tolerance for diversity. The highlight for the younger group was the Universal Children’s Day workshop, where they participated in a special activity focused on learning about their rights and the importance of being heard.
    • Older group –They covered the following topics: fascism (the relationship between fascism and extreme nationalism, including how national identity is constructed and manipulated in fascist movements), tolerance vs. acceptance (the difference between tolerance and acceptance, can one be tolerant without fully accepting another’s beliefs or practices, the challenges and benefits of living in a multicultural society, how can individuals and communities promote tolerance amidst cultural differences), and why is friendship important. In this way, we aim to offer young people a safe and neutral environment where they can share their opinions and express both positive and negative emotions without fear of judgment. During the Language Workshops, the group focused on practicing everyday communication, reading and translating short texts and phrases, working on grammar, completing school assignments, and engaging in projects. The highlight for the older group was the workshop held on the International Day against Fascism, when they explored the roots of fascism through open discussions and interactive activities, how it spread through fear and division, and how its echoes can still be felt today — even in unexpected places, such as sports and football fandoms.

MUSIC PROJECT: “Fireflies” – song by Owl City

• The collaborative project orchestrated by Amy from Firefly International brought together Svitac and musicians from Edinburgh to create a meaningful musical and visual tribute. The initiative focused on recording Owl City’s “Fireflies,” featuring children and young people from Brčko alongside their peers from Edinburgh, culminating in a video documentary. This project is part of the “Echoes for Peace” event, commemorating 30 years of Firefly’s work supporting children affected by war.

Project Development Timeline:

Early Summer:

• Svitac introduced participants to “Fireflies,” teaching the lyrics in English.
• Children sang the song, while older participants played guitars and bass.
• Young volunteers from Brčko joined, performing and supporting the musical activities.

July (Music Camp in Pecka):

• Participants aged 15+ learned and rehearsed the song.
• The chorus was translated into Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian, adding local cultural relevance.
• Video recordings captured these sessions, documenting the process.

August (Summer Camps & Children’s Day Event):

• Acoustic performances were recorded during the Children’s Day event, providing additional footage for the final video.

September:

• An online meeting was held with Amy and Edinburgh Napier University film students to discuss technical aspects of the upcoming video recordings.

October:

• The song was recorded with young children at the Youth Centre’s studio.
• Additional footage was filmed, showcasing Svitac’s daily activities.
• Svitac Music Coordinator Sanjin Vošanović coordinated with Tomkeeper Productions, ensuring all technical equipment—microphones, software, and support materials—were prepared.
• Local volunteers assisted children during recording sessions, helping them adjust to the studio environment and ensuring quality recordings.

The process was extensively documented on video, capturing rehearsals, performances, and behind-the-scenes moments.

The complete recorded material has been forwarded for editing and post-production to create a polished final product for the “Echoes for Peace” event.

This project exemplifies international collaboration, cultural integration, and the power of music to foster peace and understanding among youth affected by conflict.
 

VOLUNTEERS

• In November, Svitac (Firefly in Bosnia) greatly appreciated the collaboration with 3 international volunteers from Germany and Finland.
• Three volunteers from Bosnia are doing their service in Germany, and Italy (11-12 months).
• Svitac’s (Firefly in Bosnia’s) volunteers participated in the online Conference – Symposium – Forum “Youth Participation Toolfair – Sharing and Connecting Ideas”. This initiative was part of Climbing the Ladder, a project led by DYPALL Network in partnership with Europiamo ETS (Italy), YEPP EUROPE (Germany), Nordland fylkeskommune (Norway), EDYN (Slovakia), Assembly of European Regions – AER (France), SQLearn (Greece) and funded by the European Commission through the Erasmus+ Programme. During this interactive Toolfair, participants networked with youth workers, policy makers, and young people from across Europe, explored innovative models and mechanisms of youth engagement and gained practical tools to strengthen participation in their local, regional, or national context. 150 youth workers, youth leaders, and youth policy makers attended this event.
• Svitac’s (Firefly in Bosnia’s) representatives attended the training entitled “Sparking Change: Enhancing Community Impact in European Solidarity Corps Activities” held in Leuven, Belgium. The training was organized for youth workers, youth leaders, youth project managers, volunteering mentors, and youth trainers. The main objectives were: gaining a better and deeper understanding of community impact in general, learning how to improve the impact of their projects on the community, establishing better connections with European Solidarity Corps projects, gaining insight into specific tools (e.g. ImpactTool, Design Thinking methodology) for implementation, creation and measurement in their own context, learning how other organizations create impact and creating a network of impact-oriented partners.