Svitac (Firefly in Bosnia) Project Report – September 2026

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 filled with impactful educational initiatives, strong teamwork, and meaningful opportunities to engage with young people. The Svitac team continued its diverse educational and creative programming by organizing workshops, designing activities, and working directly with participants—fostering a deep sense of shared purpose and collaboration. A primary highlight of the month was the Final Evaluation Meeting of the ‘Mind Over Screens’ (MOS) project in Mikkeli, Finland. This meeting brought project partners together to evaluate the work accomplished throughout the initiative, review achieved milestones, exchange best practices, and analyse the overall impact of the project. Furthermore, the gathering provided a collaborative space for partners to discuss youth digital wellbeing and outline future opportunities for joint projects. Beyond formal proceedings, partners strengthened their professional bonds and explored Mikkeli together.
        Another key highlight was a workshop held in observance of the International Day of Democracy, where participants explored the relevance of democratic values in daily life and emphasized the vital role of active listening and mutual respect.
        International and local volunteers also engaged in various daily activities, focusing on different initiatives such as supporting online events and promoting the organization through social media.
      • In September, approximately 142 participants regularly took part in Svitac’s (Firefly in Bosnia) activities. The youngest and the oldest participants attended Culture and Art Diversity around the World workshops and English/German conversational workshops.
        • Younger group – They explored the changes brought on by autumn, talking about the weather, nature, and animals, and celebrated the arrival of the new season through drawing, colouring, and crafting. We paid special attention to personal hygiene and healthy habits, approaching them in an engaging and accessible way. During the workshops, we also discussed viruses, how they spread, and the importance of maintaining hygiene and protecting health. Through presentations, images, videos, and practical activities, we provided participants with the opportunity to learn how to take responsible care of themselves and others. During creative sessions, participants crafted decorations and ornaments. Physical activities included warm-up exercises, children’s yoga, dance, and sports every Thursday. Furthermore, the program focused on enhancing attention spans through storytelling (The Little Ladybug, Stribor’s Forest, The Forest Fairy, and My Little Car); the children actively discussed narrative events, which successfully encouraged even the youngest participants to engage in the conversation and share their views. In the English, German, and Turkish language workshops, they learned vocabulary related to colours, plants, insects, space and autumn. 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.
        • Older group –They covered the following topics:
           Digital Equality and the AI Future – How young people from different countries access technology, how online algorithms might carry cultural biases, and what steps are needed to ensure the digital future offers equal opportunities to youth everywhere, regardless of their country’s wealth,
           Education and Global Opportunity – Young people compared their home countries’ educational systems to discuss whether schools truly provide an equal starting point for everyone. The dialogue examined the barriers faced by students of different genders, socioeconomic backgrounds, and nationalities, challenging the group to brainstorm ways to redesign global education to offer true equity and merit-based success,
           Lowering the Voting Age to 16 – This topic explored political maturity and global representation. Participants compared countries like Austria and Malta, where 16-year-olds can vote, with nations that maintain the voting age at 18 or older. The discussion focused on whether lowering the voting age ensures fair political representation for the generation most affected by long-term decisions, or if it risks placing too much democratic responsibility on youth before they are fully prepared,
           Digital vs. Traditional Voting – Participants examined equal access to the democratic process. Young people debated whether introducing online or mobile voting would make elections more equitable by increasing youth turnout and assisting remote communities, or if it poses risks to election security and marginalizes older or less tech-savvy populations. They shared insights on how their home countries manage voting technology and discussed what true accessibility looks like in the digital age.
          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.

MUSIC PROJECTS

  • At the guitar workshops, the planned program and activity schedule proceeded as anticipated. Participants practiced classical and pop compositions adapted to various skill levels. The learning material was tailored to the existing knowledge of individual participants. A special focus remained on revising music theory, including note reading, performing major and minor scales, and recognizing and applying theoretical notation.
  • The Samba group focused on developing rhythms and music using electric, string, and samba percussion instruments, complemented by intensive group practice on specific compositions. The coordinator designed the workshop content to engage participants in practical exercises, working either in pairs or small groups. Additionally, participants practiced maintaining individual rhythms, working in separate sections to master different melodies.

VOLUNTEERS

  • Three volunteers from Bosnia are doing their service in Germany and Croatia (6-12 months).
  • Local volunteers from Svitac (Firefly in Bosnia) participated in the Erasmus+ Contact-Making Seminar “Connect, Inspire, Build Trust” in Mainz, Germany. The seminar was designed for organisations interested in developing or expanding international volunteer exchanges, both within and beyond the European Solidarity Corps (ESC) framework. The main aim of the seminar was to provide a platform to build new partnerships, exchange experiences, and explore future cooperation opportunities.
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