1918-2018: Building peace – lessons from World War One
Youth seminar Bosnia and Herzegovina, France, Germany,
Sarajevo 7-13/11/2018
Organization: Youth Initiative for Human Rights Bosnia and Herzegovina, Forum ZFD Bosnia and Herzegovina, in cooperation with the Embassy of Germany in Bosnia and Herzegovina and of the Embassy of France in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with the support of the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Mission du Centenaire
Target group: Students of history, political or social sciences, area studies, or other interested young persons (18-25 years) from Bosnia and Herzegovina. 12 persons in total. They will work in groups with students from France and Germany. A good knowledge of the English language is requested.
Aims and content: November 2018 marks the 100th anniversary of the armistice between Germany and the Allies and therefore the official end of the First World War. But the end of the military hostilities did not mean the establishment of peace. How did governments, societies and individuals try to overcome the war and to establish and maintain peace in the years after the First World War? The question «How to get out of the war and to establish peace» was not only a crucial question after 1918 – and experienced very differently in Bosnia and Herzegovina, France and Germany at this time – , it is also a question of highest importance today: More than twenty years after the 1992-1995-war and the Dayton Peace Agreement, the society in Bosnia and Herzegovina remains very divided, and many share the impression that a real peace has not yet been established. To what extent can working on the post-war-period in Europe after 1918 be a stimulating contribution to the reflection on the current situation in Europe and on today’s post-war Bosnia and Herzegovina ?
In this framework the aims of this seminar are to provide to young persons from Bosnia and Herzegovina, France and Germany the opportunity:
– to discover, explore and critically reflect the history of the end and the consequences of the First World War in their own country and in the two other countries involved in the project
– to reflect and discuss about the meaning and the importance of peace, in history and today, and about possibilities to build / maintain sustainable peace and about the contribution of each of us to processes of peace-building
– to develop contacts among each other and with the organizations involved in the project
– to document the process through multimedia-tools and present the outcomes of their work to a larger audience
Participants in the program will work on creating a “blog” in groups of 4 (through interviews, video, articles),which will be presented on the last day as one of the outputs of the program. They will be accompanied during the workshop by a professional journalist, on specific sessions dedicated to this task.
Preliminary program:
Wednesday 7.11.2018: Arrival of the participants in Sarajevo
Thursday 8.11.2018:
→ Introduction / Presentation of the aims and content of the seminar / Making acquaintance
→ Interactive exercice: What do I (not) know about the First World War and it’s consequences / brainstorming among the participants / Mapping of knowledge, questions and ideas
→ Presentation and discussion: How is the First World War commemorated / remembered in Bosnia and Herzegovina, in France and in Germany?
→ Informal discovery-walk through the city centar of Sarajevo
Friday 9.11.2018:
→ On the traces of the First World War: Guided tour to different spots linked to the First World War in Sarajevo and East-Sarajevo
→ Evaluation of the guided tour / analyze of the visited memory sites
→ Discussion with local historians about the different interpretations of First World War and its consequences in Bosnia and Herzegovina today
Saturday 10.11.2018:
→ 1918 and it’s consequences: Working groups on 1918 and it’s consequences on different levels (political / social / cultural) in Bosnia and Herzegovina, France and Germany
→ Mutual presentation of the group work done and discussion
→ Working session on the planned blog-documentation / outputs of the seminar
→ Movie-screening
Sunday 11.11.2018:
→ Attending the 11th-November-1918-commemoration-ceremony at the Monument to the killed French soldiers in front of French Embassy
→ Discussion about the ceremony and the role of monuments and commemorations in peace-building
→ How to end a war, how to build peace? Comparing the Paris-Peace-Treaties 1919/1920 and the Dayton-Peace-Agreement 1995 and their interpretations
Monday 12.11.2018:
→ What is important in order to build / maintain peace in our societies? Meeting with NGOs/activists who are engaged in peace-building in Bosnia and Herzegovina
→ Group work: What can I do to contribute to build or maintain peace?
→ Working session on the planned blog-documentation / outputs of the seminar
→ Evaluation of the program
→ Public event: Presentation of the outputs of the seminar and discussion with the Ambassadors of France and of Germany
Farewell dinner
Tuesday 13.11.2018: Departure of the participants
Logistical information:
The costs for the travel from and to Sarajevo, the program, the accommodation in Sarajevo (in two-bed-rooms), the meals and the transfers during the seminars are covered by the organization.
The working language will be English.
If you fulfill the requirements listed above and are from Bosnia and Herzegovina, please fill out and send this application to prijave@yihr.org, as well as your CV. The call is open until the 14th of October 2018. Incomplete or late applications will not be taken into consideration.
Source: yihr.ba
