Joint History Project – A weekend of activities in Bosnia and Herzegovina

5-7 December 2008

The Bosnian language edition of the Joint History Project workbooks was presented on Friday, December 5, in Sarajevo in a press conference organised by the CDRSEE in cooperation with Mediacenter, Sarajevo. The press conference was the start of a weekend of JHP related activities in Bosnia and was followed by the third Teacher Training conference, which took place in Banja Luka on Saturday and Sunday December 6-7. 

Speaking in front of a diverse audience that included international community representatives, journalists and media professionals as well as teachers and educators, was a panel that consisted of CDRSEE executive director Nenad Sebek, representative of the Regional Cooperation Council, Mladen Dragasevic,  CDRSEE local workshop partner and journalist, Dzevdet Tuzlic, JHP Bosnian language edition editor Enes Milak and history teacher and trainer Munib Efendic.

All speakers highlighted the key aspects of the JHP as a tool for reconciliation in Southeast Europe as well as the innovative methodologies that it introduces in the classroom, which give students and educators alike the opportunity to engage with the material and develop critical thinking and analysis.

Sarajevo is the 8th capital where the books have been presented both across the region and in Brussels. Currently the JHP is implemented through Teacher Training workshops in Bosnia, Croatia, Cyprus and FYR of Macedonia, with the first round of activities concluded in Albania and Serbia.

The third Teacher Training workshop in Banja Luka gave 25 history teachers and educators the opportunity to gain a comprehensive perspective of the Workbooks and examine methods of introducing the materials in the classroom. During the two day workshop, discussion focussed on educational methodology as well as multiperspectivity and the encouragement of critical thinking which lie at the core of the Joint History Workbooks.

The Teacher Training workshops for the Bosnian language edition are made possible with the kind support of USAID, Irish Aid and the National Endowment for Democracy.