CDRSEE :: Center for Democracy and Reconciliation in Southeast Europe

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16-18 December, 2011 – History Education Meeting in Belgrade, Serbia. The Joint History Project's History Education Committee finalised its push to expand this highly successful history book series to cover more recent times. During a two-day meeting in Belgrade, the editors and contributors discussed the publication within a larger circle of participants and received input from a renowned international expert in the field of Southeast European History. The fruitful meeting was the last in a series of three meetings made possible by the support of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) through the Institute for Sustainable Communities.

2 – 4 December, Dynamic Teaching Tools Concept Meeting in Thessaloniki – Some of the most accomplished educators and researchers from the region and from the United States gathered in Thessaloniki to create the framework for a new dynamic teaching methodology tool. This talented, multi-faceted group will ultimately publish a manual that will provide teachers with the latest research on teaching methods and ideas on how these methods can be used in their classrooms. While this project builds upon CDRSEE's highly successful Joint History Project, the information and ideas within will not be limited to history classes, but rather will be focused on the art of teaching in a rapidly changing society. The manual will be translated into six different languages. This was the first meeting, with the next scheduled for spring 2012 in Tirana. The project is funded by the European Union, under the IPA Programme.

1 December, 2011 – CDRSEE and the European Fund for the Balkans (EFB) will kick off a new project in December, organising a series of lively debates about controversial regional issues and broadcasting these debates via major local TV stations throughout the region. The idea of “Similarities Between Differences” is to foster an exchange of ideas and a real debate about the issues that are plaguing these countries, impeding EU accession and reconciliation. This is not your everyday talk show. This series will bring together untainted, well-respected and unbiased individuals from a wide field of social sciences, including anthropology, ethnology, cultural studies, applied ethics and many others. The topics will not be easy or comfortable, but the wider debates that spring from this series can lead to real solutions and a mutual understanding. More information on the EFB is available at www.balkanfund.org.

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Projects - "Our Town, Our Future"

Radio Drama in Bosnia and Herzegovina

PRESS RELEASE

PUBLIC SERVICES RESPONSIVE TO CITIZENS
BH citizens want municipalities that will ask them about improvements that could be made to municipal services. Municipal workers want clear lines of responsibility and computerisation

(Sarajevo, 9.9.2004.) - Results of a survey published today show that a great majority of BH public strive for a civil service more responsible to the public. A better organised administration at all levels, with clear lines of responsibility is a model supported by 83% of ordinary citizens who also ask the international community to restrict its activities to key issues such as lack of justice, high welfare costs and low employment.

Press Conference in Sarajevo 09.09.2004
From the left to the right Mr. Mladen Ovadija, Script Editor, "Our Town, Our Future"; Marika Djolai, Project Manager "Our Town, Our Future"; Dr. Renzo Daviddi, Deputy Head of EC Delegation in BiH; Dr. Colin Irwin, Center of Study of Ethnic Conflict, Queens University Belfast.

Results are published as part of the «Our Town, Our Future» project, which uses radio drama, along with extensive outreach work, to strengthen democratisation, good governance, and the rule of law in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The BBC World Service Trust is conducting this project from 2004 to 2006 in partnership with a regional NGO, the Center for Democracy and Reconciliation in Southeast Europe. Local partners on this project are BH Radio 1, Radiotelevision of Republika Srpska and Mediacentar Sarajevo. The aim of the project is to use the format of popular radio drama to change the attitude of staff in municipal authorities pointing out good examples of their approach to work, as well as illustrations of cases of malpractice. In a series of 12 radio drama episodes of an educational and entertaining nature, project initiators hope to offer solutions to problems faced by employed in local municipalities in performing everyday tasks. It will also incourage clients, people that live in these municipalities to take more active aproach in finding solutions for the problems of their living environment.

First radio drama episodes will be broadcast in second half of 2005. In line with the last episodes of drama series being broadcast across B&H next year, CDRSEE – as partner organisation on the project, will organise three two-day conferences for over 300 municipal workers. The aim of these conferences is to put together a series of recommendations for improvement of professional standards and co-operation of municipal authorities across ethnic borders. This project is aiming to visibly improve the quality of 144 municipalities across BiH. At the same time, the production process for radio drama will enhance the skills base of local media and further increase their capacity for self-sustainability.

BBC WST is in the midst of gathering a creative team who will start creating the plot of the radio drama. A call for directors and scrpitwriters has been advertised in all national media, and remains open until 20th September and 10th October respectively.

«With a Script Editor already appointed, it will be a pleasurable but difficult task to selected scriptwriters and directors among many great candidates that applied for this position said Marika Djolai, Project Manager. «This project has been put together with a lot of detail and responds, at the right time, to the needs of the BH society at large. I am exteremely happy to be able to contribute» added Zlatko Ivanicevic, BBC Senior Drama Advisor. In line with first phases of the project, 6 municipal workers together with the newly formed creative team and representatives of local broadcasters will visit Northern Ireland where they will familiarise themselves with the organisation of local administration in divided communities and ways of using drama to reduce conflict in such. The call for participants for the visit to Northern Ireland is open to municipal workers of Sarajevo Novi Grad and Centar municipalities, Brcko District, as well as Banjaluka, Tuzla and Mostar City administrations.

«I am very excited to be working on a project that deals with local problematics and that will eventually bring about change for many people. It will be a pleasure working with my local colleagues and I think we will do our job to a high standard – said Mladen Ovadija, Script Editor on the project.

This project is financed by the European Inititive for Democracy and Human Rights and the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation.

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'For further details, please contact:
Public Relations Office, BBC World
Service Trust, Musala 1, 71 000 SARAJEVO
Tel/fax: +387 33 558 230
GSM: +387 63 316 056 E-mail:
vladimir@bbcwstrust.ba
www.bbcwstrust.ba