Eleventh Summer School of Peace was held from August 19th until August 28th in Banjaluka. Each year Youth for Peace organizes this school in cooperation with Caritas Banjaluka and Caritas Vittorio Veneto from Italy. On this event 30 young people from Bosnia and Herzegovina and Italy gathered, where they learnt, discussed and talked about conflict, resolution of it, and about consequences that conflict can cause.

Like in the last years, summer school consisted of educational part, where participants talked about conflict, with the case study of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and from voluntary activities, which there was 11 this year, in order to celebrate 11 years of existence of Summer School of Peace. In the educational part, through short lectures, interactive workshops, role play, experiential exercises and simulations participants had the opportunity to learn something about conflict, but also to experience and feel what is conflict and what are the consequences that conflict can bring if it is not solved on time and by using nonviolent means.

During voluntary working activities 11 locations were visited, where participants and trainers participated in various activities, from painting the house, digging canal for drainage pipes, setting up the roof on a house, cleaning rooms, cleaning cemeteries, cutting the grass and cleaning place for construction of new Caritas’ building.

Participants also had the opportunity to visit village Baljvine that serves as an example of coexistence and good neighborly relations among different ethnic groups that live in BiH. In this place they talked to locals, who were talking about cooperation, coexistence and protection of their neighbors during Second World War, but also during Bosnian war in the ‘90s. Royal town of Jajce was also on the visit list, so participants together with Youth for Peace educators visited the core of old town, waterfall and lake in Jajce and briefly got introduced to rich history of the town and its importance for BiH, both in medieval ages and in Second World War.

During this school Scavenger hunt was also organized and getting to know city of Banja Luka better through riddles and game where participants had main role and were maximum active. On the last night of this years’ Summer School of Peace farewell party was organized and participants had a task to mask themselves and represent some of the famous people in the world.

You can read more about participants’ and educators’ impressions about Summer School of Peace on the following link:
http://www.frontal.ba/novost/88992/mladi-iz-bih-i-italije-kroz-druzenje-i-rad-razgovarali-o-konfliktu-foto