From September to November 2020, Youth for Peace held 2 trainings for trainers in the field of peace education in Sarajevo and Banja Luka and follow-up training in Sarajevo.

The first training for 11 participants was held from 10th to 13th September 2020 at the hotel Hollywood in Ilidža. The training brought together members of Youth for Peace, as well as former participants of our activities, who expressed interest in dealing with the topics of peace education. The second training was held from October 29th to November 1st at hotel Slavija in Banja Luka for 10 participants. This training brought together members of the Youth for Peace and volunteers from our partner organizations. During the first two days experienced Youth for Peace facilitators addressed topics of identity, stereotypes, and prejudices, conflict, diversity, and dialogue through a series of practical exercises aimed at experiential learning. At the end of the day, a meta-reflection would follow, during which the participants analyzed implemented exercises from the perspective of the facilitator. The third day was reserved for the exchange of experiences and the analysis of examples and situations from practice that facilitators dealing with peace education topics can encounter.

Follow-up training was held on November 28th and 29th, 2020 at the hotel Hollywood in Sarajevo. This training gathered 13 participants who had previously participated in trainings in Sarajevo and Banja Luka. In this training, participants had the opportunity to learn about narratives, the culture of remembrance, and intercultural dialogue, but also to reflect on what happens during the workshops from the perspective of the facilitator. In addition, the participants had the task to use the knowledge from the training to prepare and present how they would organize training for different groups of participants: high school students, an international group of students, and representatives of different religious groups.

This project is supported by the Ecumenical Women’s Initiative under the Peacebuilding Lot. The aim of the training within the project was to strengthen the capacity of both, Youth for Peace organization and our partner organizations, but also to equip young people to facilitate topics from the field of peace education in a high-quality manner.