“Peer violence and promotion of healthy lifestyles” was the topic of a two-part three-day seminar held in Doboj from 23 to 25 September
We brought together representatives of centers for social work from the Banja Luka region, as well as experts and students in the field of social work, together with youth workers from Banja Luka, Čajniče, Zvornik, Bijeljina, Teslić, Doboj, Kotor Varoš, Čelinac, Prnjavor, Kneževo and Banovići.
The activity was implemented within the project YMI – Young Men Initiative II: “Promoting Healthier Lifestyles among Youth in Bosnia and Herzegovina by Challenging Gender Stereotypes II” and the project: “Men and Boys as Partners in Promoting Gender Equality and Addressing Extremism and Youth Violence in the Western Balkans”, supported by the Governments of Switzerland, the OAK Foundation, the Austrian Development Agency and CARE International Bosnia and Herzegovina.
“Youth and Violent Extremism – Research Results in BiH” after Sarajevo was also presented in Doboj for the participants of the seminar “Peer Violence and Promotion of Healthy Lifestyles”. Prof. Srđan Dušanić, PhD, presented the flow and results of the research to the participants, and in the discussion with the participants discussed the alarming data obtained by the analysis of the conducted research covering all regions of BiH.
In addition to social workers, we also had the opportunity to host youth workers coming from members of the Network of Youth Centers for Animation, Development and Training, who attended training for trainers on the implementation of Program Y during these three days. After being trained to implement the workshops contained in Program Y, youth workers are preparing to apply this knowledge in their work in youth centers in the coming period.
On this occasion, the current flow of the project “Promoting Healthier Lifestyles among Youth in Bosnia and Herzegovina by Challenging Gender Stereotypes II” and “Men and Boys as Partners in Promoting Gender Equality and Addressing Extremism and Violence of Youth in the Western Balkans”, Program Y and achieved results were presented.
Through interactive workshops, participants discussed further plans for joint action in the promotion of healthy lifestyles among young people. Social workers shared their experience in working with the civil sector, but also emphasized that institutions often show a lack of understanding and willingness to cooperate in order to maintain and transfer this model of work to a higher level.
An example of multisectoral cooperation in youth work at the Day Center of the Public Institution Center for Social Work in Banja Luka was presented by the expert staff of this institution. In doing so, they referred to the activities implemented in the previous period for young people at risk of deviant behavior, as well as a set of workshops held by the educators of the Perpetuum Mobile Institute for users of the Day Center in the part of Banja Luka called Borik.
The Pereptuum mobile Institute will, in the coming period, start to work, within the project Human Face of Banja Luka and the Regional Local Democracy Program in the Western Balkans, on two projects that will directly implement Program Y in 16 Banja Luka secondary schools. On this occasion, the projects were presented to the seminar participants, where they expressed their support and emphasized the importance of the topics covered by Program Y in their work with high school students.
#YMI #CareInternational #CARE #ProgramY #AustrianDevelopmentAgency #OAKFoundation
Supported by
