Our partner organization “Perpetuum mobile – Institute for Youth and Community Development” Banja Luka has launched the first online debates with students of Banja Luka high schools.
Respecting all measures and recommendations of the competent services for health protection and avoidance of infection caused by the pandemic of the virus COVID 19 (Corona virus), this Banja Luka Institute has adapted its activities to the conditions and developed a new concept of debate competitions on the topic of healthy lifestyles.
That this initiative was well received among young people was confirmed by the participants in the debates who showed great interest in participating. The theses that were set to them as a task imply healthy lifestyles, but also require additional research and argumentation.
Debate enables young people to express their views in an articulated and democratic way, to foster a culture of dialogue and non-violent communication, as well as to reach solutions for identified youth issues and problems, while debating on healthy lifestyles topics raises awareness among young people about the importance of change: harmful and destructive habits that contribute to the basic health risk factors (tobacco and narcotics, alcohol, unhealthy diet and insufficient physical activity), and rigid and retrograde attitudes towards gender equality.
Over the past few months, the students have been trained in the basics of the debate within the Regional Program on Local Democracy in the Western Balkans (ReLOaD), funded by the European Union and supported by the United Nations Development Program entitled “Through Culture of Dialogue to Healthy Living Habits“. The main methodological basis for the realization of the mentioned project and all activities was “Program Y”. Precisely because of the well-designed student education programs, they did very well in the debate competitions on the side of affirmation, but also on the side of negation.
How the debaters managed and how they defended their theses can be seen at the following links:
The development of Program Y used in the implementation of these activities was realized within the project 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 Prevention of Youth Extremism and Violence in the Western Balkans”, supported by the Swiss Government, the OAK Foundation, the Austrian Development Agency and CARE International Balkans.
#YMI #CareInternational #CARE #ProgramY #ProgramE #SvicarskauBiH #AustrianDevelopmentAgency #OakFoundation
Supported by
