The Educational Center for Democracy and Human Rights CIVITAS, in partnership with the Ministry of Civil Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina and with the support of the Embassy of the United States of America in Bosnia and Herzegovina, is the organizer of the CivicEd Forum 2024, which was held in Sarajevo from October 18 to 20, 2024. The Forum was attended by Aida Salkić, Director, and Mirza Čehajić and Aldijana Salić, expert advisors in the field of education, on behalf of the Pedagogical Institute Zenica.
The topic of the CivicEd Forum was “Improving Civic Competences in Bosnia and Herzegovina” with special emphasis on the essential importance of the systematic development of these competences through all levels of education as the foundation for building a sustainable democratic society. Through a series of panel discussions, lectures and working groups, the participants of the Forum had the opportunity to discuss the importance and different models of developing civic competences in students, as well as high-quality, continuous, professional development of teachers, who are one of the key factors in the upbringing and education of future informed, active and responsible citizens.
Through dialogue, exchange of ideas, examples of good practice and innovative teaching methods, the Forum participants identified the key challenges faced by all relevant actors in this process, and created a Strategic Framework for Collaborative Initiatives that will serve as a platform for coordinated action and synergy of efforts aimed at promoting and strengthening civic competences at all levels of education in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The program was opened by the Ambassador of the United States of America to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Michael J. Murphy, and during the three days of the Forum, the program included:
- keynote lectures by experts from the EU and the region,
- interactive panel discussions,
- working groups and workshops, with the aim of stimulating dialogue and finding concrete solutions for strengthening civic education,
- presentation of examples of good practice and
- the voice of students and alumni of the CIVITAS network.
