Donor: US Embassy
Applicant:
The LIR Civil Society (LIR CS)
Kralja Petra II no. 9, 78 000 Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Phone/Fax: +387 65 538 216, 051 926 260
Contact person: Biljana Zgonjanin, lircd@blic.net

Implementation Period: October 2019- May 2020
Project amount: 20,627 USD

Geographical area: Prijedor, Novi Grad, Cazin and Drvar in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Project Description: The project will develop an innovative and creative approach to promote interethnic interaction, to address issues that divide pupils along ethnic lines/segregated schools, to develop the tolerance and reconciliation between the religiously and geographically diverse communities of Prijedor region (Prijedor, Novi Grad), Canton 1 (Cazin) and Canton 10 (Drvar).
Overall objective: The overall project goal is to promote interethnic and intercommunity exchange through peaceful conflict resolution mechanisms and to introduce education mechanisms of dialogue and non-violent action in the local communities covered by the project intervention.
Specific objectives: The specific project objective is promotion of diversity and understanding of principles and mechanisms of democratic society among marginalised group and pupils in segregated schools through conducted educational programs to increase the tolerance and integration of different social groups (ethnic, religious, cultural, socio-economic) and teach participants how to recognize stereotypes and prejudice. Both objectives will increase tolerance and cooperation between the ethnically and geographically diverse communities of targeted municipalities.

Target groups: The project will support directly at least 45 persons from marginalized groups from different targeted ethnic communities: Youth, Displaced persons, Persons with disabilities, Socio-economically disadvantaged persons, Roma and others, approximately 15 people per targeted municipality and 30 pupils in two schools under one roof in Drvar. Additionally, final beneficiaries that will have long term benefit for the project activities are families of the target groups, pupils and teachers of targeted schools in targeted municipalities.

Project activities:

• Selection of project beneficiaries, schools and obtaining authorisation from schools to implement proposed activities,
• To organise Training for marginalized groups through Live Library and Forum Theatre. The training will tackle three anticipated modules based on Living Library and Forum Theatre training/education techniques:
• Conflict resolution skills with assertive (non-aggressive) method and Development of Togetherness  – Living Library, Forum Theatre, Assertive Communication in the fractured education/Two Schools Under One Roof in Drvar, Canton 10.
• Solving problems related to diversities of marginalized groups – Living Library and Forum Theatre in Prijedor region and in the whole targeted area.
• Multiethnic distance in everyday lives of young people and prevention of ethnically-based peer violence – Living Library and Forum Theatre in the whole targeted area.      
• Monitoring of increased understanding and appreciation of diversity

Project outputs: At least 8-days trainings of 3 different training modules will be delivered to 75 pupils in primary and secondary schools throughout the school year: Forum Theatre will last 5 days and will covered 19 themes, Live Library will last 3 days and will covered 6 themes. To measure the success of the program, a post-program survey will be applied to measure how much participants’ knowledge, skills and attitudes have changed.
Project results: The anticipated project results are: 1) Marginalized groups and pupils in segregated schools understood principles and mechanisms of democratic society through conducted educational programs to respect diversity and integration of different social groups (ethnic, religious, cultural, socio-economic); 2) Knowledge, tolerance, understanding increased among marginalized groups and pupils in segregated schools and recognized stereotypes and prejudice in targeted communities.