How many Facebook likes to you have? Do you have Facebook friends which you don’t know personally? Have you received strange or unpleasant messages from unknown profiles? Communication via social media has many advantages, but dangers as well. Especially for teenagers.
These dangers are the theme of our new theatre show. Under the title ‘Friends are made, not added’, this show premiered for students of the 6th to 9th grades in Kruščica. The theatre show will be performed in primary schools in the Central Bosnia Canton. A total of 50 performances are planned, for over 3000 students in eight municipalities: Bugojno, Busovača, Fojnica, Jajce, Kiseljak, Novi Travnik, Vitez and Travnik.
The show is the result of the project „Promotion of peace and security through educative, interactive theatre performances in primary schools / Safe Students – Gender Responsive Schools“, which is implemented by Genesis Project with the support of the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives (CFLI), with the autorization and approval of the Ministry for Education, Science, Culture and Sport of the Central Bosnia Canton.
The project comprises several different activities, of which the most important is the performance of theatre shows and distribution of educational leaflest, as well as 50 interactive exchanges of information on gender equality.
The creative team of the NGO „Genesis Project“ came up with a scenario for a dramatic theatre performance with the aim of education children on the importance of peace and security (with emphasis on peace and security on the internet); gender equality, the equal position and responsibilities of women and men in society, prevention of hate speech on the internet among direct users, prevention of cyber violence on the internet among direct users and prevention of damaged reputations on the internet among direct users.
The project idea itself came from teaching staff and pupils in primary schools throughout the Central Bosnia Canton, who noticed gaps in the knowledge and skills of its students which would help them to behave in a more appropriate way in a ‘virtual world’.
We are sure that the awareness of children who watch the theatre performance and who directly participate in the direct exchange of information on gender equality will be raised regarding the above-mentioned topics, and that they will learn how to protect themselves, as well as people around them, from the dangers which come from the internet.
