In the period from 13 to 20 March 2022, the 5th eUPSHIFT workshop was held with 44 young people from the municipalities of Višegrad, Rudo (Štrpci), Foča, Kalinovik, Šekovići, Milići, Zvornik (Karakaj and Čelopek), Bijeljina and Šamac. Through the eUPSHIFT workshop, the teams competed with their ideas for the grant funds in the total amount of 15,000 KM to solve problems in their communities.
The 5th eUPSHIFT workshop was attended by 10 teams from 10 schools in the northeast of the Republic of Srpska. On Sunday, March 20, the teams presented their ideas to a jury, after which the representatives of the Republic of Srpska Ministry of Education and Culture, USAID in BiH and UNICEF in BiH addressed the audience.
Mrs. Enea Hotić, Head of the Department of Primary Education of the Ministry of Education and Culture of the Republic of Srpska, emphasized the commitment of the Ministry of Education and Culture of the Republic of Srpska to recognize and support the implementation of programs aimed at strengthening young people’s competencies and developing social skills of every young person, and thus of society as a whole.
Mr. Robert R. Lopez, Deputy Director of the USAID Mission to BiH, said on this occasion: “The pandemic has caused massive disruptions in the education of students of all ages. By recognizing the importance of enabling young people to unleash their potential, USAID supports the BiH education system in providing ongoing learning support so that these students can continue developing the skills they need to be active members of society.”
Mrs. Veronika Vashchenko, UNICEF Deputy Representative in BiH, especially thanked all partners, USAID in BiH, the Ministry of Education and Culture of the Republic of Srpska and all schools that supported their students. She praised and encouraged all young people who are hardworking, persistent and want to build a better society for all.
The participants of the 5th eUPSHIFT workshop did not hide their enthusiasm for this type of non-formal education. They said that they would like the workshop to last a bit longer and that UPSHIFT was their first encounter with projects, like a milestone for the future. The teams whose ideas were awarded with grant funds of 3,000 KM each are:
The (Non)culture team in the town, which consists of Srđan Trifković, Marija Radojević, Iva Stojanović, Božidar Andrić, Teodora Jevđević from the “Ivo Andrić” High School, Višegrad, which covers the topic “How could we organize a cultural festival?”, with mentor Amar Velagić,
The Scouts team consisting of Mihajlo Miković, Stefan Ćirović, Darko Gazdić, Lara Stikić, Željana Stikić from the “Boško Buha” Elementary School, Štrpci wants to solve the problem “How can we give children more opportunities for creative and educational activities in nature during leisure time? ”, with mentor Amir Ramić,
The K2U Lelija team consisting of of Anđela Sladoje, Željana Bozalo, Anastasija Buha, Luka Elez, Željana Buha from the “Ljutica Bogdan” Elementary School, Kalinovik, covers the topic “How can we encourage the development of awareness of healthy eating among children and young people in Kalinovik?” , with mentor Marjana Đorđić,
The Smile Seekers team with members Olja Babić, Taša Stanković, Nevena Mirović, Anđela Milovčević from the “Milutin Milanković”, High School, Milići, will try to solve the problem “How can we create opportunities for creative work and additional development in our town?”, with mentor Uroš Kostović and
The RESPECT team consisting of Katarina Stević, Jelena Petrić, Nikolina Lancuški, Dragan Vulin and Katarina Božić from the Bijeljina School of Economics, which deals with the topic “How to reduce the presence of violence and raise awareness about the existence of violence and its consequences in adolescent relationships?” , with mentor Sonja Milinčić.
Dijana Pejić, executive director of the humanitarian organization Genesis Project, which is implementing the UPSHIFT program in 2022, said: “For me and my team, you are all winners today! I wish the teams that won grants the successful implementation of project activities and I look forward to working with them in the coming months. I sincerely hope that I will have the opportunity to meet the participants, mentors and contributors of the 5th eUPSHIFT workshop in person, at a joint gathering planned for June this year.”
The UPSHIFT program originated at UNICEF’s Office of Innovation and is implemented in 38 countries around the world. The 5th eUPSHIFT workshop in Bosnia and Herzegovina is implemented by the Humanitarian Organization “Genesis Project” in cooperation with UNICEF in BiH through the project ” Strengthening Social and Health Protection in Response to the Covid-19″ with financial support from USAID in BiH, with consent of the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports of the Una-Sana Canton.
Additional information about the UPSHIFT program in BiH can be found on the UPSHIFT website and on the pages:
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