News

SCHOOL-BASED SESSION WITH PARENTS ON INTERNET SAFETY

Between November 28 and December 8, 2023, there were eight sessions with the parents’ councils of 26 primary and secondary schools participating in the program "Legal Socialization and Juvenile Crime Prevention in Republika Srpska and Brčko District of Bosnia and Herzegovina" (BLSP RS/BD). Sessions were organized in Kotor Varoš, Čelinac, Gradiška, Mrkonjić Grad, Novi Grad, Prijedor, and Teslić in Republika Srpska and in Brčko District. These sessions aimed to inform parents about the dangers of the internet for children and youth and what can be done to minimize them. The sessions were held by the police officers from the Republika Srpska Ministry of Interior and the Brčko District Police. They presented a Guide on the dangers of using information and communication technologies they had developed. The sessions were attended by some 480 parents keen to learn how to keep their children online safe. After the sessions, parents were given printed versions of the Guide, while the electronic version was emailed to all schools to distribute to as many parents as possible. The local media covered the sessions in Gradiška, Brčko, and Teslić.

BD Police host the last session within BLSP RS/BD| Vijesti Brčko (ebrcko.net)

Session held on recognizing dangers on the internet | Radio televizija Gradiška 98,8 MHz (radiogradiska.com)

ATV Banja Luka_School-based session with parents in Teslić

BLSP RS/BD SCHOOLS IMPLEMENTED SMALL COMMUNITY PROJECTS

Schools from Republika Srpska and Brčko District that were awarded mini-grants for small community projects have successfully implemented this project activity. Each school received necessary material and equipment worth $500 purchased by the PH International Office in BIH. Here is how some of the mini-grants were used:

Elementary school "Sveti Sava" from Bijeljina used a mini-grant for adorning the schoolyard wall with murals and promoted the activity on Instagram: ���� Be My Pal, Color My World | Instagram and a local TV station: Murals adorn the schoolyard of Elementary School "Sveti Sava" (youtube.com)

Gymnasium "Vaso Pelagić" from Brčko has arranged a room for students’ extracurricular activities: Gimnazija "Vaso Pelagić" has got a new space "Corner for Students - RNU "Radio Brčko" Brčko distrikt BiH (radiobrcko.ba)

The Secondary School for Electrical Engineering from Prijedor used a mini-grant to acquire the audio equipment for the newly established school radio.

To renovate the classroom in the Elementary School "Desanka Maksimović" in Prijedor, a mini-grant was used to procure 17 chairs for students.

In elementary school "Vuk Karadžić" Omarska, a classroom for the Home Economy class was equipped with a mini-kitchen, a stove, and some dishes.

Elementary School "Sveti Sava" in Kotor Varoš used a mini-grant to obtain 20 basketballs, handballs, footballs, and volleyball balls and organized sports competitions at the school to encourage students to socialize and actively engage in sports.

With the support of their school and the local community, third-grade students of the Secondary School "28. June" from Istočno Sarajevo devised and implemented a project to raise awareness of health risks related to using snus and vaping. Mini-grant was used for purchasing a laptop for students who used it for presentations on this topic to students of all elementary schools in Istočno Sarajevo.

MONITORING THE LSP MODULES IMPLEMENTATION IN THE SELECTED SCHOOLS

During October 2023, the BLSP RS/BD staff monitored schools participating in the Legal Socialisation Program (LSP) to see whether teaching teams delivered modules as they were trained and described in the LSP Manual for Teachers. The BLSP RS/BD staff visited schools in Kotor Varoš, Prijedor, Novi Grad, and Gradiška in Republika Srpska, where they attended LSP classes and had an opportunity to talk with Teaching Teams. Each class selected for LSP has one or more students at risk of unacceptable behavior. Teaching Teams shared that students initially showed restraint but soon accepted the police officers coming to the classroom. It has been observed that the teaching teams are well-prepared, supportive of each other, and deliver modules in an interactive and participatory manner. Students actively participate in the discussion, expressing their opinions and asking questions. Overall, LSP module implementation is successful and yields positive results.

BLSP RS/BD ADVISORY COUNCIL SELECTED THE TEN BEST PROJECT PROPOSALS FOR SMALL COMMUNITY PROJECTS

Following a Public Call for project proposals for small community projects, the BLSP RS/BD Curriculum Development Team/Advisory Council (CDT/AC) held a meeting on October 12 and 13, 2023, in Jahorina and reviewed the received project proposals. The call was open to 58 primary and secondary schools from the Republika Srpska and Brčko District Bosnia and Herzegovina participating in BLSP RS/BD from Year 1 to Year 3.

CDA/AC worked in two committees and selected 10 best project proposals: 8 from Republika Srpska and 2 from Brčko District Bosnia and Herzegovina.  They will be awarded mini-grants of $500 each. PH Office in BiH will purchase supplies worth $500 as specified in the project proposals and deliver them to schools. The deadline for schools to implement their small community projects is November 30, 2023.

 

SECOND WORKSHOP FOR DEVELOPMENT OF INTERNET SAFETY BOOKLET IN JAHORINA

The second one-and-a-half-day workshop for developing an Internet safety booklet was held October 10 and 11, 2023, in the hotel “Termag” in Jahorina. Seven police officers from RS and BD and one University of Banja Luka Faculty of Security Science representative, who participated in the U.S. Study Visit, worked with an internet safety expert to finish the booklet draft. The booklet, covering relevant topics related to the risks and dangers of the internet for students and youth, is intended for parents, teachers, or police officers, i.e., anyone responsible for protecting children and youth. Once finalized, the content will be edited in Bosnian and Serbian, printed, and distributed at the sessions with Parents’ Councils of participating schools.