Bosnia Legal Socialization Program

Between September 8-16, 2023, a one-week U.S. Study Tour was organized for key partners of the Bosnia Legal Socialization and Juvenile Crime Prevention Program in Republika Srpska and Brčko District (BLSP RS/BD). The delegation included five police officer program participants from the Republika Srpska, two police officers from Brčko District, a representative of the Faculty of Security Studies at the University of Banja Luka and three PH BLSP RS/BD program staff, serving as interpreters for the group. The goal of the Study Tour was to explore a variety of approaches developed in the northeastern U.S. to improve respect for the rule of law and civic responsibility among youth and reduce crime committed against and by youth; to identify programs that engender a positive relationship between juveniles and law enforcement authorities with potential application in Republika Srpska and Brčko District; and to collate resources and material for a Booklet on Internet Safety for youth to be developed by delegation members on their return to Bosnia & Herzegovina.

Thanks to Renee Berian who should be credited for the excellent organization of the Study Tour, together with Drew Diemar and Edward Cronin, 8 police officers had incredible experiences as they were given opportunities to have one-on-one discussions with their fellow police officers in Boston and New York. There were many highlights of the Study Tour, to name just a few: visiting Boston PD Police Academy, attending roll-call at Roxbury B-2 District of Boston PD   and going on ride-alongs with police officers headed by Captain Haseeb Hosein, visiting Fitchburg University and learning about their one-of-a-kind Police Academy Program, spending time with the amazing staff of the NYPD 41st Precinct Community Affairs Unit and the NYPD Police Athletic League in Bronx and hearing about the amazing work they do.....

Between August 28 - 30, 2023, two parallel Action Planning Workshops are taking place at  Termag hotel in Jahorina. The workshops are organized for teachers from 26 schools from Čelinca, Kotor Varoš, Gradiška, Mrkonjić Grad, Novi Grad, Prijedor, Teslić and Brčko district of BiH participating in the third year of the program "Legal Socialization and Juvenile Crime Prevention in Republika Srpska and Brčko District of Bosnia and Herzegovina" (BLSP RS/BD). The workshops aim to strengthen participants' project proposal writing and mentoring skills. After the workshops, the participants will be able to develop action plans/proposals for small projects in their local communities. The workshops are organized as a part of the BLSP RS/BD activity 'Mini-grants for small projects in the local community.' A Public Call for small project proposals for mini-grants will be published at the beginning of September 2023.

On August 29, 2023, the first one-and-a-half-day workshop for developing an Internet safety booklet started in the hotel “Termag” in Jahorina. The booklet, whose content should include relevant topics related to the dangers of the internet for students and youth in Republika Srpska and Brčko District BiH, would be used as a guide for by parents, teachers, or police officers, i.e., anyone responsible for protecting children and youth. The booklet will be developed by the contracted internet safety expert Olivije Zimonja, Head of the Unit for Countering Cybercrime at the Republika Srpska Ministry of Interior, together with a working group of 7 police officers who participate in the U.S. study visit. The finished booklet should be pocket-sized, reader-friendly, and appropriate for parents. It will be available in three official BH languages and English.