CENTAR ZA NENASILNU AKCIJU
CENTRE FOR NONVIOLENT ACTION
www.nenasilje.org
Office in Sarajevo:
Bentbaša 31, 71000 Sarajevo, BiH
Tel/Fax: +387/33/440-417
cna.sarajevo@gmx.net
Office in Belgrade:
Ulofa Palmea 2A, 11160 Beograd, SRJ
Tel/Fax: +381 11 34-32-612, Tel: 34-32-403
cna.beograd@gmx.net
ANNUAL REPORT IV
September 2000 – August 2001
Centar za nenasilnu akciju (Centre for Nonviolent Action) is a non-governmental and non-profit organisation whose basic goals are peace building, the development of civil society, cross-border cooperation and promotion of nonviolence.
Our main activity is to organise and implement trainings (seminars) in nonviolent conflict transformation and to support groups and individuals who wish to do this kind of work. Through training in nonviolent conflict transformation we are aiming to develop political awareness of the training participants, and to pass on skills in nonviolent dealing with conflict. At our trainings CNA gathers people from all parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Yugoslavia and Macedonia, hence giving special focus on networking, and communication between people from different areas, whose communication has been interrupted through war and supporting the process of prejudice reduction and communication.
CNA started with its work in 1997. It is a registered NGO in BiH, as an external branch of KURVE Wustrow.
Table of contents
INTRODUCTION AND SUMMARY____________________________________4
1ST QUARTER, SEPTEMBER 2000 – NOVEMBER 2000.____________________5
Main activities __________________________________________________ 5
“NENASILJE?”(NONVIOLENCE) – The Training Manual ___________________ 5
Programme Training for Trainers ____________________________________ 5
Other activities _________________________________________________ 7
The regional Conflict Resolution Meeting ______________________________ 7
Cross-border seminar V.O.D.A. (Vodimo ovo društvo aktivno) ______________ 7
Project: Strengthening of youth civic initiatives in Croatia__________________ 7
2ND QUARTER, DECEMBER 2000 – FEBRUARY 2001._____________________ 8
Main activities ___________________________________________________ 8
Exploratory trip in Macedonia______________________________________________________ 8
One-day workshop on Nonviolent communication, in Rudo_________________ 8
Training for teachers from the orphanage “Gazaz” ________________________ 8
Basic Training in Nonviolent Conflict Transformation ______________________ 9
CNA evaluation and meeting with Martina Fischer ________________________ 9
Other activities __________________________________________________ 10
Seminar in public advocacy with community mobilisation _________________ 10
MIRamiDA Partnership ____________________________________________ 10
Training in Zenica________________________________________________ 11
Training for trainers, Centre For Peace Studies Zagreb_____________________ 11
Evaluation of “Abraham” training ____________________________________ 11
Training for “Alter art” from Travnik__________________________________ 12
Training Seminar “Gender Integration into Conflict Prevention, Transformation & Peace Building: The Case of the Balkans” ____________________________________ 12
3RD QUARTER, MARCH – MAY 2001_________________________________ 12
Main activities __________________________________________________ 12
Appeal for peace and nonviolence ___________________________________ 12
Workshop in Bosniak High school in Sarajevo ___________________________ 13
Three-day Training in Kiseljak, BiH ___________________________________ 13
Other activities __________________________________________________ 14
Round Table on Conscientious Objection_______________________________ 14
Training for Trainers (II) – Centre for Peace Studies Zagreb _________________14
QPSW / Amnesty International – Seminar on Human Rights_________________15
Round Table – Workshop on Quakerism _______________________________ 15
Roundtable on the Theme of “Conflict Prevention and Peace Building & NGO in the Balkans – Lessons Learned” _________________________________________________15
V.O.D.A. – Seminar for youth from BiH and Croatia ________________________16
Developing Collegial Relations and Forming Coalitions _____________________16
Seminar on Missionary Work and Inter-religious Dialogue – “Abraham” ________16
Conscientious Objection – Round Table _________________________________17
Preparatory meeting of the Education group of the South East European Project (Conference of European Churches) at Osijek Centre for Peace, Nonviolence and Human Rights (CPNHR), _______________________________________________________________ 17
4TH QUARTER, JUNE – AUGUST, 2001 _________________________________ 17
Main Activities ____________________________________________________ 17
Basic Training in Nonviolent Conflict Transformation, Rama-Šćit_______________17
Basic Training in Nonviolent Conflict Transformation, Žabljak _________________19
CNA Office in Belgrade _______________________________________________22
Training for Trainers in Nonviolent Conflict Transformation___________________22
Other Activities ____________________________________________________ 25
CMS – Training for Trainers (III part) ____________________________________ 25
Conference in Bujanovačka Banja, FRY ___________________________________25
Evaluation for Abraham ______________________________________________26
Training in Peace Building, Banovići, Bosnia and Herzegovina _________________ 26
EVALUATION OF THE LAST YEAR______________________________________ 28
STRENGHTHENING CAPACITIES _______________________________________28
EXPLORATORY TRIP ________________________________________________28
ACTIVITIES_______________________________________________________ 28
THREE-YEAR EVALUATION __________________________________________ 29
POSTPONED PLANS _________________________________________________ 30
FINANCING_______________________________________________________ 30
POLITICAL AND SOCIAL CONTEXT IN WHICH CNA ACTS ____________________ 31
FUTURE PLANS ____________________________________________________ 32
Detailed work plan for the period September – December 2001 ________________ 33
Sarajevo Office: ____________________________________________________ 33
Belgrade Office_____________________________________________________ 33
WORDS FROM CNA MEMBERS _________________________________________ 34
A Couple of Words from a new CNA Team Member – Helena Rill ________________34
ANNEX __________________________________________________________ 35
Appeal __________________________________________________________ 35
INTRODUCTION AND SUMMARY
Four years of work is behind CNA. The growth of our team, the opening of an office in Belgrade and expanded activities tell us about the development of the project in this year. This report contains short description of our main activities over the past 12 months, our attitude towards current social events and an announcement of some of our plans for future.
Support of our friends and colleagues from all over the world is very important to us. Without them, these four years of work would not have happened. We are deeply grateful to all those who supported us in various ways, all this time.
At the beginning of this work year The Manual for Trainings in Nonviolent Conflict Transformation for Work with Adults “NENASILJE?” in Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian language was published. The last two phases of The Training for Trainers II have empowered us and significantly influenced our motivation for further work on regional level. Iva Zenzerović from Pula (Croatia) and Milan Colić from Babušnica (Serbia) have joined the team. Long awaited changes have happened in Serbia. One of those people who bear great responsibility for wars in former Yugoslavia had lost the elections and withdrew from power, after the peaceful revolution in Serbia.
Two of our team members spent November and December on exploratory trip in Macedonia, analysing needs and possibilities for peace work. Nedžad Horozović from Doboj (Bosnia and Herzegovina) has joined us in January. Evaluation of our three-year work was finished in February. External part of the evaluation, done by Martina Fischer from Berghof Institute was published. In March, two of our team members spent time in Germany, in Berghof Institute. In the middle of March armed clashes have started in Macedonia. Fully aware of our limited capacities to influence those conflicts quickly, we’ve sent out an Appeal for Peace and Nonviolence.
During the last three months of this work year, a new Training for Trainers Program has started. There are 19 participants from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Serbia and Montenegro included in it. Changes that had happened last October in Serbia created a firm ground for opening of CNA office in Belgrade. It had been our intention from long ago, so we currently gave up the idea to open an office in Macedonia. Along with two of our CNA Team members (one female and one male) who moved from Sarajevo to Belgrade, Helena Rill from Sombor (Vojvodina) has joined us. That makes three volunteers in our Belgrade office, for now. All of the CNA team members, who joined us this year, had participated in our Training for Trainers Program II. They have already taken part in this year’s Basic Training teams, and two of them were in the Training for Trainers III team.
We had lots of problems with this year’s fund raising for structural financing and opening of our Belgrade office. We still haven’t got part of the funds, which often makes it hard for us to work and decreases our efficiency. After the evaluation of our three-year work, our future plans have undergone lots of changes. Our next Training for Trainers Program will last 11 months, instead of six, and will contain few additional parts. We’re expecting an answer from the European Union to our project proposal for the second time. Last time, we were refused with the short explanation that “only the best projects were chosen to be financed”.
More on our future plans, in the second part of this report.
Note: All the activities described in this report were sorted chronologically as main and other activities within every quarter, for the sake of easier review.
Report on our activities in the period of September 2000 – May 2001, was given in more detail in our regular three-month reports. Last quarter was described in this report in the form of our regular three-month report.
1st QUARTER, September 2000 – November 2000.
Main activities
“NENASILJE?”(NONVIOLENCE) – The Training Manual
In the beginning of November the training manual that had been prepared for so long, finally was published. Its title is “NENASILJE? – Prirucnik za treninge iz nenasilne razrade konflikata za rad sa odraslima” (“NONVIOLENCE? – The Manual for Trainings in Nonviolent Conflict Transformation for Work with Adults”). The manual is a collection of experiences gathered in CNA Sarajevo, which consists of descriptions of workshops, and exercises that may be used in work on different themes from this field; but also philosophy of dealing with conflicts that CNA is striving towards in its work.
The main chapters of the manual are:
- Nonviolent Conflict Transformation and Peace Building
- Training in Nonviolent Conflict Transformation
- Workshops / Themes
- Difficulties in Work
The manual is in Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian language. It has 160 pages, and it includes photos from the trainings. 800 copies are printed.
The electronic version (pdf file) is available at our web page: www.nenasilje.org/publikacije/pdf/CNA-prirucnik.pdf
Due to the feedback we have got until now from our friends and colleagues from Macedonia, we started translating the Manual into Macedonian language, and translation into Albanian language is in the process of planning. We expect that the Macedonian version will be finished in November.
Programme Training for Trainers
September – November 2000
During these three months we worked on the last two phases of the programme Training for Trainers in Nonviolent Conflict Transformation:
- Phase IV: Follow-up meetings (in period September / November 2000)
- Phase V: 3-days training (Sarajevo, 2-5.11.2000)
For more information on the Phases I, II and III, please see our previous report (Annual report III) on CNA Web-site or in CNA office.
Phase IV: Follow-up meetings
These meetings were the possibility for the participants to get feedback, advice and support from the members of the training team on the issues they have chosen, connected with the work they were doing or were planning to do. It should be mentioned, few of these meeting were held in December, i.e. after the closing evaluation seminar, which was held in Sarajevo.
The participants requested support at Follow-up meetings in the following fields:
-Preparing the three-day training of support to local youth centres
-Feedback and support in preparing of workshops
-Discussions and feedback on the participants future project plans -Support on fundraising issue for the work
-Organisation and carrying out of the serial of workshops and lectures on the theme “Nonviolence and the right to conscientious objection”
-Gathering information on organisations, foundations and persons from the region and Europe who are engaged in the thematic connected to the project of the participant
-Annual planning of activities for the coming year of their organisation, feedback on new ideas, suggestions and proposals
-Exchanging experience, discussion about the difficulties in work and ways to make peace work become more publicly present.
The interesting example of the follow-up meeting was held in Sarajevo, 13-15.10.2000. Participants who formed a working group wanted to discuss their project proposal, and to get feedback from the training team. The working group consisted of four members (participants of the programme), 3 women and 1 one man, from Pula (Croatia), Belgrade (FRY), Skopje (Macedonia) and Zavidovici (BiH). The idea of the working group was to do a community peace building training, for young people in Zavidovici and Zepca. Those are neighbouring towns in BiH, and there is a youth centre in both of them, but because of multilevel social and ethnic problems and consequences of the war, there is a weak communication between young people.
The working group wanted to do workshops on trust building, nonviolent communication and conflict transformation, representing the problems in the community, and their aim was empowering the youth centres and the young people, also supporting further cooperation if there was an interest for that.
This training was held in August this year and more information is available in the last quarter of this report named «Training in peace building – Banovici».
Phase V: 3-days training (Sarajevo, 2-5.11.2000)
The 3-day meeting of the group that went together through these 5-months, was the last phase of the programme. It was held in Sarajevo in SHL’s (Schueler Helfen Leben) seminar-house.
The concept of this meeting was focused on evaluation of the whole programme, needs assessment, future plans and possible cooperation.
The first part of the evaluation of the programme was related to the concept of the programme, its duration, follow-up meetings, themes and documentations of the training. Participants expressed satisfaction with the concept of the programme. Most of them commented that they found as useful pauses between trainings, as they had time for reflection and could try to use skills and knowledge they have learnt in everyday work and life, and then again meet together and exchange their experiences. Some of the participants expressed wish for one longer training to be included, some of them suggested to have joint meetings in the future where “special” themes of interest would be discussed, or where they would get training in the themes they find as needed. Participants were very satisfied with follow-up meetings and saw them as a very important part of the whole programme. Most of them said that they felt very empowered and supported.
The next part of evaluation was done in pairs, with a possibility afterwards to reflect in plenary. It was related to the questions: Do I feel as a trainer? What do I still miss/need? From whom do I expect support? Which themes I would like to deepen?
Most of the participants emphasised the need for more experience before they can say that they feel as trainers. Also they expressed need for more literature. Some of them miss more theory and organisational issues. Most of the participants expect support from CNA, and from other participants. Some of them also from their colleagues, organisations, friends or family.
The documentation “Ima nas više” of the whole training for trainers on 176 pages in Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian language is available on request.
Other activities
The regional Conflict Resolution Meeting
Ljuta, Montenegro, 8th – 13th November 2000.
Two members of the CNA team attended the first regional conflict resolution (CR) meeting, organized by the Balkan Pilot Project Team (BPP) in Ljuta, Montenegro.
This meeting was supported by Danish Centre for Conflict Resolution (DCCR) and FRESTA (Danish Foreign Office) which start a three-year support program of the nongovernmental sector and civil initiatives in Western Balkans.
BPP initiated OazaH, the network for regional cooperation of trainers in conflict resolution. The goals of the meeting were:
- Working out the strategic plan and the principles for future cooperation,
- Selection of priorities of common importance,
- Planning joint programs, actions and other activities.
Cross-border seminar V.O.D.A. (Vodimo ovo društvo aktivno)
Stubicke Toplice, 23 – 26 November 2000
A new member of the CNA team worked in the trainer team of the cross-border seminar V.O.D.A. (We lead our society actively) in the organisation of OSCE, CARE International and Centre for Peace Studies – Zagreb. The first part of this project was the three days training for young people who are active in their societies, from Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia. It was a try to open the space for possible cooperation among youth from Posavina, from both states, through the themes: nonviolent communication, conflict transformation, teamwork, project proposal writing and joint projects. For information on this project, contact CMS –Zagreb, E-mail: cms@zamir.net
Project: Strengthening of youth civic initiatives in Croatia
Split, 1st – 3rd December 2000.
A member of CNA team facilitated the three days workshop with the representatives of Youth NGO’s from Split, within the second phase of the project framework “Strengthening of youth civic initiatives in Croatia”, which includes also technical support. Their aim is to make a coalition of 12 NGOs and organise the campaign for the returning of the Culture house to the youth.
For information on this project, contact CMS –Zagreb E-mail: cms@zamir.net
2nd QUARTER, December 2000 – February 2001.
Main activities
Exploratory trip in Macedonia
November – December 2000
Exploratory trip in Macedonia in the period November-December 2000 was conducted by two members of the CNA Team. The exploratory trip had the following goals:
- To analyse the political situation in the country
- To explore the needs of groups active in the area of peace building, conflict transformation and inter-ethnic relations
- To proof the possibilities of intensifying training-work in the triangle Serbia-Kosovo-Macedonia, through the opening of an additional CNA office in Macedonia.
At our website there is a complete report of the exploratory trip and is available in pdf format. www.nenasilje.org/publikacije/pdf/articles/macedonia.pdf
One-day workshop on Nonviolent communication, in Rudo
Rudo, BiH, 28/12/2000
At the invitation and in organisation of NGO “Luna” from Rudo, two members of CNA team prepared and conducted a one-day workshop on nonviolent communication.
“Luna” mostly concentrates its activities on youth and tries to empower young people to take a more active part in the community.
The workshop had 10-14 participants, aged 20-45, mostly Luna’s staff. The main goal of the workshop was to introduce participants to the basic nonviolent communication skills.
Training for teachers from the orphanage “Gazaz”
Sarajevo, BiH 1st – 3rd January 2001
CNA was invited to do a three-day training with the group of teachers who work in the orphanage “Gazaz”, on the following themes: nonviolent communication, teamwork, decision-making and perception. The training was held from 1st to 3rd January 2001 in Gazaz’s premises in Sarajevo.
Orphanage “Gazaz”, Sarajevo, is a boarding school and a home for children, aged 7-18, who lost one or both of their parents in war. Besides primary and elementary school education, this institution offers additional activities and programmes for children.
The workshops were perceived as constructive and inspiring, for both the group and the facilitator. Interesting discussions were held about nonviolent approach to children’s upbringing and improving quality of relations within team of teachers.
Basic Training in Nonviolent Conflict Transformation
Kiseljak, 23rd February – 5th March
CNA Sarajevo organised a training »Basics of nonviolent conflict transformation« from 23/02 to 05/03 in Kiseljak, BiH. 19 participants attended the training. They came from countries of former Yugoslavia: FR Yugoslavia (including Vojvodina, Serbia proper, Montenegro and Kosovo), Bosnia and Herzegovina (Federation of BiH, Republic Srpska), Macedonia and Croatia. About 40 applications were received for this training.
This training was specific, due to the fact that 9 participants came from the same organisation Suedost Europa Kultur Verein. Suedost has started their own project in Bosnia-Herzegovina, and asked CNA to do training in nonviolent conflict transformation for their new local staff. CNA training was meant to enable participants from Suedost to get to know each other better, and to introduce them to the subject of violence/nonviolence, and thus help them develop skills required for their work with traumatized people.
It was the first time the training team had worked together, and for most of the members, it was their first long and demanding training. The training team was made of CNA members and Helena Rill, one of the participants to Training for Trainers Programme 2000 and future member of CNA Belgrade. Just like in the past, inviting a guest trainer from the Training for Trainers Programme meant offering a chance to less experienced trainers to gather experience in conducting a 10-day training and also building and reinforcing CNA trainers network.
Workshops were grouped in two blocks, morning and afternoon, three hours each. The following issues were included:
-Nonviolent communication
-Team work
-Understanding of conflict
-Perception
-Violence – nonviolence
-Differences
-Prejudices
-Leadership and power
-Identity – national identity
-Gender
-Creative conflict transformation
-Power
This training was partly financed by the European Union, as part of the project: Suedost Europa Kultur e. V., and partly from CNA recourses.
CNA evaluation and meeting with Martina Fischer
February 2001
Just as we mentioned in some of our previous reports, CNA has conducted a three-year work evaluation:
-Internal evaluation of CNA: CNA’s three-year work evaluation, evaluation questionnaires
addressed to participants of previous CNA training events (Basic and Training for Trainers)
and to training team collaborators from previous CNA trainings
-External evaluation done by Martina Fischer from Berghof Research Centre for Constructive
Conflict Management, Germany: interviews with former participants of CNA trainings (Basic
and Training for Trainers) and interviews with team members.
Martina Fischer did interviews with participants of our trainings (in two occasions, in July and October last year), and also with the CNA team. She prepared a report/article based on this, “Conflict Transformation by Training in Nonviolent Action: Activities of the Centre for Nonviolent Action Sarajevo”. This article is also published by Berghof Research Centre as a separate issue.
In February, we received a draft version of Martina’s report. After that, we got together for a meeting to hear her comments and impressions based on evaluation, and to get some recommendations. The two most important topics of that conversation were: the concept of the training, including goals – multiplication and networking, and the organisation and future development of CNA.
The complete report consisted of the internal and external evaluation you can find at our web site
-internal evaluation, by CNA team:
www.nenasilje.org/publikacije/pdf/CNA Evaluacija.pdf
-external evaluation, by Dr Martina Fischer:
www.nenasilje.org/publikacije/pdf/CNAEvaluE.pdf
Other activities
Seminar in public advocacy with community mobilisation
Mostar, BiH, 6th – 10th December 2000
Quaker Peace and Social Witness BiH (QPSW BiH) organised a three-day training in Public advocacy with community mobilisation, in Mostar, BiH. Participants came from various organisations in BiH, to whom QPSW has been offering support and cooperation. Since CNA belongs to this group, we were invited to participate at the training.
Goals of the seminar were: to explain what advocacy is, to help planning advocacy campaigns, to help conducting advocacy campaigns.
For more information, please contact QPSW – Sarajevo, e-mail: qpsw@bih.net.ba
MIRamiDA Partnership
Vukovar, Croatia, 11th – 12th December 2000
One member of our team acted as an external evaluator in MIRamiDA Partnership Programme, organised by the Centre for Peace Studies, Zagreb and the Alliance of Autonomous Trade Unions of Croatia.
The pilot cycle MIRamiDA Partnership was planned as a series of 4 two-day seminars/training with trade union representatives, members of political parties (local authorities) and activists. The goals of this project were: raising awareness of civil society concepts, gender issues (gender roles in society), communication skills and conflict management, and also developing a network of individuals willing to restore communication, develop partnership between themselves, and promote a culture of democracy. This last training of the pilot cycle MIRamiDA Partnership was held in Vukovar, Croatia, from 11-12 December 2000 (trainings were held also in Pazin, Požega and Varaždin).
For more information, please contact Centre for Peace Studies, Zagreb, email: cms@zamir.net
Training in Zenica
16th – 19th December 2000
UMCOR organised a four-day training in Zenica, from 16-19/12/2000 as part of a project called „Support to Youth Centres in BiH“. The project includes five four-day trainings in different youth centres in BiH (Gornji Vakuf – Uskoplje, Sarajevo, Zenica, Travnik and Mostar) with groups that had been formed within these centres. CNA received an offer from UMCOR to do the first part of the training within this project. The training in Zenica was the third in a row, out of five, planned in this project. The teams of the first two trainings consisted of the participants of the Training for trainers (I and II), while for this training the training team consisted of two new CNA members and one of our associate trainers.
Most of the participants didn‘t know each other, and never took part in any joint activities until that training. During these three days we worked on the themes: nonviolent communication, nonviolent conflict resolution, differences, respecting differences and leadership, a good feeling about the group and the group work appeared and participants often declared they would not like their cooperation to stop with the end of the training.
Training for trainers, Centre For Peace Studies Zagreb
Zagreb, Croatia, 23rd – 26th January 2001
The first part of the Training for Trainers Programme was held from 23-26/01 in Zagreb, Croatia. It was organised by the Centre for Peace Studies. The training was attended by one of CNA team members.
In the first part of the training, the following themes were included: facilitation – conducting a workshop, interactive learning (what is delivered through the workshop), methods and techniques (how we do it) and shape (structure) of the workshop. Participants together made a list of techniques and methods that have been used in workshops. After that, they had a chance to conduct and present certain methods. A wide range of methods was presented: from brainstorming to debate and guided fantasy. Feedback was offered through discussions about how adequate those methods were to workshop approach and peace work.
Evaluation of “Abraham” training
Abraham, Sarajevo and Ecumenical Service – Wethen, Germany, organised a basic training in nonviolent action, named ”Actively for Peace”. Participants were representatives of different religious communities from BiH, FRY and Croatia. Facilitators were Ana and Otto Raffai, from CMS, Zagreb (Centre for Peace Studies Zagreb). The training was held in Fojnica, BiH, from 12/01 to 23/01/2001.
CNA had been invited to take part in the evaluation of the training, together with the facilitators and the organisers, so one CNA team member was present as a counsellor.
This was in a way a pilot seminar on nonviolence, gathering people with a strong religious identity of Christian, orthodox and catholic, and Muslim confession, from the area of former Yugoslavia. With regard to that, the concept of the training was adjusted to this target.
For more information contact “Abraham”, e-mail: ibrahime@bih.net.ba
Training for “Alter art” from Travnik
Travnik, BiH 31st January – 2nd February 2001
One CNA Team member and an associate-trainer from Belgrade prepared and conducted the three-days workshop for the organisation “Alter Art” from Travnik as a part of UMCOR’s project “Support to Youth Centres in BiH” which was mentioned already in this report (see “Training in Zenica”, page 11). Six male and three female participants aged 17-19, mostly members of “Alter art” took part in these workshops.
Although the group was relatively small, which sometimes, in the trainer’s opinion, interfered with the workshop dynamics, the workshops and the trainers’ work were evaluated as successful. According to estimates of the trainers a solid precondition is made for the further implementation of the following phases of the project.
Training Seminar “Gender Integration into Conflict Prevention, Transformation & Peace Building: The Case of the Balkans”
Athens, Greece 23rd – 28th February 2001
The training-seminar “Gender Integration into Conflict Prevention, Transformation & Peace Building: The Case of the Balkans” was organised by KEGME, the Greek organisation The Mediterranean Women’s Studies Centre (more information on KEGME could be found on their web site: www.kegme.org.gr) in cooperation with UN-INSTRAW (Dominican Republic), UNESCO -Culture of Peace Programme, ACCORD (South Africa) and The Network University (The Netherlands). The training-seminar took place in Athens, 23-28 February 2001. One of CNA team members participated.
The seminar was the second event of the transnational programme “Women’s Dialogue for the Promotion of Stability, Human Rights and Peace in South East Europe”. It gathered women active in NGOs and other organisations from the following countries/regions: Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Greece, Macedonia, Romania, Serbia and Turkey.
The seminar was very useful for CNA, as it was an opportunity to get more contacts with organisations in the Balkans active in the fields of peace building and conflict transformation, and also to gain an insight of the situations and needs in the different Balkan countries.
More information on KEGME and on this seminar is available on its web-site www.kegme.org.gr.
3rd QUARTER, March – May 2001
Main activities
Appeal for peace and nonviolence
15. March 2001.
The beginning of March was marked by the escalation of violence and armed conflict in Macedonia. Aware of the fact that this escalation may present the beginning of another war in these regions, we decided to react and to raise our voice with the APPEAL AGAINST WAR AND VIOLENCE FOR PEACE AND NONVIOLENCE.
The Appeal was forwarded to over 500 addresses including: daily and weekly newspapers in Macedonia, radio and TV stations, political parties in Macedonia and other countries of former Yugoslavia, governments of countries of former Yugoslavia, most governments of EU member states, Ministries of Foreign Affairs of mentioned countries, large number of German media, CNN, BBC, many local and international NGOs and mailing lists across the world.
We have received a large number of reactions to our Appeal, from many different countries, a part of which is available at our website. The Appeal was published in all main daily newspapers in Macedonia (in Macedonian and Albanian language) and read over various Macedonian and Albanian language radio stations, thanks to Macedonian Centre for International Cooperation (Makedonski centar za megunarodna sorabotka).
We consider it worthwhile to publish the Appeal again, so you will find it attached to this report as Annex.
Workshop in Bosniak High school in Sarajevo
Sarajevo, 21st April, 2001
We received an invitation from Bosniak high school from Sarajevo, to do one-day workshop on Nonviolent conflict transformation for the high school students interested in the subject. One member of CNA training team, in cooperation with the member of “Abraham” conducted this workshop for 20 participants, aged 16-18.
In the first part of the workshop, participants were introduced to the basics of nonviolent communication and were sensitised to violence in social context. In the second part, we did an exercise where civil society, social activism and civil action were discussed. Participants expressed special interest in violence within society and understanding of violence, with plenty of talks about the war in BiH and its consequences for young people. Many interesting reflections were heard on what caused the violence in the region of former Yugoslavia. There was quite a lot of willingness for reconsidering one’s own attitudes and possible solutions to conflicts in BiH.
The importance of this workshop, among other things, lies in the fact that the most of those young people spent the entire wartime in Sarajevo. They grew up in the most violent circumstances, but regardless of that, showed good will and capacities for social activism and nonviolent change of society. Moreover, cooperation with institutions like high schools and university, and educational system in general, is highly important for CNA’s future strategy. This one-day workshop shows that this cooperation is both important and possible, which was not the case in the past.
Three-day Training in Kiseljak, BiH
Kiseljak, BiH, 8th – 10th May 2001
Suedost Europa Kultur e.V organised three-day training in hotel “Dalmatia” in Kiseljak, BiH, from May 8 – 10, 2001. CNA team members conducted and prepared the concept of the training.
Suedost Europa Kultur e.V. is an organisation from Germany, working in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with several offices in different towns (Tuzla, Bijeljina, Novi Grad, Odzak and Teslic). Their goal is to help local population with de-traumatising program, and to offer help in any way necessary, according to capabilities and capacities of the organisation.
This training was a result of earlier established cooperation between our two organisations. It was supposed to be a continuance of CNA’s ten-day Basic Training, organised from February 23 – March 5, this year. Ten participants, seven female and three male, all of them local staff of Suedost Europa Kultur E.V. in Bosnia and Herzegovina, took part on this training. During the meeting they had before the training, participants chose the following issues to work on them, depending on their own needs: nonviolent communication, teamwork, identity and national identity, prejudices, understanding conflict and conflict transformation, civil society.
While preparing the concept and conducting the training, trainers tried to put emphasis on elements that, in their opinion, may improve teamwork. This was a response to the earlier expressed needs of the participants. Training was intense, with a lot of hard work. Due to trainers estimate, it was because the participants were eager and highly motivated for work.
Other activities
Round Table on Conscientious Objection
Zagreb, Mama, March 28, 2001
One team member facilitated round table on Conscientious Objection and Civil Service, organised by Unija 47 in Zagreb, Croatia. Representatives of conscientious objection groups from Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia and Croatia took part in the event. Unfortunately, guests from Yugoslavia did not get their visas in time to make it to the meeting. There were few people from Croatia (about 15 altogether), mostly conscientious objectors and few media representatives (Croatian Radio Television, Vecernji list and Republika newspapers).
The intention of this round table was to enable exchange of experiences of conscientious objection groups from ex-Yugoslav countries and initiate action to improve conditions for civil service in the region. Regional approach to the issue of civil service is considered necessary, because in all the countries of former Yugoslavia there is mistrust towards demilitarisation. It is justified with the fear of endangerment and the possibility renewed armed clashes.
During the second part of the meeting, there was a discussion about the platform for joint activities. A need for exchange of experience and support between the countries that already have accomplished some results in civil service (Slovenia, Croatia), and those that still have to work on this issue, was pointed out.
For more information contact Unija 47, Zagreb. Email: unija47@zamir.net,
Url: www.zamirnet.hr/unija47/
Training for Trainers (II) – Centre for Peace Studies Zagreb
Zagreb, 29th March – 1st April 2001
One of our team members took part on the second session of Training for Trainers, which was held in Centre for Peace Studies (CPS). Training was organised and conducted mostly by Vesna Terselic and Goran Bozicevic, while some of the participants took part in facilitation of some exercises.
This part was more focused on the training altogether and the dynamics of it. The issues regardingthe central part of the training, following the establishment of themutual trust within the group, were given more attention. There was an interesting discussion on the subject of values promoted through trainer’s work on peace building, especially those difficult for individuals to promote (acceptance, tolerance, cooperation,…).
Refreshment to this training came with the visit and presentation of research “Women and Media”
Participants also had a chance to take part in theatre of oppressed, while one of the facilitators was our team member.
For more information, please contact Centre for Peace Studies, Zagreb, email: cms@zamir.net
QPSW / Amnesty International – Seminar on Human Rights
Banja Luka, BiH, 3rd – 5th April 2001
Two of CNA’s team members participated on the Seminar on Human Rights in Banja Luka, BiH, from April 3 – 5, 2001. QPSW and Amnesty International (AI) organised it. This seminar is the third part of the education these two organisations provide for a group of young people, actively involved in local initiatives in BiH.
During this part of the program, the following issues were worked on:
− Human rights in BiH
− Women rights
− Conscientious objection to military service
− Strategic planning of human rights campaign
− Children’s rights
Trainers were Edin Tuzlak (AI Croatia), Brian Phillips (International Secretary of AI and QPSW London) and Maja Aberg (AI Sweden).
For more information, please contact QPSW Sarajevo, e-mail: qpsw@bih.net.ba
Round Table – Workshop on Quakerism
Banja Luka, April 6, 2001
Quaker Peace & Social Witness (QPSW) BiH organised round table on Quakerism in Banja Luka, BiH on April 6, 2001. Two of our team members took part on the event. Representatives of some NGO’s from BiH attended round table, supported by QPSW. Brian Phillips and Celia McKeon conducted the event. Participants were able to learn about the history of Quakerism, principles on which Quakers practice is based upon and different aspects of their work throughout the world and in BiH.
For more information, please contact QPSW Sarajevo, E-mail: qpsw@bih.net.ba.
Roundtable on the Theme of “Conflict Prevention and Peace Building & NGO in the Balkans – Lessons Learned”
April 9 – 11, 2001
Roundtable Seminar on the subject of “Conflict Prevention and Peace Building & NGO in the Balkans – Lessons Learned” was organised by European Platform for Conflict Prevention and Transformation (EPCPT) from April 9 – 11, 2001, in Sarajevo. The CNA members participated at the Roundtable.
This roundtable was a part of EPCPT’s regional program for prevention and management of violent conflicts in Europe, Caucasus, and Central Asia.
The aim of the program is to issue a publication about the history and dynamics of the violent conflicts in the named regions. It would also include a directory containing profiles of local and international organisations involved in peace building.
Participants of the event were local and international organisations working in BiH, Croatia, Serbia, Montenegro, Kosovo, Macedonia and Albania.
CNA supported EPCT program, so we took over responsibility to gather information on peace building organisations from the countries of former Yugoslavia, which will be printed as a directory of the publication.
More information on EPCPT is available on their web page: www.euconflict.org.
V.O.D.A. – Seminar for youth from BiH and Croatia
Velika Kladusa, April 20 – 23, 2001
OSCE, Care International and Centre for Peace Studies, Zagreb organised the second part of cross-border seminar V.O.D.A. (We lead our society actively) where one CNA Team member participated as facilitator.
22 participants, 8 from Croatia and 14 from BiH attended the second part of seminar. Further steps were taken in communication skills, prejudice awareness, identity and the role of the media in creating public opinion.. We’ve spent more time talking about situations in their own communities, participant’s motivation for change, potential difficulties and necessary support.
For more information, please contact Centre for Peace Studies, Zagreb, email: cms@zamir.net
Developing Collegial Relations and Forming Coalitions
Neum, BiH, May 3-07, 2001
Three members of CNA team attended the training on the theme of Developing Collegial Relations and Forming Coalitions, organised by Quaker Peace and Social Witness – Sarajevo, and conducted by Mladen Majetic. Representatives of about 12 NGO’s from Bosnia and Herzegovina, which cooperate with QPSW, attended three-day seminar.
This part of the training was the continuation of Public Advocacy, which most of the participants got to know few months earlier on the training in Mostar.
Current coalitions and networks existing in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the relationship between local and international organisations, and foreign donors were discussed.
QPSW provided an advisory possibility within the framework of this programme. Mladen Majetic was in advisory visit at CNA in May providing his support in future planning, concerning the issue of networking improvement that CNA has identified as needed.
For more information, please contact QPSW Sarajevo. E-mail: qpsw@bih.net.ba
Seminar on Missionary Work and Inter-religious Dialogue – “Abraham”
Fojnica, BiH, May 11 – 13, 2001
“Abraham”, Sarajevo organised three-day seminar on the theme of problems of missionary work in inter-religious dialogue. Seminar was held in the hotel “Reumal” in Fojnica, BiH with 25 participants from BiH and FRY. Most of the participants were Christian and Muslim theologians, and lecturers from the Catholic and Islamic Faculty of Theology, as guests.
CNA was invited to conduct one block of the seminar with the interactive exercise. Participants had the chance to try out roles of religious groups they didn’t belong to. Thus a possibility was opened for re-questioning of other group’s views from one’s own stand, instead of doing that from the position of certain dogmatic religious doctrine.
More information on this seminar is available from the organisation »Abraham«, Sarajevo, e-mail: ibrahime@bih.net.ba
Conscientious Objection – Round Table
Sarajevo, 15th May 20001
At the International Day of Conscientious Objectors, a round table about the issue of conscientious objection was organised by “Zene zenama” (“Women to women“) in cooperation with Schueler Helfen Leben and “Zasto ne” (“Why Not”).
During the roundtable the right to conscientious objection in BiH and FR Yugoslavia has been discussed, as well the initiatives, which began in the field of promotion and affirmation of the right to conscientious objection, as well as of possible ways for future work.
For more information please contact “Zene zenama”, email: zene2000@bih.net.ba
Preparatory meeting of the Education group of the South East European Project (Conference of European Churches) at Osijek Centre for Peace, Nonviolence and Human Rights (CPNHR),
28th May 2001
The meeting was preparatory with the goal of shaping work strategy for peace education of religious groups, which is a CPNHR coordinated part of the CEC project, which also includes parts on interreligious dialogue and media. The meeting was attended by activists from Croatia willing to join in the project implementation and the three CNA staff.
CNA team decided to support this project and offered working for the next year training for one group of different religious structure where would be persons who haven’t declared as believer, as well.
For more information on this project please contact Centar za mir Osijek, e-mail: czmos@zamir.net
4th QUARTER, June – August, 2001
Main Activities
Basic Training in Nonviolent Conflict Transformation, Rama-Šćit
Rama-Šćit, June 8 – 18, 2001
Basic Training in Nonviolent Conflict Transformation was held in June 08 – 18, 2001, in Šćit on Rama Lake. Training was organized and conducted by CNA Sarajevo.
Training was attended by 20 participants (10 female and 10 male) aged 18-40 coming from different parts of former Yugoslavia: Bosnia and Herzegovina (Banja Luka, Sarajevo, Zenica, Novi grad, Doboj), Macedonia (Tetovo, Žitoše), Kosovo (Priština), Croatia (Zagreb, Split, Vukovar), Montenegro (Cetinje), Serbia (Belgrade, Niš, Novi Sad, Novi Pazar).
Participants from this training are active in the following organizations:
-Suedost Europa Kultur – Novi Grad;
-Udružene žene (Women United) – Banja Luka
-Abraham – Sarajevo
-Carpe diem – Zenica
-Sezam – Zenica
-Centar za afirmisanje građanskih prava i ravnopravnosti (Centre for Affirmation of Civil Rights and Equality) – Novi Sad
-Protecta – Niš
-Volonterski Centar (Volunteer Centre) – Belgrade
-KC Caribrod – Dimitrovgrad
-Parlament mladih Crne Gore (Youth Parliament of Montenegro) – Cetinje
-KC DamaD – Novi Pazar
-Mirovna grupa mladih Dunav (Youth Peace Group) – Vukovar
-Sunce – Split
-Zelena akcija (Green Action) – Zagreb
-Savez žena Žitoša (Women Union of Žitoša) – Žitoša
-OSCE – Priština, Care International Kosovo – Priština
-Centre for Balkan Cooperation Loja – Tetovo.
We worked on the following themes: nonviolent communication, team work/decision making, perception/differences, violence/nonviolence, understanding of conflicts, prejudices/discrimination, identity and national identity, gender issues, power, leadership, creative conflict transformation, civil society.
Training team consisted of three CNA team members and Sandra Ljubinković (ASTRA – Anti Sex Trafficking Action), participant of our last year‘s Training for Trainers.
We chose 20 participants for this training (out of 40 applicants). All of them responded to an invitation and attended the training.
For the first time, CNA training was held in such a special place. The Peace house within the Franciscan Monastery is an ideal place for training events. Pastoral surroundings of Rama Lake and nearby forest came together with excellent accommodation and suitable working space. This atmosphere provided lots of good energy for work.
„I am very pleased with the choice of this place, because the nature and its beauty affected my mood. Besides work and workshops, I was able to get some rest in this beautiful place – which is ideal for this kind of things“ (a quote from one participant’s evaluation).
Training team was challenged with the group, combined of those individuals (most of them) for whom it was somewhat difficult to get into confrontation and to face conflicts (especially when it comes to conflicts from this region over the past several years) and the other ones who were ready and open for discussion.
After the discussion on whether the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia had been violence or not, there was an open evening which was a turning point for trust building within the group. More detailed discussion on national identity was missing. The team estimated that it would be better to treat this subject in such a manner to empower participants.
Documentation from this training includes 111 pages, in Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian language. It was titled: “Ovo još nije počelo”.
Some of the statements from the evaluation of the training:
-I have found so many questions I’d mostly asked myself before. But, I never expected to find so many answers and to open so many questions within myself, which would be a solid basis for further work.
-I‘ve got to know attitudes and problems of people from other nations. This has helped me to resolve some of my own questions and dilemmas.
-I have seen that conflict and violence are something inside of us. It sometimes accumulates and comes out in the wrong way. Violence originates from misunderstanding more than from someone‘s needs.
-I think that opinions of people from different communities made the strongest impact on me … The experience of team decision-making was very important for me, because we’ve been through all stages of decision making. I’m quite satisfied that 20 people, completely different from each other, managed to make decisions in certain moments in such ways that all the participants were satisfied. I think that, as time went by, people understood advantages of teamwork and team decision making, which was particularly important to me.
-I have learned to hear and listen. I’ve learned there are different people and different opinions, different perceptions, which in my opinion is a basis for conflict resolution.
Auswaertiges Amt – German Ministry of Foreign Affairs, financially supported this training.
Basic Training in Nonviolent Conflict Transformation, Žabljak
Žabljak, Montenegro, June 22 – July 2, 2001
Basic Training in Nonviolent Conflict Transformation was held in Žabljak, Montenegro, from June 22 to July 2, 2001. It was organized by both of CNA‘s offices, from Belgrade and Sarajevo. For the first time, our newly opened office from Belgrade was among organizers. Also, for the first time the training took place in Montenegro.
Although twenty people were supposed to take part the training, 18 actually attended it. Two people from Macedonia were unable to come. One of them was returned from the border because of the passport, which was valid for only (!?) six more weeks. Participants came from different parts of former Yugoslavia: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Croatia, Montenegro, Kosovo, Serbia and Slovenia. Participation of people from Slovenia is a novelty in CNA training events. Group was gender balanced: nine women and nine men, aged 20 to 32. Participant came from the following organizations:
-UNV Projekat izgradnje poverenja (UNV Trust Building Project) – Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
-Friedenskreis Halle – Jajce, Bosnia and Herzegovina
-Koalicija udruga mladih (Youth Alliance Coalition) – Split, Croatia
-Volonterska udruga Nada (Volunteer Alliance – Hope)
-Centar za građansku inicijativu (Center for Civic Initiative) – Kolašin, Montenegro
-Multikultura – Tetovo, Macedonia
-Ethnic Conflict Resolution Project – Skopje, Macedonia
-Organizacija na ženi Horizont (Women Organization Horizon) – Krivogaštani, Macedonia
-Volonterski centar (Volunteer Centre) – Belgrade, Serbia
-ASTRA – Belgrade
-Novi horizonti (New Horizon) – Ulcinj, Montenegro
-OSCE Misija na Kosovu (OSCE Mission In Kosovo) – Dragaš.
Training team was made of CNA’s volunteers. German Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Auswaertiges Amt) financed the training.
Following themes were treated in the training: nonviolent communication, team work/ decision making, violence/nonviolence, perception, understanding of conflicts, leadership, prejudice/stereotypes, discrimination, gender issues, differences, identity/national identity.
Course of the training was undoubtedly influenced by the situation in Macedonia and the news from there. Four of the participants from Macedonia were in contact with their families all the time, so we were able to hear more than the scary news from TV and newspapers. It was nice to see solidarity and support they were given by people from other regions, having in mind that most of them had had previous experiences of life in the war.
Training team shares a general impression that the training was very “intense” for several reasons. One of them is the situation in Macedonia; the other is an ethnically very mixed group; there’s also willingness of the whole group or the majority, or just a certain number of individuals to deal with more difficult issues that provoke strong emotions; the concept of the training itself; etc.
One of the most important workshops was on “Differences, identity and national identity”. It allowed participants to get to know each other in a better way, and therefore, created more solid ground for an open discussion on difficult issues that followed. Big part of the workshop was dedicated to the national identity and within that guiding questions were: Things I like about my national identity and those I have difficulties with. Participants were particularly impressed with this part, because it had passed in the atmosphere of exceptional mutual listening and respect, although bearing specific weight along. These are some of the statements from the discussion:
-What I like about my national identity is a certain hospitality, openness, and persistence. Then there is willingness to forgive, to live together. People often want, see that life must go on in a multiethnic community. What I don’t like is mistrust, fear among people, fear of what happened, what had caused it.
-I am a Montenegrin, and ten years ago I had never questioned the fact that I had been a Serb. I realize now that it was imposed on me … What gets on my nerves is the way Montenegrins hold on to their history, tradition, exclusivity towards the others, cherishing the honour and the hypocrisy about women, placing a mother and a wife to pedestal, (it’s quite the opposite, really). But I like the music, Montenegrin polenta, how attached people are to their land.
-Life together wasn’t something artificial, it was how things developed, it was the place where different cultural traditions met, and it was something nice, like a little Yugoslavia. I saw Yugoslavia through Bosnia, through the environment I’ve been living in. We have all been here, and we knew we hadn’t been here since yesterday; our grandfathers had been living here too. This level of distrust arose with the war between neighbours, and it influenced people to become very mistrustful. As a result of the fear there’s status quo. Dayton Agreement only stopped the war. Not much has changed in that sense.
-My first identity is Belgrade, and the other one is ex-Yugoslavia, because I travelled lots and I have many friends. And it’s close to me. It’s a problem for me, to answer where I’m from and I say I’m from ex-Yu. How do I define myself, should I take my national identity after my mother, my father or my grandparents?
-I have always declared myself to be Yugoslav, not even recognizing who belongs to certain nationality. War started, and someone said there were not any Muslims any more, but Bosniaks. Some people say it’s all the same, but it isn’t because people were carrying guns in the name of that. What I like, is more connected to Bosnians, it is open-mindness, frankness, ćevapi.
-I was not raised as a Muslim, I was a Muslim officially. Those who were once Muslims are now Bosniaks, and that is what I am not. I’d be stupid to go to Yugoslavia from Bosnia and Herzegovina, because here Yugoslavs turned out to be stupid. They are the citizens of the existing country that doesn’t exist. I see myself as a freelance artist, why must I have national identity?
-My family is liberal. No one ever mentioned religion, nation. We were travelling everywhere, we never limited ourselves nor did others ever limit us. I am a Serb, but I don’t know what it means. When the war had started, my mother’s side separated. I was little; I never realized why it happened. My aunt said: that’s what you’ve done. When I go to Croatia, I apologize, although I don’t really know what I’ve done wrong.
-I am an Albanian from Macedonia and a citizen of Macedonia. Regardless of this, I never had a problem with my identity.
Next day, big part of the workshop on the subject of „Prejudice“ was dedicated to prejudices towards different national and ethnical groups. First, participants wrote down prejudice about people of their own nationality or the region they come from, on the wall newspaper. Afterwards, they had the chance to write down prejudice they had heard about „the others“. One could find all sort of things in it: Bosniaks are „stupid, hard headed, don‘t understand jokes“ but also „funny, cheerful“; Serb are: „cetniks, fighting against the new world order, nationalists, cheerful“; Montenegrins: „lazy, gangsters, courageous“; Albanians: „primitive, honour their word, hospitable, terrorists“, and so on. After presenting what‘s been written, there was a discussion on how much we were self censored while writing and why, how did it feel like to hear all these stereotypes and prejudices, did we ever accept them and do we still accept them, where did prejudice come from.
Some of the statements:
-I had fun while we were writing about ourselves, but when we were writing about others it was very difficult and I had self-censorship.
-I’ve heard everything I expected. I hear it every day.
-I’m used to bad stories about Albanians, because I hear it every day, so it’s all the same to me.
-I wasn’t restraint, because we can escape it, but it is all around us. It’s better to get it out on the paper than to be silent. It surrounds us, it might have been implanted into my head and I had to write it down.
-I definitely had prejudices about Albanians and I’ve started to create generalizations.
-Due to some things that happened in the past, I’m likely to have the same perspective on the whole group. I don’t see and hear the other side, and therefore I think they’re all the same. And I keep that picture inside of me until I hear something about them.
-I was thinking about other nations only when the war broke out. And I’ve started to create a picture under the influence of other people. In those moments, it was easier to generalize. When we present arguments against prejudice to the people who have them, they take it as an exception.
-It’s only now that I realize how many prejudices I’ve got.
-I think that through communication, one can work on prejudice. Less I know, the stronger my prejudice is.
Workshops on „leadership“ and „gender issues“ were extremely difficult. These workshops induced some strong emotions, so few of the participants didn‘t want to continue conversation about the subject or to take part in the workshop anymore, which made some other participants personally affected.
After the training, training team did three-day evaluation of it. It was team‘s impression that the training was more focused on sensitising to violence, than on conflict, and a wish was expressed to have those two aspect more balanced in the future. It was also expressed that the training would have been more efficient if smaller number of issues were covered, because the group dynamics were very specific. At the end of some workshops there were so many open questions participant wanted to discuss, and we never had enough time for it. It is recommended to leave a few „open“ workshops, with a possibility to determine their theme during the training. One of the difficulties during the training is certainly a mistrust of few participants expressed towards the training team at ocassions when the work required criticism and self-reflection. Besides that, the group was highly motivated to work, ready to requestion and change its behaviour in the conflict and confident in the training team. Team‘s assessment was that an exceptionally big number of participants have high potential for te multiplication of knowledge and skills. As an evidence of that seven participants from this group got involved in Training for Trainers Programme.
It was really difficult to organize the travel to Montenegro for participants, since there is a lack of regular public transport lines in some regions and countries. For example, participants who came from Croatia had to change 5 or 6 buses to get to Žabljak.
Documentation of the training called “Tectonic breakdowns” in Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian language contains descriptions of workshops, participants‘ statements, complete evaluation of the training team, of the participants and their questionnaires, and photographs from the training. It has 89 pages and will soon be available on CNA‘s web page www.nenasilje.org. In the meantime it is available on request in both CNA offices.
CNA Office in Belgrade
CNA office in Belgrade was opened during this quarter.
Lot of time and energy was spent looking for premises and furnishing them, much more than we could have imagined, because the rent has gone high up. Anyway, here’s our address and phone numbers for contact:
Ulofa Palmea 2a, 11160 Belgrade, Yugoslavia
tel/fax: +381 11 34-32-612, tel: 34-32-403
email: cna.beograd@gmx.net
The office is currently in the process of registration, which turned out to be a long one, since it includes collecting information on registration (due to the lack of an adequate law concerning NGOs) and also gathering other organizations’ experiences.
For now, Ivana Franović and Milan Colić who moved from our Sarajevo office, work in Belgrade. Helena Rill, whose letter of introduction can be found at the end of this report, has joined this team.
Information on future activities can be found under »Future plans«.
Training for Trainers in Nonviolent Conflict Transformation
July – August 2001
Training for Trainers on Nonviolent Conflict Transformation Programme has started in July 2001. It was for the third time that CNA organized such a programme. It has five phases. In this period, the first phase was held (ten-day training) and one part of the second phase (follow-up meetings) also.
The first ten-day training was organized from July 27 – August 6, 2001. A part of the follow-up meeting was held in the second half of August, in Sarajevo.
The training team consisted of CNA Sarajevo team with support of guest trainers: Ivana Franović from CNA Belgrade and Goran Božičević from Miramida Centre, from Grožnjan, Croatia.
There were 12 women and 7 men, from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, FR Yugoslavia and Macedonia, average 26 years old. Participants came from the following organizations:
*Suedost Europa Kultur e.V. -Bijeljina, Novi Grad and Odžak, Bosnia and Herzegovina
*Centar za Mirovne Studije (Centre for Peace Studies) – Zagreb, Croatia
*Abraham – Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
*Automni ženski centar (Autonomous Women Centre) – Belgrade, FRY
*AŽIN ASTRA – Belgrade, FRY
*Centar za razvoj neprofitnog sektora PROTECTA (Centre for Development of Non-profit Sector) – Niš, FRY
*Volonterski centar, CRNPS (Volunteer Centre) – Belgrade, FRY
*Carpe Diem – Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina
*Projekt za Rješavanje Etničkih Konflikata (Ethnic Conflict resolution Project) – Skoplje, Macedonia
*Koalicija udruga mladih, KUM (Youth Alliance Coalition) – Split, Croatia
*Kreativni Centar «Caribrod» (Creative centre) – Dimitrovgrad, FRY
*Centar za građansku inicijativu (Centre for Civic Initiative) – Kolašin, Montenegro, FRY
*Parlament mladih CG (Youth Parliament of Montenegro) – Podgorica, Montenegro, FRY
*O.Š. «Milan Rakić» (Primary school) – Banja Luka, RS, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Most of the participants (17 of them) took part in the basic training events in Kiseljak (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Rama (Bosnia and Herzegovina) and Žabljak (FRY) organized by CNA Sarajevo and Belgrade.
Following themes were worked on during the ten-day training:
-Nonviolent communication
-Understanding of conflicts
-Nonviolence and nonviolent action
-Creative conflict transformation
-Identity
-Gender issues
-Peace building
-Trainer‘s role
This training was special because of the very important and constructive discussions that took place during workshops on nonviolence and creative conflict transformation. Workshop on gender issues provoked many conflicts, but it was also very productive and useful. Participants had difficulties with mutual decision making, but this was used for work on „actual problems“ occurring in the group process regarding the following: understanding of conflicts, different needs and respect for them, tolerance, self-affirmation etc.
During the workshops on Nonviolence and Creative conflict transformation, discussions were focused on the importance of sensitisation for structural and other forms of violence existing in our societies, and also on recognition of different social roles, and models for nonviolent conflict transformation. It was stated how important it is for one to recognize own position in a society as a part of violent structure, where we step into when we just observe passively violence around us, especially the violence caused by enrooted and never requestioned traditional structures and social parameters. Scenes presented during the „theatre forum“ exercise, made an exceptionally strong impact regarding the necessity of constant requestioning of social roles in the context of the spiral of violence, through the roles of the victim, the perpetrator and the observer and their constant change.
Workshop on gender issues with „traditionally“ strong emotions, gave us a lot of material for reflection and awareness raising when it comes to violence caused by a division of gender roles within society. The main difficulties with this issue at this training was a difficulty to step out of the socially given roles and the difficulty to reflect and requestion those roles. This makes transformation and analysis of conflict (caused by different sex/gender identities and needs) harder, but also points out how important it is to work on this issue.
Training team made a few changes in the previously prepared workshop schedule, due to an outburst of emotions from some participants. Role-play with the theme „work in difficult circumstances“, planned for the middle of the training, was given up. An estimate was made that the exercise might have been „too strong“, because of the highly demanding pace and the contents of the training.
Our guest trainer Goran Božičević conducted the workshop on „peace building“. It was very useful for several reasons. The workshop itself opened up some important issues on distinguishing different segments of peace building. It also helped us to see them more clearly and started some discussions on different views and approaches to peace work. This workshop was also important because it introduced participants to a different approach to conducting a workshop, from our guest trainer. There were more talks about it during the workshop on trainer‘s role.
During this training, participants had a chance to take over some additional responsibilities, such as: writing down the minutes of the workshops. They also attended the evening evaluations of the training team where they had a chance to talk to the team about their own dilemmas and to look at the workshops from the trainer‘s point of view. At the end of this training, participants formed their own teams of 3-4 people, and chose themes for workshops they were going to conduct during the next ten-day training (Phase III of the Programme).
Some of the statements of participants taken from training evaluation. The question was: How satisfied am I with my own work, with the work of the group and the work of the team?
-It means a lot to me to be here. I would have missed a lot if I was not here. I am satisfied with myself, too, I feel nice. Group – some moments were tough, but it gave me energy. I missed confrontation in some moments, like there’s some noise in the background, but you cannot hear it. I’m totally fine with the training team.
-Time passed really quickly. When I compare investment and profits, it gives me pleasure and harmony. There were a lot of good moments with the group, and less not so good moments. I consider tough moments to be positive, too. I learned a lot from those situations and it’s been a pleasure. Team was great. I’m surprised with the team’s perception of their coordination; they looked powerful and coordinated to me. Thank you for everything.
-I am pleased with myself, I feel very tired. The work was inspiring, I enjoyed it. I wondered what was wrong with the group. This time the group was very different, but inspiring. There were difficulties and problems. It’s a paradox; it seems so easy, but also quite the opposite. Training team was fine, I never had a feeling there was a new constellation, I felt well, and I was supported.
The question was: What kind of change did I notice?
-There were a lot of them; I don’t want to name them all now. I was moved by gender workshop. I had a chance to see how much I had changed after some discussion. I feel I have a different view on things. I have enough power to take whatever gets me and deal with it.
-Some of my questions shaped up. I think about communication with others in a more constructive way. Feedback is not boring any more. Everything is more serious, concrete.
-I became much more sensitive after the basic training … I think it’s too early to tell the difference. Peace building inspired me particularly: where am I in it? How am I in it? What’s my role? My vision is changed.
More details about this training you can find in the documentation of the training in Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian language, from CNA office.
Training for Trainers Programme for 2001, ends in October 2001. Complete report about this programme will be included in our regular three-month report.
Other Activities
CMS – Training for Trainers (III part)
Grožnjan, Croatia, May 29 – June 01, 2001
The third session of Training for Trainers was organized by Centre for Peace Studies Zagreb and held in Grožnjan, Croatia. This was the first time the training was held in Imaginary Academy and Music Academy premises, which will be used in the future by MIRamiDA Centar – for regional exchange of peace experiences.
This session was special because it was attended by guests from FRY, students of peace studies from Belgrade.
Ognjen Tus joined the trainers Goran Božičević and Vesna Teršelić. With his experience from basic MIRamiDA training events, he brought an additional quality to discussions.
The subject of this part was the action workshops, exercise of their preparation and elaboration.
We were also introduced to the subject How to do MIRamiDA. We discussed training events in peace building, what is specific about them in comparison to the other training events. We noticed that they are particular because the trainers are at the same time activists, and they give a great contribution to the training with their own experiences. This conversation shows how important it is to live your own work.
The fourth session is expected for the fall. It is to be continued, and for more information, please contact CMS Zagreb, email: cms@zamir.net.
Conference in Bujanovačka Banja, FRY
Bujanovačka Banja, Yugoslavia, June 28 – July 1, 2001
Three CNA team members were invited to attend a peace conference in Bujanovačka Banja, FRY. Invitation came from the organization “Trag”, based in Niš, Yugoslavia. Conference was held from June 29 – July 1, 2001 in “Vrelo” Hotel in Bujanovačka Banja, with the following title: “Building of Multi-ethnic Trust in the South of Serbia: the Role of the NGO’s and Media”. The main subject of the conference was the reconciliation between ethnic communities in the south of Serbia, in the region of Bujanovac – Medveđa – Preševo, with mixed population of Serbs, Albanians, Roma and other. There are strong inter-ethnic conflicts and tensions, with armed clashes until not so long ago.
CNA team was asked to present their own experiences in peace work in Bosnia and Herzegovina and in Croatia.
Except for CNA and «Trag» who were also the organizers of the conference, there were some other organisations present, mostly the ones from Serbia and several local organizations too.
It was important that representatives of Albanian organizations were present. Unfortunately, there were very few Serb representatives. Several Roma organizations attended the conference, along with representatives of Freedom House who donated money for this conference.
After an introductory presentation of the participants, a discussion was opened on the status, needs and conditions for reconciliation in the area. It was mentioned, among other things, that “some new winds blow in Serbia” after the fall of the former regime. This should be the impulse for changes and improvement of multi-ethnic relations. According to the representatives of Albanian organizations the conflict does not exist between ethnic groups, but between Albanians and the state structure. The relationship towards minority groups was never changed, even after the change of government. One of the goals of the conference was to reconsider ways for action in peace building and peace education, and to point out to a wider and more serious approach to the problem, in comparison to how it had been done before. Suggestion was made that this conference should offer several concrete projects for reconciliation and trust building within the community.
Part of the conference was devoted for a discussion about the importance of the role of the media in the reconciliation process and trust building between different ethnic communities. It was mentioned that media, especially state owned media, had a very destructive role in the conflict and has largely fuelled violence. A lot of work is required in this area in the context of peace process.
The second day of the conference, CNA team members spoke about their experiences from work in this area in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia, and the situation in those countries regarding reconciliation and building of civil society, and started a discussion about the possibility of regional cooperation and organizational networking having in mind their mutual interests and similar problems.
During the conference, participants visited Preševo where they had a meeting with the representatives of local authorities and organizations.
For more information about the conference, please contact «Trag» from Niš. E – mail: msk@EUnet.yu
Evaluation for Abraham
July – October 2001
From July till October 2001, a CNA activist was asked by Abraham (an organization for interreligious dialogue and peace work) to complete an external evaluation of their work and their organizational structure. Abraham is pursuing the evaluation in order to get an insight into the important issues for the upcoming process of changes within the organization itself, regarding the general strategic and organizational factors of the organization. During the process of gathering material, about 15 interviews were done with people, more or less active in Abraham. Additional interviews will follow. Final evaluation report will be delivered to Abraham until the end of October, containing among other things some recommendations for further strategic development of the organization.
Training in Peace Building, Banovići, Bosnia and Herzegovina
August 20 – 24, 2001.
Peace is Young was the working title of the five-day training in peace building, organized in »Zlaća« Hotel near Banovići, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Training was a result of the follow up meeting of our last year’s Training for Trainers Programme. It was realized in cooperation with the Agency of Local Democracy and Youth Centre from Zavidovići, Bosnia and Herzegovina and The Council of Europe.
There were 14 participants, male and female, aged 16 to 30, members of youth centres from Zavidovići, Žepče, Jajce and Prijedor, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Training team was ethnically mixed. There were two members of CNA Sarajevo and two other people from trainers network who had completed CNA’s Training for Trainers Programme.
Following themes were worked on: nonviolent communication, understanding of conflicts, prejudice and differences, identities, violence-nonviolence, power – me in the community, view on the future.
With the assistance of Youth centres (Zavidovići, Žepča, Jajce, Prijedor) we’ve managed to gather young people from Bosniak, Serbian and Croatian community. This brought a desired element of the prejudice awareness regarding other entities and discussion about national identities. One of the initial ideas was to direct young people of two ethnic groups from Zavidovići (mostly Bosniak populated) and Žepča (mostly Croat populated) towards mutual cooperation. However, because of the weaker attendance response of the young people from Žepča, and also some difficulties in the discussion about the particular subjects, to the training focussed at the level of awareness raising concerning prejudice, violence, and status of the young people within the community. We can point out the difficulty of participants to identify their own place in the society and to define things around themselves starting with themselves; they identify even “youth” as “others”, and not as themselves.
FroOut of such passive position, it is very difficult to define how can one do something to achieve change in the society, and to define one’s own responsibility within. The encouraging thing is that the change has happened through input and discussions. The sole fact that the participants have gathered in one place, outside their own communities and that they’re coming back home empowered by new experiences and skills seems to be extremely important. The other important thing was creating the list of current common problems in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which was a base for further elaboration of the specific problem of brain-drain – young people leaving the country – which imposed a question What I can do to change it?
We left this training with an impression that there was a need to continue and deepen this kind of analysis of the problem, trust building and empowering individuals to take over a more active part within the community. Further discussions with Agency of Local Democracy, and potential new team members, currently participants of our Training for Trainers Programme are planned.
EVALUATION OF THE LAST YEAR
STRENGHTHENING CAPACITIES
Last year of our work brought growth and strengthening of CNA’s capacities. Four people joined the CNA team, 2 from Yugoslavia, 1 from Bosnia and Herzegovina and 1 from Croatia. New CNA team members were participants of this year’s (2000) Training for Trainers Programme.
In the beginning of the year, there were few activities while we were waiting for the response from donors and our new team members were becoming accustomed to various work aspects. The training team for the basic training in Kiseljak, Bosnia and Herzegovina, was made out of all the new team members and an old one. Such a beginning might have meant good and quick start for new members. However, it turns out that having a training team made of five people brings just a partial relief regarding the number of activities in which they participate. Such a combination adds quite a burden, due to the beginner’s insecurity, and long daily evaluations done by a training team of five members.
New members have joined the team successfully and they have taken part in multiple activities of CNA, where training events are fundamental, but still they are just one segment of CNA activities. Together with gaining new experience as trainers, new CNA team members were challenged with lots of office and organisational work in which they also fit in, with some small difficulties.
Apart from human recourses, CNA was strengthened with a new office in Belgrade. This step makes it possible to double capacities and to intensify activities. Despite difficulties in fund raising for the start of our Belgrade office, the trust we’ve been building for years with some of the organisations turned out to be crucial for them to support us. Once again, this reminds us how important it is not to rely on big, but irregular donors who follow trends. We are empowered with both our work and with belief that we have constant support from people, who know us, appreciate us and believe in us.
EXPLORATORY TRIP
Last November and December, exploratory trip to Macedonia was accomplished. It confirmed the need for empowering individuals and organizations that worked on peace building and communication between ethnic groups. This research had pointed out to the potential danger of armed clashes that followed. Written report proved out to be a useful material to get to know the work of local NGO‘s and for understanding the conflict in Macedonia, for our colleagues, and us too.
Due to the escalation of violence, we cannot organize training events and activities in Macedonia, as we planned, so they take place in Montenegro.
We are satisfied with contacts we‘ve made and with the establishment of network of potential partners from Macedonia. Thanks to this research, there is an increased number of people interested in training and participants from both main ethnic groups in Macedonia (Albanians and Macedonians). We find this to be extremely important in these circumstances.
ACTIVITIES
During the first half of this calendar year, the basic training – Kiseljak 2001 was held, as one of our cornerstone activities. Period of intense activities started in June, when we prepared two basic training events at the same time, in Rama – organized by CNA Sarajevo and in Žabljak, organized, for the first time, by CNA Belgrade. Training for Trainers 2001 started in July, with the ten-day training in Jahorina (July 27 – August 06, 2001). It was continued with follow-up meetings with participants. There will be another 10-day training in Rama, follow up meetings and the final three-day session.
All three basic training events have fulfilled general expectations regarding the large number of participants. There were more than 18 participants from all over the former Yugoslavia per training. There was the highest number of participants from Serbia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. We’re satisfied with the number of people from Macedonia, not satisfied with the number of people from Kosovo, while there might have been more people from Montenegro and Croatia. We’re content with the motivation of participants, which shows great potential for multiplication. In the first place, this applies to NGO activists, while the number of journalists, teachers and political activists was rather small.
Three basic training events turned out to be insufficient to provide a large enough pool of people for Training for Trainers. In the future, we’ll try to select people for Training for Trainers, out of 4 basic training events and from participants of other similar programmes from this region. Hence, we expect to maximize the desired effect of multiplication.
In addition to these basic activities, we held a series of short training events; we gathered information for a directory of organisations dealing with prevention of conflicts for countries of former Yugoslavia (in cooperation with European Platform for Conflict Prevention and Transformation – EPCP); we took part in working session of SEEP – South Europe Ecumenical Project. Along with all this, we’d opened up an office in Belgrade, which brought a new form of communication among CNA team members and offices.
Due to the very tight plan of activities, our ability to respond quickly to outside requests for training events is limited. It is also the case with requests from people in informal trainers’ network who ask for support to start and pursue their own activities. There were some concrete demands, especially from Macedonia. CNA wishes very much to support this small number of people to whom we feel very close and in which we see dedication to work on peace building, as much as possible in the future. There are several possible forms of this support, and we’ll announce them when the time comes.
The first CNA publication, which does not document any particular training, was published. NENASILJE? is a manual for Training in nonviolent conflict transformation. Eight hundred copies were printed. It was prepared for participants of Training for Trainers, and all the others who whish to engage in trainers‘ work, in this area. There is a great interest for the Manual, and it will be translated into Macedonian and Albanian language.
THREE-YEAR EVALUATION
Dr Martina Fisher and CNA did a three-year evaluation of CNA’s work. It includes an internal evaluation from CNA team and an external one. External evaluation touches the issues important for CNA work: the purpose of our work, multiplication, networking and the future. Evaluation indicated and helped us to distinguish single aspects of our work – multiplication, networking, and to look at the future in the strategic sense. Through external evaluation, we have got feedback from our training participants, important for further reflection and reconsideration of our work. In the first place, this regards to multiplication and usefulness of knowledge and skills we attain in the training. We certainly need to dedicate more attention to networking. In our opinion, it is a process of gradual articulation of regional trainer‘s network. That is why it takes time to develop. There are no ready-made solutions for forming the network. However, answers we got through evaluation would certainly help us to create it. One of the things, evaluation recommends concerning the improvement of networking is to invite people from groups similar to each other, or with similar professional background, instead of those from different groups, according to our present criteria. Although we are aware it‘s a practical suggestion, experience we‘ve got so far teaches us that the main obstacle to connecting and cooperation, was the lack of understanding and support from the main organizations and institutions that participants come from. Whenever mutual trust – the most important thing was present, different working background and the distance were overcome. An example to illustrate this: a group of three people, two women from Serbia and one man (Albanian) from Macedonia, after working together in the Training for Trainers, came up with an idea to conduct one workshop as a team of guest trainers, in the CNA basic training. This idea was accepted by CNA. Another example is from our last year‘s Training for Trainers. Group of four, from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia and Serbia got the idea to work on overcoming the inter-ethic gap in central Bosnia. The idea was partly realised in August, when they conducted a 5-day training.
POSTPONED PLANS
Despite attempts to provide funds for Networking meeting that would gather trainers from our informal network and those who work for a long time already on nonviolence and peace building, it still hasn‘t happened. Ever since the initial idea came out, we continued to work on details of the concept and on establishing further contacts. One of the ideas is to connect CNA Networking Meeting with MIRamiDA Centre from Grožnjan, Croatia – Regional Centre For Peace Experience Exchange. It‘s a result of our long time cooperation with the founder of MIRamiDA Centre, Goran Božičević and our wish to continue further cooperation and support on regional level.
FINANCING
Throughout this year, we continue to strive for long-term financial stability of CNA that would make it possible to work on strengthening our capacities, activities and the quality of them. This year was also spent in a long and hard struggle to obtain long-term funding. Our activities were uneven in the course of the year. There were far more of them in the second half of this year than in the first one, due to the available funding.
Small amount of financial support for our activities was granted through the agreement with one international organization whose wish was to educate local staff in nonviolence. Downside of this agreement is the fact that CNA didn’t have an insight into selection of all training participants. The dynamics of the basic training was affected because of the differences between motivation of participants who were selected by CNA and some of the local staff of the international organisation. Just a few people of the staff stayed involved in activities of CNA through Training for Trainers. Good side of this deal was the possibility to strengthen the capacities of local staff and their teamwork as it turned out later through additional monitoring and work with them.
After an intense work year, there is more work to be done in fundraising for the next year. This obstacle might have been overcome with a positive response from the European Union. However, this didn’t happen. Long-term financing from one or few donors would mean CNA could focus on building capacities, recruiting human resources, preparing programmes with more details and improving them. It would also mean one-year long Training for Trainers Programme, more basic training events, and bigger chances to respond to needs of other organisations.
We’ve managed to complete almost all the activities planed, except the Networking meeting. Due to the financial difficulties, programme has been delayed and rescheduled for the other half of this year.
Despite this difficulty, our last year’s programme was stable; there were no cancellationsof primary activities, which we consider to be a substantial progress in comparison to the previous years.
Political and Social Context in Which CNA Acts
Significant political changes happened last year in the countries of former Yugoslavia, in which CNA was active or had a closer cooperation with local groups and individuals. All that had a meaningful impact to the context of our work, from changes in the establishment of FRY, Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, to the escalation of violence in Macedonia.
When the violence in Macedonia broke out, CNA made an appeal and sent it through its network (it was also published in one of our three-month reports). In that appeal we called people from Macedonia to do everything to stop violence in their country, having in mind experience from other parts of ex Yugoslavia that already had had wars. Unfortunately, we were unable to carry out our plans regarding work due to happen in Macedonia. because of the violence escalation there. CNA intends to include and support more individuals willing to work or already working in nonviolence and conflict transformation, from that area, through our training events.
Certainly, very important thing for us was the fall of regime and the changes in FR Yugoslavia, which among other things, made it possible to finally open up an office in Belgrade. Long awaited changes happened after the opposition coalition had won the elections. The regime had tried to redeem and invalidate the victory of the opposition, which provoked a spontaneous «revolution» of Serbian citizens, luckily without too much violence. This led to removal of the old government structures. New establishment made of several parties, has brought a new approach to the reconstruction of the society and to a certain extent made a step out of the way from the path of the war / nationalistic orientation of the former regime. There’s a part of the opposition coalition, which tries to maintain the logics of the nationalistic militarism. There’s still no political solution to what happens in Kosovo, where the ethnical segregation and politically inspired violence are still present.
Political changes had an important impact to a sudden growth of influence of NGO sector, and the coming of international funders. This may prove to be useful for the development of civil society, unless big organizations take up the monopoly (something that already has happened in Bosnia and Herzegovina) creating fertile soil for «NGO business”. It means loosing activist identity and ideals that great number of Serbian organizations have. With an opening of the office in Belgrade, CNA intends longterm, to work on public campaigns, besides its basic activities, and to point to those problems and work on an extensive research of needs and conditions of Serbia and Montenegro in the context of peace building.
A part of the ruling structure was changed in Bosnia and Herzegovina, too. Opposition coalition won majority of votes in the elections in most of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which didn’t bring any essential changes. There is still political violence, and the most of the refugees never returned to their homes. The situation is additionally burdened with another electoral victory of nationalists in Republika Srpska. The existing social conflicts are still dominant, violent accidents happen over and over, political solutions and compromise are only temporary, and oriented towards dealing with the consequences. There is no wide activity towards direct re-examining of strategy of social development and facing of political reality. First of all, at least about 50% of population doesn’t feel that Bosnia and Herzegovina is their own native country, but merely a necessary compromise, made 6 years ago in order to stop the war. That itself is a cause of dissatisfaction of most of the population, and it further causes discrimination, open violence and other forms of harassment of minority nations.
All this indicates that CNA should engage more in the public activities, to point out to violence in society, and to make a clear strategy of transparent action towards nonviolent conflict transformation in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Political changes at the beginning of last year in Croatia gradually started a serious reconstruction of open society and meaningful re-examination of responsibility for war crimes committed in previous wars. This led to a noticeable polarisation of society to left wing and right wing political parties and other social groups. NGO scene developed in the meantime, and now contributes great deal in the process of reconstruction of civil society and transformation of social conflicts. In this context, CNA perceives its own role in offering strong support and joint activities with partner organizations and trainers from our network from the region of Croatia.
CNA offices in Belgrade and Sarajevo will continue to conduct training events as well as other activities with regional approach and networking, where they will exchange different experiences in the context of political and social events and different views to it in different countries of former Yugoslavia.
Future Plans
Opening up of another office, in Belgrade and growing of CNA team create practical conditions for expansion of our activities. Long-term plan of activities for the next three years was formulated during the series of staff meetings that had been initiated and guided by three-year evaluation of our work (internal evaluation of CNA and external evaluation done by Dr. Martine Fischer).
According to the plan, we expect to have four basic training events in nonviolent conflict transformation each year and 11 months long Training for Trainers Program, with eight instead of five phases. This extension of the program comes as a result of participants’ need for a stronger support in the process of planning and carrying out activities within their own communities. Besides preparing for work with groups, additional phases of the program introduce participants to: basic elements of strategic planning, writing project proposals and their public presentation, but they also give participants a chance to implement individual programs with the support of CNA team. This support includes advice, first of all, but also anything else needed and possible within the program and capacities of CNA’s team.
In the second part of this newly planed concept, during the period of six months, participants should implement their own individual programs. They could gain experience in the whole process of planning, implementing and evaluation of the activities they had planed, including skills required for project administration (writing narrative and financial reports).
Two of these cycles are planed for the next three years; each includes series of four Basic training events, which proceed the Training for Trainers Program.
Further plans include annual regional meetings of trainers in nonviolent conflict transformation and peace building, organized by CNA. Trainers from different parts of ex-Yugoslavia could give each other information about their own work and activities of their organizations, exchange experience and work methods and find ways for regional cooperation.
With respect to the new circumstances, after opening of an office in Belgrade, we plan to have joint CNA staff coordination meetings (from both Belgrade and Sarajevo offices), twice a year. These meetings may be used for an exchange of experience, to create action strategy and to make a plan of activities. Besides, they would give us space for reflection on each other, criticism and self-criticism.
Detailed work plan for the period September – December 2001
Sarajevo Office:
Following activities are planned by Sarajevo office till the end of the year:
-Training for Trainers Programme – Phases III, IV, V
-Basic Training in Nonviolent Conflict Transformation, December 2001
Training for Trainers Programme
Plan is to have another ten-day training and a series of follow-up meetings, in September and October, as part of Training for Trainers Programme. The last, fifth phase of this programme – three-day training is planned for the end of October. Training for Trainers should be completed by 18 participants, future trainers with prospects of mutual cooperation through their own programmes and programmes associated with CNA.
Most of the funds for this programme were provided by German Ministry of Foreign Affairs with additional support of Suedost Europa Kultur.
Basic Training on Nonviolent Conflict Transformation
In July, we had two meetings with representatives of GTZ (German Advisory Office) from Sarajevo and from Kosovo. CNA was offered to do a ten-day basic training in Nonviolent Conflict Transformation for a group of teachers and NGO activists from Eastern Bosnia and Kosovo, members of organizations close to GTZ. According to the agreement, CNA and GZT offices from Sarajevo and Priština should select 20 participants, approximately 10 people from Bosnia and Herzegovina (mostly from Republika Srpska) and 10 people from Kosovo. From December 7-17, 2001, they will take part in the training, with similar concept and contents to the basic CNA training events, somewhere in Bosnia and Herzegovina. CNA takes over the responsibility for organization, contents and performance of the training, while GZT secures funding.
Belgrade Office
Until the end of this year, Belgrade office plans to pursue the following activities:
-Exploratory trip in Yugoslavia
-Publishing The Training Manual in Macedonian language
-Basic Training in Nonviolent Conflict Transformation
Exploratory trip in Yugoslavia
This research is planned for October, and it will be similar to the one we did in Macedonia, in November and December, last year. We have gotten many useful experiences from this trip, and that inspired us to do it in Yugoslavia also. The goal of this research is to establish as many contacts as possible and to get a clearer picture of local situation and needs of the activists’ groups in Yugoslavia (we’ll be particularly focused on peace groups, but also other civic groups). Moreover, we expect to get a better picture about the organizations and individuals who need our training the most, and also where is the highest motivation for participating, which will enable us to make a better selection of participants.
Publishing The Training Manual in Macedonian
The Manual for Trainings in Nonviolent Conflict Transformation for Work with Adults “NENASILJE?” published last year, was translated into Macedonian by Jasmina Todorovska, participant of our last year’s »Training for Trainers« Programme. It’s being edited at the moment, and we expect it to be printed in October.
Basic Training in Nonviolent Conflict Transformation
The next basic training in nonviolent conflict transformation is scheduled for November. For security reasons, instead of Macedonia, it will take place in Montenegro. Training team will probably have two people from Belgrade office and two from Sarajevo office.
WORDS FROM CNA MEMBERS
A Couple of Words from a new CNA Team Member – Helena Rill
I had my first encounter with CNA and everything about it in February 2000, on the Basic Training in Kiseljak, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Although I was familiar with the workshop kind of work, 10day training was something quite new for me. Besides being given opportunity to apply what I’ve adopted at the training, in my own environment, I experienced the training as a possibility to reconsider and observe many things from a totally different point o view, especially myself and my relationship to others and the situation in the country. Later that year, during the Training for Trainers Programme (from June to November) I carried on working on myself and realised I wanted to work with other people. Finally, I was invited to work in new Belgrade office. It happened in the right moment, because I gave up my previous work and asked myself where and how to go on.
I come from Sombor. I see it as an environment that is very still, difficult to move in every way. I was engaged in Elementary School for Adults, Disabled Union and Civic Alliance for Achieving Cultural and Humanitarian Goals »Ravangrad«, where I had spent 4 years. I’ve learnt a lot working there, and this work has brought a big and valuable experience. It was work with children, youth, adults on the Main Square in Sombor, in camps all over Serbia, in an orphanage, in Sombor Theatre, in the Union’s premises, etc.
During the preparation for the Basic Training in Kiseljak, February/March which was organized by Sarajevo office and on the Basic training in Žabljak (organized also by Belgrade office) I’ve seen how CNA operates exactly. I’ve felt supported, and it gave me an impulse to continue no matter what difficulties I’d had. During that time, I’ve got clearer picture and a better vision what it really was. I’m under the impression that it grabs me even more. For a while, I was stunned when I realised what CNA volunteers had accomplished so far.
Working in CNA Belgrade is a big challenge for me, and I see it as a great beginning: another CNA office in another town with me as a team member. Everything’s new! My impression is that I’m still making careful moves, I watch, learn, and I have a lot of energy to give my contribution. To be honest, the last thing I wrote seems just like another cliché, but I really mean all of it.
My work here is important to me, because one really believes and lives what one does here. However, sometimes when I’m feeling down I ask myself – will anything change in the society soon? Is there any hope for people from this region to recognize violence, take responsibility, and see themselves as they are? I often hear people around me think »well, I can’t do anything« which reminds me of the beginning of the madness in 1991. I was in shock then, and I hid my head in the sand and pretended to be living a normal life. There was a moment when I realised I had to do something, but for a long time I think about where I’ve been? Perhaps I could not do a whole lot, but at least something … If every one of us had done something, even just one little thing, who knows if everything would have worked out this way we all witnessed. I see a chance to do a great deal in CNA, and for people from this region to meet, really hear each other and start a nonviolent transformation of conflicts, and there are so many of them here.
ANNEX
Appeal
Dear Friends,
The latest news from The Republic of Macedonia make us very worried. During the past decade we have witnessed similar news so often and they frighten us a lot causing fear of another war. And we ask ourselves: “Again? Again, after all those years of war, atrocities, violence and madness over here? War again? Ten years of wars around here have shown us that in the war everybody, except the war profiteers loses.
With this letter we want to articulate our
APPEAL
AGAINST VIOLENCE AND WAR
FOR PEACE AND NONVIOLENCE
We address our appeal to all people in order to raise their voice against another threatening war. Citizens of Macedonia, see what the war has left behind in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia and Kosovo and do not let it happen to you as well. Do not allow yourself to become overtaken by hatred against your fellow citizens. Do not allow yourself to take arms into your hands. Do not allow yourself to be overwhelmed with the feeling that “they are all the same”, because they are not, do not forget that. Gather all your courage and raise your voice against the war, do not keep silent, because it may be understood as approval. Do not divide people onto “us” and “them”, because that is exactly what the war machinery wants you to do. Determine yourself for peace and nonviolence and raise your voice against all kinds of violence. You make up the majority. We were also the majority in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia and Kosovo, but we were too silent, silenced by the violent explosion. Do not let it happen to you!
Give signs to your fellow citizens who are on the “other side” that you want peace and that you believe that there are many of them on the other side who wish the same. Only together you can secure sustainable peace and constructive cooperation.
If you do not feel the tension or here shooting in your place of living, do not turn your head away thinking that it is far enough away from you. Appeal to all sides in the conflict to stop violence. It is your human right to live in peace. Demand it! Demand all your human rights and realise them.
Bear in mind that the way of violence can not be a legitimate mean to achieve political goals and citizens rights. Be brave and decide for dialogue and cooperation, for the way of nonviolence. We understand that it takes lot more courage, strength and will, but it is worth of trying to build stabile relationship of mutual interest. It is worth deciding for peace.
We appeal to all military and paramilitary conscripts to resist conscription and mobilisation. We appeal to all people, in particular the governments to offer shelter and support to war resisters and all other refugees.
We deeply sympathise with victims of violence and their closest ones.
In solidarity,
Centre for Nonviolent Action Sarajevo / Beograd
Adnan Hasanbegovic
Iva Zenzerovic
Ivana Franovic
Milan Colic
Nedzad Horozovic
Nenad Vukosavljevic
Many thanks to all of those who are supporting the project of KURVE Wustrow – Centar za nenasilnu akciju, financially or through their engagement that made this project possible and helped to secure its implementation and all of those who are with us in their thoughts.
SPECIAL THANKS TO:
Abraham
Auswärtiges Amt – German Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Berghof Stiftung & Berghof Research Institute for Creative Conflict Management
Centar za mirovne studije Zagreb
Deutsche Friedensgesellschaft Vereinigte Kriegsgegner – DFG VK Bielefeld
Goran Božičević
Heike Hammer
Internationale Ärzte zur Verhütung des Atomkrieges – IPPNW Deutschland
Jasmina Todorovska
Martina Fischer
Menschenrechtsreferat des Diakonischen Werkes
Nina Vukosavljević
osoblje Franjevačkog samostana i Kuće mira, Rama-Šćit
Quaker Hilfe Quaker Peace and Social Witness BiH (QPSW BiH)
Quaker Peace and Social Witness London
Schueler Helfen Leben
Suedost Kultur Europa
Towae Stiftung
training participants
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CNA will very much welcome feedback, suggestions, questions and criticism concerning this report and our general work.
Your thinking along helps us!
Thank you.
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Adnan Hasanbegovic
Helena Rill
Iva Zenzerovic
Ivana Franovic
Milan Colic
Nedzad Horozovic
Nenad Vukosavljevic
For Centre for Nonviolent Action
in Sarajevo and Belgrade, September 2001
Translation from Bosnian/Serbian/Croatian done by Nina Vukosavljevic
This report may be distributed freely with the acknowledgement of the source.
© CNA