Our first ever Trauma-Sensitive Peacebuilding course has officially wrapped up! It deepened participants’ awareness of the reality of trauma in all our lives and the ways in which we can personally experience post-traumatic growth or live with courage in order to help our group move toward healing. Here’s how it went and how you can be involved in future courses.
Read MoreWe're SO pleased to be offering a 5-week course this Fall specifically focused on Trauma-Sensitive Peacebuilding. We've partnered with the Peace Academy in Bosnia and diverse international instructors to provide a high-quality interactive course to equip you to recognize and respond to trauma in your work.
Read MoreThe parallels between the United States and Bosnia, a deeply divided post-war society, are many and alarming. Living in Bosnia and learning from and working with Bosnian peacemakers has given me a different vantage point to reflect about the challenges and divisions in the United States, now more than ever. I’m continuing to learn from local peace activists about how Bosnians think about group dynamics, the challenges that each ethnic and religious group face in Bosnia, and how they deal with the past in constructive ways to move together toward a better, shared future.
So, what are some things that Bosnians are teaching me that might be relevant to what’s happening in the States?
Read MoreOn Saturday, May 16, police sealed off the area around Sarajevo’s Catholic Cathedral, where Bosnian Archbishop Cardinal Vinko Puljic said mass to a congregation of few dozen Croat dignitaries and priests. The US and Israeli embassies and the World Jewish Council condemned the mass, and thousands of Bosnians, many wearing masks, demonstrated that same day.
But why all the uproar over a Catholic mass in Sarajevo?
Read MoreOur Bosnia “Catalyze” peacemaking trip wrapped up a couple weeks ago after an exhilarating and rewarding 10 days filled with new relationships, dialogue, history, and learning across religious and ethnic differences.
Read MoreBefore the Bosnian War in the early 90’s, Bosnia and Herzegovina enjoyed a long-held tradition of Christians hosting Muslims for Iftar during Ramadan, and Muslims hosting Christians during Lent and around Christmas or Easter. Before the war, it was very normal for neighbors to celebrate one another’s religious holidays with them through hospitality in one another’s homes, especially in Sarajevo where there was such diversity and even intermarriage between people of different faiths. Things like this happened all the time. But that was before the war. Now, in 2019, when our pastor suggested not only inviting members of the congregation to show up to an Iftar somewhere, but to actively host one on our own turf – well, that was a little unusual.
Read MoreChristian refugee workers and ministry leaders from around the world visited a mosque in Sarajevo this month to learn from local Muslims about Islam, the refugee crisis, and the opportunities and challenges that occur when doing humanitarian work and talking about faith. Here’s what we can all learn from their conversation.
Read MoreIn mid-December, an NGO in Bosnia and Herzegovina that we partner with called Small Steps hosted over 100 youth from around the country for a celebration concluding a 2-year program, “Encouraging Children to Accept Differences.” Over these last two years, the kids have gotten to know each other while participating in nonviolent communication workshops and traveling to neighboring municipalities to spend time with youth of other ethnic and religious backgrounds.
Read MoreIt's difficult to describe a place like Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). The entire Balkan region is fascinatingly complex, deeply unsettled, and yet distinctly charming. We’ve fallen in love with the beautiful normalcy of BiH’s ethno-religious diversity, the incredible people who live here, and their wisdom and relentless courage.
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