News

In Vukovar, on Dec 10^th 2007, a round table was held:

"CHALLENGES IN TEACHING OF HISTORY"

Nansen Dialogue Centre and the Faculty of Teacher Education in Osijek organized a round table on the subject "Challenges In Teaching Of History".

History professors from primary and secondary schools in Vukovar were invited.

The aims of the round table were: to encourage dialog among the History professors about the methods of teaching of History, trends in teaching of History and Croatian specificities; to emphasize the importance of intercultural competences of the History professors, to introduce the guidelines for teaching of History, adopted at the International Conference “Educational Challenges in Multicultural Environments” in Osijek, from Oct 11^th to Oct 13^th 2007.

Scientific and expert Conference:

Challenges of education in multicultural communities

From Oct 11^th to Oct 13^th Nansen Dialogue Centre and the Faculty of Teacher Education in Osijek organised a Conference on Educational Challenges in Multicultural Communities.

The Conference was held in Osijek, in premises of Faculty of Philosophy.

Conference goals were:

· Encourage dialogue between scientists about intercultural education

· Exchange experiences and present intercultural programmes of schools in Croatia, region and world

· Emphasise the importance of intercultural competence of future teachers

· Provide guidelines for teachers in aspect of integration processes and intercultural communities they belong to

· Find adequate ways for promoting intercultural dialogue

At the Conference the following conclusions were adopted:

Guidelines for history classes (more…)

Recommendations for tolerance education (more…)

NDC Osijek and European House Vukovar have organised an open round table:

"EDUCATION AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF A COMMUNITY"

In Vukovar, on 28^th of September 2007, a round table with the topic of “EDUCATION AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF A COMMUNITY” was organised. The aim was to try to find the answer to how does a school prepare pupils for meaningful life in a society?.

From the next school year (2007/08) three year pilot project:

Cultural and Spiritual Heritage of the Region in our school,

starts in four schools in Vukovarsko-Srijemska County and Osjecko-Baranja County

In May 2007, Education and Teacher Training Agency (Independent state-funded agency in charge of primary education) issued the positive expert opinion and recommendation for a Subject Curriculum for Cultural and Spiritual Heritage of the Region (CSHR).

Based on this recommendation and our firm belief that CSHR offers a new, fully intercultural approach to learning about others, but also about oneself, CSHR was offered to schools in our region that are part of multicultural communities. Four schools recognised the potential of such a subject and will offer it to their pupils from fifth to eight grade in form of an elective subject.

You can learn more about the project here.

7^th seminar in the framework of

"Identity and Embrace" Project

From 24^th to 29^th of August 2007, in Fužine, Gorski Kotar, seventh “Identity and Embrace” seminar was held. The seminar dealt with issues of identity, prejudices – about others and about oneself, and focused on opening one’s minds and promotion of tolerance.

Nansen Dialogue Centre presented a project Dealing with the Past trough Examples of Good

On 20^th of July 2007, National consultations with youth organisations on dealing with the past were held

In joint organisation of organisations from Zagreb – Documenta, Sarajevo – Research-Documentation Centre and Belgrade – Foundation for Humanitarian Law, National consultations with youth organisations about mechanisms of establishing and reporting of the truth about war conflicts in countries formed in the region of former Yugoslavia were held.

The aim of the meeting was to rethink the role and responsibility of youth in the process of dealing with the past. The meeting was moderated by Marine Škrabalo and Cvijeta Senta, and the discussion was opened by Vesna Teršelič and Nataša Kandić.

In introductory session NDC Osijek representative Srdjan Andrić presented the Dealing with The past through Examples of Good Project, and his speech, together with the presentation done by Youth Peace Group Danube, contributed highly to the discussion and issues it dealt with. Discussion resulted in recommendations to youth organisations in the Republic of Croatia for the improvement of the process of establishing and reporting of the truth on national and regional level.

NDC Osijek is invited to join this process on national and regional level.

Series of workshops, with a main topic being responsible parenting, is completed.

On 8^th of February 2007, Nansen Dialogue Centre and Parents’ Club “For the Children of Vukovar” started the series of workshops on responsible parenting. Workshops were held on Thursdays, every second week at 6.00 pm in premises of Hotel Dunav in Vukovar, and the facilitator of these workshops was a psychologist Biljana Mrdović Varevac.

Study Visit to Norway

"Norwegian Education System and its Applicability for Croatia"

From 19^th to 24^th of May 2007, Nansen Dialogue Centre organised a study visit for representatives of City of Vukovar, Vukovarsko-Srijemska County, Education and Teacher Training Agency, as well as representatives of parents and teachers involved in The New School project to Norway. During the course of a study-visit the group had a series of meetings and visits (primary schools in Lillehammer and Oslo, other educational institutions, Teachers’ Union, Norskform, representatives of local governments…) were they learned more about Norwegian education system, its characteristic, specifics, but also issues modern Norwegian education is trying to address.

Public lecture

"Challenges of Interethnic Dialogue – Who is to blame for peace in Gorski kotar?"

Held in Vukovar, hotel Dunav 5^th of March 2007, 7 p.m. Public lecture «Challenges of Interethnic Dialogue – Who is to blame for peace in Gorski kotar?» was held. It was the occasion to present a book “Oasis of Peace” and its authors Nada Glad, Franjo Starčević and Josip Horvat.

Guest-speakers from town of Delnice have presented, directly communicating with a public from Vukovar, their war-time experience from Gorski kotar, a region of Croatia where a peace was preserved during the Homeland War, while Vukovar and its surroundings had to suffer a war horror.

Guests explained circumstances whish they were able to use in order to preserve shaken interethnic trust. Optimistic experience of these people, who were direct actors of the establishing of “active peace” in Gorski kotar, was also an encouragement for people from Vukovar present at the public lecture to start and endure in their efforts with a goal of improving interethnic relations in Vukovar. Sanja Vukičević, a journalist from Radio Dunav, moderated this public lecture.

promotion of the calendar

"Vukovar- a town where cultures meet "

In its centuries old history, Vukovar belonged to various kingdoms and republics. Each new country, Vukovar belonged to, meant that new roads of communications were opened, thus enabling immigration to the city from different parts of Europe and Asia. Since the medieval ages, the age from which first information about city population can be found, Vukovar was a place where people of different ethnic groups lived together. Each ethnic group bought its specific culture and a way of life, its customs and traditions. Mutual interchange of these traditions created a unique cultural space in Vukovar. Although some key historic events have almost completely erased some ethnic groups, each of these groups left at least a small portion of its heritage that still can be recognised in Vukovar. Twelve sketches from the history of Vukovar provide us with twelve stories about the town and ethnic communities that lived in the town.

On 28th of December, in the framework of the Dealing with the Past through Examples of Good Project, Nansen Dialogue Centre has realised radio-show «Examples of Noble Deeds during Wartime». Radio show was aired on Radio Dunav with intention of opening of this neglected topic, as well as encouraging citizens to call in with their own examples thus helping collecting of such stories.

Radio show was focused of problems and issues that are appearing during the process of dealing with the past. Journalists' experiences as well as a testimony of one actor of such a positive story, during the attack on Vukovar, were presented. Personal experience of a peace builder from Gorski Kotar was also heard.

The hosts were a Radio Dunav journalist - Sanje Vukičević and a Nansen Dialogue Centre coordinator Srđan Antić. Guests were: Ljiljana Gehrecke – President of European House Vukovar, Drago Hedl – journalist and editor in Feral Tribune, Split, and Nikola Tarle – retired officer of a Croatian army.

Osijek 1^st of December 2006.

Nansen Dialogue Centre has celebrated five-year anniversary of its work.

Suzana Agotić, president of NDC Osijek, has given opening speech.

The movie “Five Beautiful Years”, about the work of NDC Osijek, was also presented.

Norwegian Ambassador to the Republic of Croatia, Her Excellency Elisabeth Walaas also addressed all present, as well as Heidrun Rohr Sorlie, the representative of Nansen Dialogue Network from Norway.

View The movie “Five Beautiful Years”

In the framework of The New School Project on the 19^th of October 2006, in the Council chamber of Vukovar-Sirmyum County in Vukovar, the meeting was held between representatives of NDC Osijek, Her Excellency Elisabeth Walaas Norwegian Ambassador to Croatia and representatives of local government and institutions.

In the framework of The New School Project, a seminar called “Education – the Key to Developing Identity and Intercultural Society” was held in Lillehammer, Norway from 31^st of August to 10^th of September 2006.

Participants at the seminar were representatives of the Parents’ Club “For the Children of Vukovar”, representatives of Public Department of the city of Vukovar and of Vukovar-Sirmyum County, teachers and expert associates from primary schools in Osijek and Vukovar, representative of the Coordination of Councils of National Minorities of the County, a representative of Agency for Upbringing and Education, as well as activists from Nansen Dialogue Centre Osijek.

The goal of the seminar was to connect different segments, organisations, institutions and social groups in order for them to jointly develop further steps and work on the realisation of the new intercultural and integrated school in Vukovar.

Seminar was supported by Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Norway.

The following text was published in Jutarnji list on Sunday, together with a picture:

Identity and Embrace

Participants with Mesić

ZAGREB- President Mesić has met with the participants at the seminar "Identity and Embrace", which will be organised for a sixth time in Fužine, from 26^th of August to 1^st of September, by Nansen Dialogue Centre. High school pupils of different nationalities from Vukovar region will participate at the seminar, which goals are a promotion of dialogue, a development of democratic values and learning to accept differences.

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