Teachers at the second World Ethos workshop held in Vitez (February 24 and 25, 2018) for teachers of primary schools in Central Bosnia Canton (CBC) warmly welcomed being reminded of universal ethical values in contemporary fast-paced lifestyle. The participants pointed out that ETHOS represents an important segment of day-to-day living, however, we very rarely think of it that way. Respecting and appreciating people's differences are binding ethical values for all individuals – and that is actually daily life. Representatives of the Islamic Community and Catechetical Office, guest lecturers Nezir Halilovic, Ph.D., and D. Anto Ledic, Ph.D., used this opportunity to emphasize that everyone present was honored and privileged to hear, learn about and see how many universal, common and daily things there are which bring us together – and yet we rarely think about them. During the two-day workshop and as part of their group-work activities, teachers presented several performances on violence which depicted daily stigmatization based on the differences we carry. They ended their performances with a suggestion on how to accept somebody who is different by recognizing the good in them through words and lines of reconciliation. Ethos Initiative offered another possibility for dialog and cooperation this way, and other opportunities will be created together by the participants of this seminar and with the help and mentorship of the TPO Foundation team and ethos coaches: Izet Numanovic, M.Sc., and Amela Petricevic. >> MORE

Connecting people is one of the goals of the Etos Initiative and that's how it was on the first Global Ethic Seminar for Primary School Teachers in Central Bosnia Canton in Vitez (February 17-18, 2018). After 15 years, student colleagues met again. It's a unique opportunity to exchange old-time borrowed books but also to exchange new books, ideas and teaching experiences. Two days spent working together motivated teachers to engage more in inter-religious cooperation and integration of universal ethical values in their schools and communities. With the support and mentoring of the TPO Foundation and Etos trainers team: mr. sci. Izet Numanovic, Amela Petricevic and visiting lecturers Dr. Nezir Halilovic and Ph.D. Don Anto Ledic, ETOS team opened one door of cooperation and dialogue, and the other doors will be open by further participants of these seminars.
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Three Meditative relaxation seminars for stress management were held in Sarajevo on January 22 and 23, 2018 as part of a three-year education program CHILDREN ARE OUR MIRROR: Prevention of peer- and gender-based violence in BH schools, which is being implemented by TPO Foundation in cooperation with three ministries of education from the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. In total, 35 teachers and pedagogues from ten elementary schools in Sarajevo Canton participated in the training. The seminars were led by Professor Zilka Spahić-Šiljak.
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Three Meditative relaxation seminars for stress management were held in Vitez on January 15 and 16, 2018 as part of a three-year education program CHILDREN ARE OUR MIRROR: Prevention of peer and gender-based violence in BH schools, which TPO Foundation implements in cooperation with three education ministries of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. In total, 60 teachers and pedagogues from nine elementary schools in Central Bosnia Canton participated in the training. Professor Zilka Spahić-Šiljak led the seminars. The goal of the seminars was to familiarize educators with knowledge, practices and understanding as key segments in keeping an awakened heart because it helps in reducing the stress and division we feel on daily basis. Research has shown that an awakened heart is a natural capacity for everyone, while mindfulness can be attained with practice. The first part of the seminar was dedicated to theoretical knowledge on terms and techniques for self-growth, while the second part was dedicated to practical exercises, which can help a person relieve stress and function more productively on daily basis.
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Three Meditative relaxation seminars for stress management were held in Mostar on January 8 and 9, 2018 as part of a three-year education program CHILDREN ARE OUR MIRROR: Prevention of peer and gender-based violence in BH schools, which is being implemented by TPO Foundation in cooperation with three ministries of education from the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. In total, 60 teachers, pedagogues and principals from ten elementary schools in Herzegovina-Neretva Canton participated in the training. The seminars were led by Professor Zilka Spahić-Šiljak.
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Stressors, techniques and strategies for facing, preventing and reducing stress were the topic at third stress management seminar in Vitez, held on January 5, 2018. Stress management seminars were created as part of a three-year project "Peer- and gender-based violence" in cooperation with education ministries of Central Bosnia, Sarajevo and Herzegovina-Neretva cantons as well as with the support from the Norwegian government, and they are organized in thirty primary schools. In Central Hotel in Vitez, one-day seminar was attended by pedagogues, psychologists as well as speech therapists and defectologists from ten partner schools in Central Bosnia Canton. Seminar participants had an opportunity to expand their knowledge on the subject and to share their experiences gained through the last year's first cycle of three-day seminars. By continuing these seminars, pedagogues and other experts working with children become more equipped to face stress and its consequences more easily and efficiently as well as to share the knowledge they gained at these seminars with the rest of staff at their schools in order to integrate stress management into curriculums that include cooperation with children and parents. The seminar was led by Amra Delić, a neuropsychiatrist and psychotherapist.
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TPO Foundation has started a new cycle of anti-stress seminars after the successfully completing three-day seminars for stress management during 2017 as part of a three-year project "Peer and gender-based violence". In partnership with Herzegovina-Neretva Ministry of Education, Science and Sport, pedagogues, psychologists, expert associates and representatives of the Education Institute, Pedagogy Institute and Herzegovina-Neretva Ministry of Education, Science and Sport attended the seminar in Mostar on January 3, 2018. Amra Delić, M.D., who created and led Stress Management seminars in 2017, moderated new seminars, which were also an opportunity to summarize the results from last year's activities on preventing and reducing stress that were organized in schools together with school staff, students and  parents. The goal of the seminar was to empower educators so that they could understand powers of stress and advance personal skills in order to manage and control stress and its consequences more successfully.
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TPO Foundation has started a new cycle of anti-stress seminars after the successfully completing three-day seminars for stress management during 2017 as part of a three-year project "Peer and gender-based violence". In partnership with Herzegovina-Neretva Ministry of Education, Science and Sport, pedagogues, psychologists, expert associates and representatives of the Education Institute, Pedagogy Institute and Herzegovina-Neretva Ministry of Education, Science and Sport attended the seminar in Mostar on January 3, 2018. Amra Delić, M.D., who created and led Stress Management seminars in 2017, moderated new seminars, which were also an opportunity to summarize the results from last year's activities on preventing and reducing stress that were organized in schools together with school staff, students and  parents. The goal of the seminar was to empower educators so that they could understand powers of stress and advance personal skills in order to manage and control stress and its consequences more successfully.
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Within the project Peer and Gender-based Violence in School supported by Norwegian Government TPO Foundation launched the 16 days of activism campaign with slogan "AWAKEN, MOVE, CHANGE!" in more than 40 primary and secondary schools of BiH.
Celebration of the International Human Rights Day on December 11.2017 marked the end of 16 days of activism campaign that gathered more than 200 teachers, over 1000 students and 2000 parents. In partnership with Jewish Community of BiH the final event was held at 11 am and TPO's publications: two manual for strengthening capacities of teachers in their work with students and parents as well as Baseline Study on peer and gender-based violence are presented. Exhibition of student's comic book work from primary and secondary schools was also opened and the best comic book artists are awarded.
 Video: https://youtu.be/8ECELA1mpx


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During 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence under the motto AWAKEN, MOVE, CHANGE, over 2000 students from 41 BH schools have discussed gender- and peer-based violence by participating in 68 creative workshops together with 400 teachers and 1300 parents. In cooperation with Herzegovina-Neretva Canton Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport, Central Bosnia Canton Ministry of Education, Science and Sport, Sarajevo Canton Ministry of Education, Science and Youth and with the Norwegian Embassy's financial support, TPO Foundation has successfully conducted a series of educational activities which positively contributed to building a better and more just BH educational system.
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During 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence Campaign, TPO Foundation directs its programs towards educational activities for young people, teachers and parents.
TPO Foundation invites all citizens to celebrate the Human Rights Day by attending our program during which TPO Foundation is going to promote its publications on peer- and gender-based violence prevention and reduction and hold an exhibition of students' comics from the "PROBUDI, POKRENI, PROMIJENI!" (AWAKEN, MOVE, CHANGE!) competition call. The program begins at 11:00 on December 11, 2017 in the Jewish Community Center (Hamdije Kreševljakovića 59, Sarajevo).
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Continuous and quality education as well as positive activism are important motivators for a democratic and civic society. To live in an advanced and developed society primarily means to be part of a community of responsible, conscientious and educated citizens who contribute to the good of their community through personal investment and responsible work. Reminding ourselves of personal responsibility towards oneself, family, school and our community and investing in perfecting personal competencies leads to a healthy environment which does not support stereotypes, prejudice or violence. For that reason, we believe education and proper upbringing are key to opening all doors that lead to true success. We believe family and school are pillars of our upbringing and maturing in addition to a healthy personality that arises from a safe home and quality education.
Let us respect our parents, guardians, family, teachers and friends with whom we make the initial steps towards a successful future! >> CALENDAR PDF

Within the framework of the program "Gender-based violence – GBV", on November 25, 2017, at the premises of the Association "Dlan" in Zenica, the third planned parenting workshop for the mothers of children suffering from paralysis and hydrocephalus was successfully completed. With the aim of providing psychosocial support to mothers of ill children, prevention and reduction of discriminatory practices and forms of gender-based violence and raising awareness of BH societies about the difficulties that every family with disabled children encounters daily and their needs for a better life, TPO Foundation has realized a total of three workshops dedicated to mothers and their empowerment in working with children and everyday stress. In moderation of TPO associate, psychotherapist, Nermina Vehabović-Rudež, fifteen mothers had the opportunity to learn through the group therapies, educational materials and participatory exercises about the different roles they perform as the parent of a child with special needs. The aim of the workshop was also to strengthen them to deal with prejudices and stereotypes that are often related to a woman in families whose child is suffering from some of the illnesses.
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The fourth module entitled "Stained Glass" was successfully completed as part of the Interreligious Dialogue through Art Project on November 25, 2017 in the Dobrinja Gymnasium. A workshop on this topic was run by the art teacher Anita Smiljanić. Dedicated to the spirit of Catholic art, the month of November ended with this activity. The project has been supported by the Federal Ministry of Science and Education and TPO Foundation as the partner organization of the World Ethos Schools educational program, coordinated by Semir Salihović, a teacher of Islamic religious studies.


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Within the framework of the program "Gender-Based Violence - GBV" and with the aim of psychosocial strengthening of mothers of children suffering from paralysis and hydrocephalus, the TPO Foundation successfully implemented the second of the planned three workshops of parenting workshops called "Being a good enough parent". On November 11, 2017, a workshop for fifteen mothers of Association "Dlan" in Zenica, which works in the interest of all ill people, including the families of the ill children, children and adults. The workshop was run by a psychotherapist, Nermina Vehabovic-Rudez.
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Students participating in the Interreligious Dialogue through Art Project, which is supported by the Federal Ministry of Science and Education and TPO Foundation, met for the third time in the Dobrinja Gymnasium on November 11, 2017. The meeting was held as part of the third project module on "Interreligious dialogue from the Catholic perspective". The lectures were given by Mr. Siniša Mujabašić, teacher of Catholic religious studies and Mrs. Adna Kahriman, the school pedagogue. After the lectures, students visited the Sarajevo Cathedral together with their expert team and learned about the unique history and architecture of the cathedral.

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Within the three-year educational program, CHILDREN ARE OUR MIRROR: Prevention of peer-based and gender-based violence in B&H schools successfully implemented by the TPO Foundation in cooperation with the ministries of education of SC, HNC and CBC, in Bugojno on November 7, 2017. the fifth and last one-day training for 12 teachers was held in order to strengthen the competences of teachers in the area of ​​successful communication and individual cooperation between teachers and parents of the Central Bosnia Canton. The trainers were Šejla Džanan and Snježana Petraš while the teachers and teachers from the primary school "Uskoplje" from Uskoplje and "Prva osnovna škola" from Bugojno attended the training.

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TPO Foundation works on empowering marginalized groups of society, pointing out their difficulties and needs in achieving equal rights and opportunities in their community. Special groups of society certainly represent families of children with special needs. Due to the insufficient concern of the society for these marginalized groups in our community, as well as the need to raise awareness of the problems and needs of children and their mothers for a better way of life, TPO Foundation, within a program "Gender-based violence - GBV" launched a new set of parenting workshops entitled "Being a good enough parent" with the aim to psychosocially strengthen mothers of children suffering from paralysis and hydrocephalus. Fourteen active mothers of the Association "Dlan" in Zenica, on November 4, 2017, attended an educational workshop moderated by an associate of the TPO Foundation, psychotherapist Nermina Vehabovic-Rudez. The aim of the workshop was to strengthen the mothers of children with special needs, control and reduce the daily stress they face every day with a special emphasis on gender-based violence in which girls and women suffer from disabilities as well as mothers of ill children are exposed to various forms of discrimination and domestic violence in the community in which they live. >> MORE

Why gender and leadership matter, what affect leadership styles and how we exhibit leadership traits depend on many factors. Professor Melissa Johns from Stanford University carried out a workshop (03.11.2017), organized by University of Zenica and TPO Foundation for students and teaching staff. Over 40 students participated to the event and were engaged in exercises professor Melissa prepared for them to explain how acting with power might look like. The University representatives professor Darko Petković, professor Malik Čabaravdić and Lamija Subašić hosted the event together with professor Zilka Spahić Šiljak.

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Within the three-year educational program CHILDREN ARE OUR MIRROR: Prevention of peer-based and gender-based violence in B&H schools that the TPO Foundation successfully realized in cooperation with the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport of HNC, the Ministry of Education, Science and Youth SC and the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports CBC and thirty partner primary schools, in Bugojno on November 2, 2017 the fourth one-day training for 12 teachers was held in order to strengthen the competencies in the area of ​​successful communication and individual cooperation between teachers and parents of the Central Bosnia Canton. The trainers were Snježana Petraš and Šejla Džanan, while teachers from the elementary school "Berta Kučer" from Jajce and "Third elementary school" from Bugojno attended the training.
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In Vitez on October 31, 2017, third one-day training for teachers was held within the three-year educational program CHILDREN ARE OUR MIRROR: Prevention of peer and gender-based violence in B&H schools. TPO Foundation successfully realizes this project in cooperation with the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport of the Croatian National Theater, the Ministry of Education, Science and Youth CS and the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports CBC. The training was held for 18 teachers in order to strengthen competencies in the area of successful communication and individual cooperation between teachers and parents of the Central Bosnia Canton. Teachers who attended the training came from Primary School "Travnik" in Travnik, Elementary School "Kacuni" from Kacuni and Elementary School "Ivan Goran Kovačić" from Fojnica.
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