This page provides information
and links to projects accomplished in 2008 as part of the overall
TWI for the Children program to assist persons in the Balkans. Click on the
link to learn more about the project.
Camps to Kids:
New
Jersey Synod camps for Children in Bosnia and Herzegovina - 21
June - 5 July 2008. This camp for children
in Bosnia and Herzegovina took 23 volunteers from the New Jersey Lutheran
Synod to 14 towns in Bosnia. This large project was split into two teams
of volunteers and interpreters in order to cover the entire country. The
teams hosted more than 1,500 children during the three week period.
TWI
for the Children camps for children in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro
- 2 - 23 July 2008. This camp for children concentrated on camps for
orphanages in Bosnia and Montenegro and two camps in Northern Bosnia and in
Srebrenica. Camps were held in schools in Prejedor, Sanski Most,
Srebrenica and Trebjne and in orphanages in Sarajevo, Mostar and a picnic for
children from the orphanage in Zenica. A camp was also held at the orphanage
in Montenegro. Most of the camps at orphanages were two days in
duration. More than 600 children were hosted during the three week period. The
theme of this years camps was "the Olympics". Games, crafts, stories
and presentations were built around this theme. Lunches were provided at each
school along with games and crafts. Report
of camp activity plus pictures are included.
TWI
for the Children camp for Special Needs Children and Family in Bosnia.
In July 2008, TWI hosted families and special needs children to a weekend retreat at the Monastery
at Rama in central Bosnia. Fifty-four children and adults were hosted at the monastery
at Rama in central Bosnia. These families were treated to the Olympic game
crafts, games and presentations and provided with wonderful meals by the
nuns from the monastery. Time was provided for swimming and walks around the
lake. This is the eighth year that TWI has been able to provide this weekend
for these families from Sarajevo. Report
of the 2008 weekend is included.
Training Workshops:
Training
Workshops in Bosnia and Herzegovina - 12 - 15 May 2008. This project led by
Mrs. Bonnie Miller presented three full-day workshops to 250
educators in Konjic, Ilijaš, and Visoko, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The multiethnic groups of teachers were eager participants in the group
work and role plays and displayed their sense of humor and volunteerism
throughout the workshops. Power
point presentations, video, discussion, demonstration, and hands-on exercises
were used to bring information and skills to the teachers employing visual,
auditory and kinesthetic modalities.
The Workshop Series were very successful. Report
of workshops and pictures are included.
English
Language Workshop in Jagodina Serbia - 16 -17 May 2008. TWI provided two
teaching participants at the Jagodina University,
Serbia workshop for teaching the
English Language. "TWI
for the Children" participated at the English Language Training Conference
(ELT) titled Responding to Diversity in Teaching Young Learners
that took place at the Faculty of Education, University of Kragujevac,
Jagodina
,
Serbia
on 16-17 May 2008. The conference waas supported by the Embassy of
Finland in Belgrade, Serbia
within the project Curriculum Reform: Development of Practice Teaching and
Research. A
report of conference, reports submitted and handouts provided as well as
pictures are included.
Training Workshop in
Kosovo: 11 - 13 October 2008. Sponsored
in part by TWI for the Children, Inc., Bonnie Miller returned to Kosovo
for the second time in 2008 to present in a three-day weekend, three
Training Workshops. This was Mrs. Miller's eleventh trip to Kosovo.
On 11 October 2008,
Mrs. Miller hosted a workshop in Podujeve (north eastern part of Kosovo)
for 76 teachers, school directors and education students. The
topics dealt with new methods of teaching and how to identify and help
children with Learning Disabilities and Attention Deficit Disorder.
The government head of the region and regional head of education spoke
at the seminar, and the former promised to make education in his district a
top priority. On
12 October 2008, Mrs. Miller presented
a seminar in Prizren on the same topics for a multiethnic audience of 86
Bosnian-speaking educators (Bosniaks, Turks, and Gorans).
The presentation was in Bosnian language, and participants received
Mrs. Miller’s parenting manual, teacher manual, video, and guidebook on
learning disabilities in Bosnian language. On
13 October 2008, Mrs.
Miller presented a short workshop for 55 students in the Faculty of Education
at the
University
of
Prizren
. With this series of seminars,
Bonnie has trained well over 3000 educators and education students and
has presented 24 workshops all over Kosovo, including all of the
university faculties of education in the country. All
seminar participants received Bonnie Miller’s book, Communicating
with Children, and guidebook on Learning Disabilities and Attention
Deficit Disorder, I Can Learn.
They will also received the newly published updated version of Connecting
with Children in the Classroom, underwritten by a grant from USAID.
Report of workshops and
pictures are included.
Training Workshops in Bosnia: 10-15
November 2008: This workshop series was conducted by Mrs. Miller in Sipovo, Sanski Most and Velika Kladusa, Bosnia and
Herzegovina. This round of seminars brought new knowledge and skills to underserved
areas of Bosnia-Herzegovina that rarely are afforded the opportunity for
continuing education for teachers. In
Sipovo, the elementary school where we held our seminar
cancelled school for the day so that all teachers could participate in the
training. Educators from area
schools also attended, totaling 75.
As usual, the interactive workshops focused on identifying and helping
children with learning disabilities and attention deficit disorder. The active
learning techniques and strategies for improving the learning and emotional
environment for children with these problems are also valuable for all
students in making their education more relevant and interesting and catering
to each child as an individual. Part
of the afternoon session was devoted to the topic of teamwork with parents,
which enhances sharing information and strategies to help children with these
difficulties.
The seminar in Sanski Most had 75 area educators.
In these more isolated regions, teachers are especially appreciative of
new ideas and methods. The
seminar in Velika Kladusa, in the farthest northwest corner of
Bosnia-Herzegovina, drew 105 teachers, pedagogues (school counselors), and
principals who participated (as did the educators in the other two seminars)
enthusiastically in small groups and role plays.
The seminar evaluations were overwhelmingly positive, and teachers
promised to share what they had learned, along with the teacher and parent
manuals, teacher guide for learning and attention problems, and video they had
been given, with their colleagues.
Training
Workshops in Serbia - 1 - 8 November 2008: This training workshop
series in Belgrade, Petrovac na Miavi, Jagodina, Paracin and Nis, Serbia was
held during the period 2 -10
November 2008. The workshops were presented by Dr. Philippe Dupont. More than
400 students and teachers attended the four one-day workshops. This is the
third year Dr. Dupont has presented workshops for teachers and students in
Serbia. He has worked with TWI for more than 10 years providing instruction to
teachers in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Handouts were translated into the Serbian
language and provided to each participant. Topics related to how to deal with
classroom problems and classroom management among other teacher concerns.
International Studies:
Balkan
Scholarship Students. During school year 2007-2008, TWI
sponsored three Bosnian university students
at Anatolia College, Greece; One Bosnian student at Indianapolis
University, Athens, Greece , and one Bosnian student at Sarajevo University in
Bosnia. The first semester 2008-2009, TWI sponsored two students in Greece
and one student in Indianapolis University in the United States.
English Language Studies at the Mostar Orphanage. 13 May - 20
June 2008. TWI sponsored two
American university students with a TWI interpreter to teach English at the
Mostar Orphanage in Bosnia and Herzegovina. This project is a continuation of
the TWI for the Children's project to assist children in orphanages in Bosnia
and in Montenegro learn rudimentary English and help them daily with their
school studies. Our volunteers live in the orphanage with the orphans. Living
with the students helps the instructor relate to the children. Reports from
orphanage directors show that the orphans improve markedly in their school
classes after these English language projects. Reports and information on
this project are included.
Leadership
Training Workshop in Montenegro. TWI hosted a three-day leadership
workshop in Montenegro for university students from Kosovo, Serbia, Bosnia,
Croatia and Montenegro to discuss topics of interest to students in the
Balkans. The TWI Leadership Training Camp brought
teams from Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, Serbia, and Croatia to
join our American team for the TWI camp program at the orphanage in
Bijela, Montenegro. The eighteen participants from around the Balkans and
the United States met together on the grounds of the orphanage in Montenegro
and took part in the TWI camp for kids at the orphanage as well as
participating in workshops and seminars of interest to the university
students. This conference brought together students and adults from the
different ethnic groups of the former Yugoslavia and resulted in a better
understanding of the concerns of each new Balkan State.
English Language Studies for students in Sarajevo,
Bosnia. 27 October - 28 November 2008. TWI in association with a generous
donor in Bosnia hosted a month-long English Language program in Sarajevo in
November 2008. Two British volunteers were assisted by a TWI
coordinator, interpreter and teaching assistant. The project presented English
language instruction to students from diverse backgrounds in grades 3 -7 in a
school in Sarajevo. The response from both the teachers and students is that
the pace and ease of spoken instruction helped the students understand and
speak English in a manner that could not be obtained from books alone.
Humanitarian Assistance:
Learning
Center for Special Needs Children in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
TWI financially helps to support the Learning Center in Sarajevo that works
with special needs children and their families. The Learning Center for
Children with Special Needs in Sarajevo is designed to teach
children and their parents how to overcome disability and become active,
useful members of their communities. The
Learning Center in Sarajevo has been working with special needs children
since 2002 and although not self-sufficient financially, are making strides to
pay for their own expenses. The Center provides educational and emotional
assistance to more than 75 children monthly with crafts, music and school
instruction for the children and group therapy for the parents.
Clothes
for Orphans in Bosnia and Herzegovina. In October 2008, American
University students participating in a month-long study in the Balkans agreed
to take eight suitcases of clothes for orphanages in Bosnia and Montenegro that are part of
the TWI for the Children "Camps to Kids" project. TWI presented a
seminar with these students in Washington, DC before the class left for
the Balkans. Our thanks are extended to Professor Elefterios Michael and the
class for their assistance in this project. The clothes were taken
to children in orphanages in Montenegro and in Mostar, Bosnia-Herzegovina in
November 2008 by the TWI English Language Team working with Children in
Sarajevo.
