HUMAN RIGHTS
and
CULTURAL
SUSTAINABILITY
Ivana Dragic
Peaceful School International – Initiative in Serbia & Montenegro
I STATE
of
HUMAN RIGHTS
and
CULTURAL SUSTAINABILITY
In Yugoslavia
(now Serbia & Montenegro)
COMPLEX INFLUENCES AND HISTORY
MAJOR INFLUENCES IN ANCIENT HISTORY
1. Crossing border between Roman Empire and Byzantine Empire
2. Crossing border between Ottoman Empire and Austro-Hungarian Empire
RESULT:
Strong religious influences of three major confessions:
Islam, Orthodox and Catholic Christianity among people speaking the same language
HISTORICAL FACTS IN LAST 100 YEARS:
6 wars
1. I Balkan War, 1912.
2. II Balkan War, 1913.
3. I World War, 1914. -1918.
4. II World War, 1941. – 1945.
5. Balkan Civil War 1992. – 1995.
6. Kosovo war crisis and
bombing campaign on Serbia, 1999.
HISTORICAL FACTS IN LAST 100 YEARS:
6 times
change of the name of the State
1. Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenians, 1915
2. Kingdom of Yugoslavia, 1918
3. Federative Peoples Republic of Yugoslavia, 1943
4. Socialistic Federative Republic of Yugoslavia, 1974
5. Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, 1992
6. State Union Serbia and Montenegro, 2003
HISTORICAL FACTS IN LAST 100 YEARS:
3 assassinations
on Serbian leaders
1. King Aleksandar Obrenovic, 1903.
2. King Aleksandar Karadjordjevic, 1934.
3. Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic, 2003.
HISTORICAL FACTS IN LAST 100 YEARS:
3 different
Social orders
1. Kingdom (Monarchy)
2. Republic (Socialism since 1943.)
3. Republic (Society in transition since 2001.)
EXPERIENCES IN LAST 30 YEARS
Socialistic federative Republic of Yugoslavia
THE STATE I WAS BORN IN
EXPERIENCES IN LAST 30 YEARS
Civil war
Milosevic dictatorship
Sanctions
Economic depression
Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
1992-2003
EXPERIENCES IN LAST 30 YEARS
Bombing of my home town Pancevo, April 1999
EXPERIENCES IN LAST 30 YEARS
October 5th Revolution 2000
Leader with a real vision
In Memoriam
Dr. Zoran Djindjic 1952-2003
II VISION
1. Respecting Human Rights
2. Maintaining Cultural Sustainability
“Cultural sustainability” is a new term, and one not easily defined.
The word culture means many things to many people. We use it in the broadest sense to
mean 'our values and aspirations, traditions and shared memories, the ways we develop,
receive and transmit these, and the ways of life these processes produce'.
Sustainability can be defined as :
“Meeting the needs of the present without compromising the needs of future generations”.
Put these ideas together and we’ll have cultural sustainability – “developing, renewing and maintaining
human cultures that create positive, enduring relationships with other peoples and the natural world”.
In the words of Nelson Mandela, "Like truth, culture and creativity are enduring."
III PARTICULAR CHALLENGES
ADDRESSING MENTALITY OF SERBIAN PEOPLE
1. ADAPTED ON ABNORMAL LIVING CONDITIONS:
- Always unstable surrounding
-
Normal is to strive for the surviving
(Zone of surviving vs. Zone of higher life quality)
-
Becoming adapted on higher and higher amount on injustice and “ugliness”
in media and everyday life.
Consequences:
-
Passivity, “learned helplessness”, lack of the “inner locus of control”
“Feelings are not important”
Becoming insensible on others misfortune, raising of egoism and selfishness
ADDRESSING MENTALITY OF SERBIAN PEOPLE
2. “FLAT SOCIETY” - Society without defined hierarchy and strong elite (vertical order):
-
Collective unconscious based on Feudalism and Orthodox Christianity making good
ground for the acceptance of Socialism
-
No managers – no defined roles and tasks / No leaders – no vision and mission
Consequences:
- Put together five intelligent and capable persons in order to make a
decision and you’ll get “dumb group” of five people
3. “MENTALITY OF DEFICIENCY”:
- Life and wealth are like limited cake – If someone takes bigger part, others
will have less
Consequences:
- “They will forgive you everything but success”
ADDRESSING MENTALITY OF SERBIAN PEOPLE
4. DISTRUSTFUL ATTITUDES ABOUT WEST
- In terms of political and economical motivation or pretensions from the West
( not about “ordinary people” from abroad – which is often quit opposite)
- Fear of being exploited
Consequences: Popularity of conservative nationalistic political parties
CONSEQUENCES OF ALL 4. POINTS
- Passive or Aggressive life stiles – Assertiveness is not known even as a concept
- Passive majority is easily influenced/ruled by aggressive minority
IV MEETING CHALLENGES
MAIN GOAL
HELPING PEOPLE TO ORIENTATE
AND ACTIVATE
THEMSELVES AND THEIR SURROUNDINGS
IN A MANNERS OF PEACE EDUCATION PRINCIPLES
AND EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING
PARTICULAR PROJECTS
SUMMER SCHOOL “100 x Better!” (2000)
10 days camp with 100 participants age 18-27 from Pančevo
Lectures about peace-building, human rights,
ecology;
Workshops – identity, values, prejudices, team
building
NGO “Pančevo Civil Reaction” – GruPa, Pancevo
SUMMER SCHOOL “100 x Better!” (2000)
SUMMER SCHOOL “100 x Better!” (2000)
PARTICULAR PROJECTS
HUMAN RIGHTS TIME MACHINE (2001)
Public performance
Costume ball
Public lectures
Seminar on violation of human rights for lawyers
Survey
NGO “Pančevo Civil Reaction” – GruPa, Pančevo
HUMAN RIGHTS TIME MACHINE (2001)
HUMAN RIGHTS TIME MACHINE (2001)
HUMAN RIGHTS TIME MACHINE (2001)
PARTICULAR PROJECTS
PEACEFUL SCHOOLS INTERNATIONAL (since 2000)
Founded by Hetty Van Gurp with Headquarter in Nova Scotia, Canada
MISSION
The mission of Peaceful Schools International is to provide support to schools that have declared
a commitment to creating and maintaining a culture of peace.
FOUNDING PRINCIPLES
- Membership in PSI is voluntary
- PSI is non-prescriptive
GOALS
- Facilitate networking among peaceful schools
- Act as a clearinghouse for innovative ideas and programs
- Encourage student-centered conflict resolution strategies
- Reduce violence and punitive discipline measures
- Support at-risk students
- Promote an understanding and appreciation of diversity
Schools that become members of Peaceful Schools International are encouraged to
demonstrate a commitment to many of the following:
1. A collaborative approach to school-based decision making
2. Curricular and/or extracurricular peace education initiatives
3. Teaching methods that stress participation, cooperation, problem solving and respect for
differences
4. Student and community centered conflict resolution strategies such as peer mediation
5. Community service projects
6. Opportunities for professional development of all staff focused on creating a positive
school climate
"We can see the broad effects of this organization which, through activities in our schools,
will also affect the local communities and society in general." - teacher, Serbia
PEACEFUL SCHOOLS INITIATIVE IN SERBIA (since
2002)
AT THE BEGINNING
- PSI involved in one Belgrade school “Vasa Pelagic” 2000.
- New Ministry of Education in Serbia started serious education reform 2001.
-Hetty Van Gurp meets Deputy of Ministry of Education – Tunde Kovac –Cerovic
RESULT OF THEIR MEETING:
- Ministry of Education choose 6 Elementary schools from different regions of Serbia
for starting pilot project and 12 teachers went to the headquarter of PSI in Canada for
the training and visiting schools in December 2002.
- NGO “MOST” which runs “Peace studies” engaged for coordinating among six
schools
PEACEFUL SCHOOLS INITIATIVE IN SERBIA (since
2002)
INITIATIVE IN PARTICULAR Elementary School “Isidora Sekulic” Pancevo
MAJOR ISSUE for the first year
A collaborative approach to school-based decision making
- Starting point: All teachers went trough the workshops on non – violent communication
with manuals for working with students
- Conducted research on several major aspects of school life which included all staff, and
50 % of parents and students
- School Development Plan (involving students, parents, community members) with major
issue on discipline and atmosphere in school
- Rethinking “Conduct of behavior” with clarifying all procedures and interventions
(in each class, then students representatives with staff, and then all class parents
representatives with staff) representatives
-Changing the leadership in school
- Electing three students for the summer camp in Canada
PEACEFUL SCHOOLS INITIATIVE IN SERBIA (since
2002)
Ongoing support from PSI
Hetty visiting our school
January 2003
Students from Serbia and Canada on
summer camp “Way to Peace”
2003
PEACEFUL SCHOOLS INITIATIVE IN SERBIA (since
2002)
Following period in school development
- Starting Student Parliament
- Starting program of the Peer Mediation
- Encouraging teachers, students and parents in giving new initiatives
- Starting regular students parties organized by students
- Keeping records and celebrating each success and contribution
- Ongoing support from PSI, new visit, official membership and new summer camp
- Free excursion for the students who made some success
PEACEFUL SCHOOLS INITIATIVE IN SERBIA (since
2002)
Various activities in school
PEACEFUL SCHOOLS INITIATIVE IN SERBIA (since
2002)
Preparation for spreading the network in Serbia with a support of former Ministry of
Education
- Conference “PEACE CULTURE IN SCHOOLS” in Belgrade, December, 2003;
- Developed adapted training for this region
- Translated and published three books by Hetty Van Gurp
- Titled PSI movie toolkit
- Award winning documentary by Teresa MacInnes
“Teaching Peace in a Time of War”
- 6 schools more included
* March 2004. new Ministry of Education stopped reform of education
PEACEFUL SCHOOLS INITIATIVE IN SERBIA (since
2002)
Students for Teaching Peace, March 2005
Visiting schools and co organized International
“YOUTH TO YOUTH CONFERENCE”
HUMAN RIGHTS
and
CULTURAL
SUSTAINABILITY
Ivana Dragic
Peaceful School International – Initiative in Serbia & Montenegro