MIP joins the workshop for history teachers held in Croatia

On 20 July 2024, the Mechanism Information Programme for Affected Communities (MIP) participated in a workshop for Croatian history teachers organised by SENSE Transitional Centre and the Association of Croatian History Teachers (HUNP) in Pula, Croatia. The workshop aimed to assist teachers in using the judicial archive of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (IRMCT). More specifically, it focused on utilising narratives produced by SENSE as a tool in teaching the history of the 1990s conflicts in the former Yugoslavia.

The event brought together around 25 participants, including high school history teachers from Croatia, MIP focal points, and representatives of associations of history teachers from Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Serbia.

The MIP Coordinator, Ms. Rada Pejić-Sremac, who participated online, stressed the importance of initiatives such as SENSE in preserving and using the ICTY and Mechanism legacies, especially in the context of history teaching. She also discussed the MIP’s youth outreach component and shared insights and experiences from its implementation. She emphasised the importance of using archival materials from ICTY and Mechanism in educational contexts to foster a deeper understanding of the conflicts that ravaged the former Yugoslavia in the 1990s.

The workshop provided a platform for participants to exchange ideas and methodologies for integrating these historical resources into their curricula. Discussions focused on the importance of interactive narratives on ICTY as used and produced by SENSE, the role of transitional justice in education, and the challenges faced by history teachers in teaching about the conflicts of the 1990s.

Key speakers included Ms. Mina Vidaković, Director of SENSE Center for Transitional Justice, Mr. Igor Jovanović, President of the HUNP; Mr. Mire Mladenovski, President of the Association of History Teachers of North Macedonia; and Mr. Aleksandar Todosijević, President of the Association of History Teachers of Serbia.

The MIP’s participation in the webinar is part of its efforts to support projects and events implemented by civil society organisations that are active in the field of transitional justice in the region of the former Yugoslavia.

The aim of the MIP is to improve the knowledge and understanding of citizens and communities in the countries of the former Yugoslavia about the crimes committed during the conflicts of the 1990s, based on ICTY and Mechanism cases. The MIP is funded by the European Union.