Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.
- Mark Twain
Balkan Peace Adventures
Each Balkan Peace Adventure is unique and custom designed for specifically for your group. There are many different possible activities that you can include in your trip to Bosnia and Herzegovina, include a side-trip to a neighboring country (see below). Take a look at some of the possibilities below. When you're ready to start planning your trip or if you have questions, please contact Jason Reed, the Balkan Peace Adventures Director. He's ready to help you build your own Balkan Peace Adventure!
Service Learning
Your group will participate in service projects with local young people and community leaders Each service project will be done working shoulder-to-shoulder with local partners. The work will include appropriate preparation and training in mutually-supportive serving practices.
Examples of possible Service-Learning activities:
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Doing repair work at the orphanage in Mostar.
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Fixing up a school in Šipovo.
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Making care packages in Čelinać for local families.
Eco-Adventures
Bosnia and Herzegovina is filled with beautiful mountains, rivers, forests, and more. Your group will go on eco tours of the country and join local teens and young adults in eco service projects.
Examples of possible activities:
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Rafting on the world-famous Neretva or Una rivers.
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Camping on a beach by the Adriatic Sea.
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Participating in clean-up projects with local service clubs.
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Hiking and camping in the mountains and swimming in the lakes.
Genocide,War & Peace
Your group will visit sites relating to the Bosnian War, hosted by local community leaders. They will meet with community peace activists and organizations dedicated to justice for the victims of war and rebuilding the country.
Examples of possible Genocide, War & Peace activities:
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Visiting the Srebrenica Memorial and the site of the Trnopolje Concentration Camp.
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Hearing stories from survivors and peace activists.
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Participating in Peace Projects with local students.
Friendship Camps
Your group will lead Friendship Camps at schools around the country. These Camps will offer a variety of activities - games, art, drama, etc. - for children ages 10-14. Your group will be trained in leading these Camps and will be partnered with trained local interpreters and co-leaders.
In each Camp town your group will be hosted by local young people and school leaders. You'll be shown around the town and enjoy the local hospitality!
Inter-Faith Exploration
Your group will participate in workshops and special activities with young people and leaders from different religious communities. They will learn first hand about the challenges and gifts of living in this multi-religious society.
Examples of possible Inter-Faith Exploration activities:
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Sharing meals, play games, and talk with Muslim and Christian young people.
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Visiting local mosques, churches, and the Jewish synagogue in Sarajevo.
Spiritual Pilgrimage
Your group will visit religious sites around the country and participate in a spiritual retreat at the famed House of Peace (Kuća Mira) on the grounds of the historic Franscican monastery at Rama-Šćit.
At the Kuća Mira your group will practice many forms of prayer and meditation, experience spiritual healing through art and nature, and relax on the shores of beautiful lake Rama.
School-to-School
Is your organization interested in connecting with a school or classroom in Bosnia and Herzegovina? We work with many schools who would love to start a mutually respectful relationship where the students and teachers could share stories about their lives and communities, and their hopes and dreams.
Your group will meet and spend time with them during your trip and set up tools for ongoing interaction when you're back home (social media, video conferencing, etc.).
What else?
Do you have other ideas for your trip to Bosnia and Herzegovina? We'd love to help you explore ways to experience this wonderful country and its people in ways that will best suit your group and its goals.
Whether you have specific ideas in mind, or just want to talk through some possibilities, don't hesitate to get in touch with us! We'd love to dream and plan with you. It's a big, extraordinary country and the opportunities to learn and explore and play and be transformed are limitless.
Visit another Country
You could include one-or-a-few days in a neighboring country, giving your group a broader taste of balkan culture.
Your group could relax on the beautiful coast of Croatia; or explore the stunning mountains of Montenegro; or visit the historic capital city of Belgrade, Serbia.