Building civic education in Bosnia

Feichter, Pat; Huschle, Gail; Bristol, Mary. Social Education 60.7  (Nov/Dec 1996): 426-427.

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During the summer of 1996, American and European teachers participated in a program aimed to
train Bosnian teachers in the use of curricular materials and methods promoting education for
democracy. Three American teachers reflect on what they learned from their Bosnian colleagues
in this workshop on education for democracy.

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Headnote
During the summer of 1996, American and European teachers participated in the Civitas program
described in the previous article. Its aim is to train Bosnian teachers in the use of curricular
materials and methods promoting education for democracy. Among the American teachers who
visited Bosnia in July to train their Bosnian colleagues were Pat Feichter, Gail Huschle and Mary
Bristol. Here, they share some of their memories with the readers of Social Education. Their visit
was organized by the Center for Civic Education of Calabas, California, with the support of the
United States Information Agency.

Would I Return? In a Heartbeat!

When the Center for Civic

Education asked me to volunteer to teach in Bosnia this summer, I jumped at the opportunity.

Many people thought I was crazy, but I knew it would be a unique experience and one in which I
could make a positive contribution in promoting democratic values.

Entering Bosnia, it does not take long to experience destruction. Our seven hour bus trip to
Sarajevo passed through dozens of war ravaged villages and towns. Some were selectively
damaged, with only certain areas felled by artillery shells, while others were totally leveled. The
once beautiful city of Mostar was one of the worst damaged. Everywhere in this Muslim-Croatian
divided city there was evidence of war.
Sarajevo, once the proud host of the 1984 Winter Olympic Games, is a city of burnt-out hulks.
Over 1,300,000 artillery shells have struck Sarajevo. The effects were extensive and devastating.
The Holiday Inn, where we stayed while in Sarajevo, is still marked by the effects of war. There
are elevators and guest rooms with bullet holes and a stairway being repaired from a direct
artillery hit.

I was assigned to teach in the Canton of Travnik, 60 miles north of Sarajevo. I worked with one
other American teacher and two Europeans, one from Germany and the other from Switzerland.
This was the first time any of us had worked together. Flexibility and a willingness to
compromise was a basic need. We were able to work together well.

Our class had thirty participants. These were teachers of Muslim, Croatian, and Serbian
background. We worked entirely through interpreters. Our facility was a Jesuitfounded secondary
school 114 years old.

Apprehension is the best way to describe our feelings going into this two-week course. Would
the class understand us? Would they like us? Would they be willing to participate in simulations
and group projects? The answer to this was a resounding yes!

The Bosnian teachers, our students, were a joy to work with. They had a great sense of humor
and an incredible interest in learning about democracy. Our mock trial and simulated election
were two of the most popular activities. We became so close to members of our class that we
were frequently invited to their apartments.

People often ask me if I was frightened being in Bosnia. The answer is no. As long as you used
common sense, there was nothing to fear. I walked the streets of both Travnik and Sarajevo in
the evenings without a worry. However, you could not plan picnics in the countryside. An
estimated 8 to 11 million landmines are a danger. You must stay on paved roads and sidewalks.

One of the saddest effects of the war is the huge number of refugees living in squalor. They have
very little food to eat. One man showed me a small piece of goat cheese, which was his only
allotment of food for the day. These displaced people have in many cases been living in refugee
centers for more than two years, and often don't know where their loved ones are or even if they
are alive. The most we could do for them was to offer clothes, some food, and a small amount of
money.

Ethnic tensions do exist in Bosnia and are usually just below the surface. One evening on the
streets of Travnik, I was approached by an irate group of Croatians. They were very upset
because the person who selected the Bosnian teachers to attend our program was a Muslim.
They were concerned about bias in the selection process. From time to time, we would hear
stories about churches and mosques being bombed. Ethnic tensions are a fact of life in Bosnia.

Would I return? In a heartbeat! Working with the Bosnian teachers was one of the most rewarding
experiences of my life. In a small way I feel I may have helped further democracy and peace in
this troubled land.

Beauty in the Midst of Devastation

When I remember my three weeks in Bosnia-Herzegovina it is not the amazing physical beauty of
the country nor the irony of that beauty contrasted with the terrible devastation of the towns
which haunt me. Rather, it is the bond I formed with two remarkable women, Hajra Alibegovic
and Azemina Masinovic. As we sat for one last cup of Turkish coffee in the Sarajevo
Bashtasherie (Head Market), they asked me one last question: "After what you have seen here,
do you feel we are foolish to want to forgive and forget?" Did I answer them "correctly?" I don't
know.

First, I should tell you about these two women. Hajra was my alter-ego, my translator. By the time
two weeks had passed, she could anticipate what I would say next, often using the same
inflection and hand gestures. She and her husband stayed in Travnik even though they might
have fled. They were a secular family. They saw themselves as Bosnians first, not as members of
an ethnic or religious group. They did send their two daughters abroad to study. Their younger
daughter, Samra, served as our German translator; she hadn't been home for four years. I tried to
imagine what it must have been like to miss the formative teen years of your child.
Unimaginable. Hajra and her husband remained because, as the only English teacher, Hajra could
not leave her students-all of whom maintained that she was the best teacher they ever had. As a
psychiatrist, Hajra's husband could not leave his patients, many of whom bear the burdens of life
in the military.

This couple had links to Croatia, including a comfortable family home in Dubrovnik, yet they
chose to stay in Travnik because they identify themselves as Bosnian. After their beautiful home
on Vlashish Mountain was destroyed by the Serb forces, they found a small flat in town in which
to withstand the four years of merciless shelling. Some of the blasts landed just a few feet from
their building. Hajra somehow makes a positive out of this negative. She says she is liberated
from the material things of life and now values friends and family more than ever. Perhaps that's
why she gave me a lovely piece of lace handiwork from her own collection, and slipped a silver
bracelet onto my wrist as we parted, saying, "There, now you must return because you are my
sister!"
Azemina is Hajra's best friend. She is Muslim. Correction! She is a Bosnian who lives as a Muslim
in faith. Her husband's family has lived in Travnik for over 100 years. Her daughter was married in
Germany during the war; she could "attend" through photos alone. I was invited to share a meal
with Azemina and Hajra at Azemina's home. There we shared "pita," strawberry juice, and Turkish
coffee. Azemina is an expert in the tedious art of making filo dough which encases the spicy
meat of "pita" The men stopped by to invite us to walk around town in the nightly social
promenade, but Azemina and I conspired to keep our evening only for the ladies. She told them
my left leg hurt so that we could continue the talk of children, husbands, and weddings. She gave
me Muslim prayer beads as I left to remind me of her whenever I prayed a rosary, since I am
Roman Catholic.

Throughout the two weeks, these women made me understand Bosnian hospitality. Both took
delight in their shared culture; both took pride in the traditions of the other. Neither has patience
for split national designations: Bosnian-Croats or Bosnian-Serbs or Bosnian-Muslims. Both want
Bosnia for Bosnians.

So, what was my answer to their last question? Are they foolish to forgive and forget the harms
done in the last four years? No, I said, to take sides is to negate the nobility that your friendship
signifies. To take sides is to make the idea of Bosnia-Herzegovina obsolete.

Making Connections Between Cultures

"We now have clean air and empty pockets:' This was how the residents of Zenica described the
effects of the steel plant not operating there. High unemployment and buildings in need of
maintenance were signs of war time difficulty. The vegetable gardens on the lawns of our hotel
attested to the struggle for survival. Although predominantly Muslim, many residents spoke of
the desire for an ethnically diverse and united Bosnia-Herzegovina as they offered us warm
hospitality.

Participants in our seminars were well prepared and actively involved. While their community has
many pressing needs, it was evident they have a strong commitment to civic education. Class
discussions were intense and questions were pertinent. They embraced new content and
methods such as mock trials and town meetings. Participants vacillated between optimistic
planning and confronting difficult realities.

Our study of constitutionalism, authority, justice, and the role of the citizen in a democracy
elicited powerful responses. Discussion ofcivic responsibility led to the sharing of experiences.
One teacher told of observing a colleague stealing petroleum vital to the war. She struggled to
determine what her responsibility was in those circumstances. Another recounted rescuing his
mother from a war zone. He described his search, their hunger, and them walking many
kilometers and crossing a mountain. Another explained that few had survived the sniper fire
while ascending that particular mountain. It put my experiences in perspective.

To provide practice in policy-making, we used Project Citizen, the program designed by the
Center for Civic Education to help middle school students learn to work together with their
communities on issues of public policy. As teachers identified community problems, it was clear
that some-such as environmental issues, welfare, and educational concerns-are universal.

Language differences meant that observing body language and obtaining translations of daily
written summaries became important tools. As groups began working, I realized how much I
normally use conversations to guide questions and evaluate progress. Awareness of different
patterns of inter-cultural communication, especially of distinct speech and politeness systems,
was essential to productive teaching.

I used listening tools intensely. Our Bosnian colleagues spoke in a unique pattern. First they
would tell us what they would be saying, next they would say it, and finally they would summarize
what was said. Once I understood this pattern, it was easier to listen for the pertinent
information. I tried to modify my presentation but found it difficult to change.

We tried diligently to show respect for each other. That meant slowing down as we worked to
build understanding. I tried not to ask questions too soon. While Americans are informal and
direct, our hosts asked questions only after much conversation about a topic. Each tried to
observe the other for clues to politeness. When our host said, "We might consider going to the
restaurant" and then pulled out another cigarette, we realized that the leaving ritual was long.

Bosnia is complex, fragile and difficult to understand. Regardless, the connection with Bosnian
teachers was strong. We want the same things for our students. We worry about their
preparation and opportunities to contribute to society. That is the essence of teaching.

Global education takes as its starting point the myriad of cultural connections among individuals
and across borders in a world whose societies are economically interdependent. This
consciousness of"the other" shimmers with the realization of our similarities and our differences,
and the discovery of our common dreams and fears. The deeper questions lie just below the
surface: What does it mean to be human? What is the good society? The values and standards
contained in human rights documents provide a universal ethic for considering such questions.
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 1998,
presents a set of rights to which individuals are entitled by virtue of being human.

The Universal Declaration is concerned with freedom of personality. It and similar documents are
ultimately about social and political progress, since personal and societal development are
inextricably linked. Protection against "inhumane practices ofthe State" can mean the promotion
of more just societies.

Human Rights and the United Nations

Human rights education is an international movement to promote awareness about the rights

accorded by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), and the procedures that exist for
the redress of violations of these rights (Reardon 1995, 4). This core mission of human
rights education-concerning awareness and advocacy-is supplemented by an effort to promote
attitudes and skills of an even greater breadth. The United Nations declared 1995-2004 as the
Decade for Human Rights Education. In the United Nations Plan of Action, human
rights education is defined as a training, dissemination and information effort aimed at building a
universal culture of human rights. This culture should:

* strengthen the respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms;

* fully develop the human personality and sense of dignity;

* promote understanding, tolerance, gender equality, and friendship among nations, indigenous
peoples and racial, national, ethnic, religious and linguistic groups;

* enable all persons to participate effectively in a free society;

* further the activities of the United Nations for the maintenance of peace (Office of the High
Commissioner for Human Rights 1995, p. 7).

Other key human rights documents, such as the original Charter of the United Nations (1945), the
American Regional Agreement on Human Rights Standards and Institutions (1948), the
International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (1966) and the Convention on the
Rights of the Child (1989) promote and encourage respect for human rights and fundamental
freedoms, and the right to related education (Action Professionals' Association for the People
1996).

International Applications

Across the world, both governmental and non-governmental educational agencies have
implemented programs of human rightseducation in both the formal and informal educational
sectors. This work is being conducted on a community level by international nongovernmental
organizations, such as Amnesty International, or by local groups concerned with women, labor,
development, the environment, social such as the original Charter of the United Nations (1945),
the American Regional Agreement on Human Rights Standards and Institutions (1948), the
International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (1966) and the Convention on the
Rights of the Child (1989) promote and encourage respect for human rights and fundamental
freedoms, and the right to relatededucation (Action Professionals' Association for the People
1996).

InternationalApplications

Across the world, both governmental and non-governmental educational agencies have
implemented programs of human rightseducation in both the formal and informal educational
sectors. This work is being conducted on a community level by international nongovernmental
organizations, such as Amnesty International, or by local groups concerned with women, labor,
development, the environment, social justice, and religious issues.

Efforts to promote human rights are aimed both at the formal education sector, through the
development of materials that can be used in school settings, and the informal education sector,
through activities such as the celebration of International Human Rights Day on December 10
(the date of the signing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights), inter-cultural summer
camps, drawing competitions and street theater. Work in the informal education sector and at
the community level is particularly popular, for example, in countries with high illiteracy levels
and strong oral traditions. For example, in some Asian countries like Nepal, India and
Bangladesh, which have theater traditions, street performances are used to educate the young
and adults about their social rights and responsibilities.

In some cases, such groups are able to work with government agencies in infusing
such education into the formal curriculum. Through the cooperative efforts of educational
authorities and human rights groups-such as Amnesty International and the Netherlands Helsinki
Committee-human rights courses and topics have been introduced into the national curricula of
Albania, Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway, the UK and
Ukraine. These human rights materials are usually accompanied by related teacher training, with
special emphasis on the creation of a democratic climate in the classroom and school.

Human rights education has branched into an international movement in recent years, not only
because of the greater attention it has received from organizations such as the United Nations
and Amnesty International as a mechanism for protecting against

A Human Rights Lesson Plan*

A provocative lesson for high school students focuses on political freedom. The teacher will
need to obtain copies of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights for students.**
Step 1. Ask the class as a whole: "What does it mean to you to be free?" Write the responses on
the blackboard or a large sheet of paper.

Step 2. Ask the students to identify which of these answers expresses political or civil rights.
Note these next to the original set of responses.

Step 3. Ask students if there are any other civil and political rights not mentioned but included in
the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). Students can then refer to the Declaration.
After noting their answers, the teacher should refer to the document and fill in any gaps. The
teacher might mention that the first 21 Articles of the Universal Declaration concern civil and
political liberties.

Step 4. Ask the students "How do you know how much freedom exists in a particular nation?"
After some brainstorming, the teacher can make a differentiation between "rights on paper" and
"rights in practice:'

Step 5. Tell the students that they are part of a team that has been sent into an unknown country
to assess the "level of freedom" Ask the students to brainstorm what information or clues they
might look for in this country to determine the "level of freedom" This could human rights abuses,
but because of the collapse of totalitarian governments in the former Soviet Union and South
Africa.

Since 1990, several streams of reform in Central and Eastern Europe, including the newly
independent states, have direct implications for the field of political education, although they
have been initiated unevenly. Mandates for new civics, ethics, and sociopolitical classes have
been called for to replace the former Marxist-Leninist subjects. At all levels of the educational
communities involved, there seems to be broad acceptance in principle that classes that address
democratic education and human rights themes need to be develbe done as a whole class or in
small groups that report to the class.

Step 6. Break students into small groups and ask each group to select one of the Articles in the
UDHR that refers to a civil or political right. Each group is to come up with indicators for the "level
of freedom" for this particular right. These indicators should be presented as a "scale of
freedom" with the low end of the scale representing a nonexistent level of freedom for this
particular right, and the high end of the scale complete freedom for this right. For example, for
the right to vote, at one end of the scale you might have no right to vote (totalitarian rule); in the
middle of the scale, the right to vote but only for one party; and at the other end of the scale, the
right to vote in a multi-party system. Students might need 20-30 minutes to develop these scales.

Step 7 Groups then present their scales of freedom.

An optional, follow-up assignment is to have students select a particular country and research its
overall level of freedom, using some of the indicators presented in the class. The lesson may
also be carried out for social and economic rights by substituting "security" for freedom.

* Adapted from David Shiman, Teaching Human Rights (Denver: Center for Teaching
International Relations, University of Denver, 1993).

** Contact the United Nations AssociationUSA, 458 Fifth Avenue, New York NY 10017 An
optional, follow-up assignment is to have students select a particular country and research its
overall level of freedom, using some of the indicators presented in the class. The lesson may
also be carried out for social and economic rights by substituting "security" for freedom.

* Adapted from David Shiman, Teaching Human Rights (Denver: Center for Teaching
International Relations, University of Denver, 1993).

Contact the United Nations AssociationUSA, 458 Fifth Avenue, New York, NA 10017 for
assistance.

Human rights education remains an imperative the world over. On the negative side,

governments and warfare continue to violate the human rights of individuals, denying human
fulfillment and the potential for a good and just society. On the positive side, the potential for a
global embracing of the values embodied in the Universal Declaration has never been greater.

Teaching about Human Rights in the United States

It may be tempting for U.S. educators to consider human rights education irrelevant for this
country. Don't human rights abuses take place in other parts of the world? Why talk about the
U.N. and its documents when the Bill of Rights covers most of our basic freedoms?

Awareness

There is a strong feeling in the U.S. that our national documents sufficiently protect individual
liberties. Human rights educationchallenges us to consider not only political and civil rights-the
"freedom rights"-but also the "security oriented" rights that propose that individuals are entitled
to a basic standard of living, including decent housing, food and work, through the state's
management of resources. This is the proposition that may be difficult for Americans, since it
suggests a potential government role in these areas. The recent struggles over health care
legislation reflect, among other things, the conflicting views that we have over the responsibility
of government versus the individual in guaranteeing health insurance. A human rights
perspective asks us to consider such policies as comprehensive health care, affordable housing
and basic, quality education from the vantage point of human rights.
Student awareness of codified rights may begin at the middle school level, when children are
able to analyze legal and political documents. Two simple exercises can introduce students to
human rights.

Exercise 1

Provide students with the Preamble to the Declaration of Independence and a simplified version
of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In small groups, students will discuss how the
Declaration of Independence expressed a world vision of the initiators of the American
Revolution. What human rights did it establish? What relationship between government and
rights did it describe? Students will then compare the vision expressed in the Declaration of
Independence with that expressed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. After the small
groups have shared their results, students will individually write down and share three ideas that
they think would make the world a better place. (This lesson comes from Reardon, 1995.)

Exercise 2

Have students research newspapers for stories that exemplify human rights themes. These
examples should be categorized according to whether rights are denied, rights are protected,
rights are in conflict or rights are exercised. Ask students to locate these human rights principles
in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Help the class to consider the fuller spectrum of
human rights entailed in the concept of three generations of rights:

* first generation: political and civil rights

* second generation: social and economic rights

* third generation: environmental, cul

tural and developmental rights.

Definitions and examples of such rights should be clearly explained, including a reference to their
historical evolution and conflicting views about the role of governments in ensuring second and
third generation rights.

Advocacy

In the U.S., a historical outlook that stresses individualism and international isolationism can
blind students to our global interdependence and need for taking personal and global
responsibility. Why should young people care about the plight of their vulnerable classmates? For
that matter, why should an American student necessarily care about the status of human rights
in Burma, when both the problems and possible solutions seem far away?

There is an inherent value in establishing norms of caring and responsibility which all students
need to understand. Many examples from history demonstrate the effectiveness of individual
and collective action for bringing about social change. The civil rights movement provides a rich
opportunity for discussions about racial justice and human rights. Students might study the
personal story of Rosa Parks, and how her actions affected the Montgomery Bus Boycott of
1955. The non-violent campaign of Mahatma Gandhi to win independence for India is another
good example of how individual and collective actions can combine in the successful
achievement of human rights.

Amnesty International, with a membership of over one million, is a group comprised of private
citizens who work for the release of "prisoners of conscience" in many parts of the world through
letter-writing campaigns. Thousands of human rights organizations across the world work to
make people aware of human rights abuses so that public opinion and pressure can be brought
against guilty governments. Regional inter-governmental agencies such as the Organization of
American States (OAS), as well as the UN's High Commissioner for Human Rights, are prepared
to respond to human rights emergencies. Lessons that raise awareness about these
mechanisms for human rights protection are contained in the resources listed at the end of this
article.

Conclusion

In many ways, human rights education is a subfield within an enlightened form of

democratic education that promotes a respect for rights as well as social responsibility.
However, unlike the premise of political education, which is based on the notion of "the citizen,"
human rights education takes as its premise the individual as a member of the human race.
Human rights education locates moral authority not in the legitimacy of any particular state, but
in the inherent dignity and potential of each person as a physical, sensitive, thoughtful and
spiritual being.

The lessons in this article involve direct discussion of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
and its protections against human abuse. However, since human rights education is ultimately
about human dignity, freedom and responsibility, education in the lower grades can also make a
contribution. The use of literature, creative writing, art, and drama, as well as history, social
studies and current issues, can help students to develop:

an ability to understand various points of view and incorporate them into dialogue and decisions
a capacity for empathy

a sense of self identity

a structure of universal values to guide the individual adoption of moral positions (Campos 1991,
68).

Discussions about everyday occurrences in the classroom such as interpersonal conflicts can
also help students to develop skills for participation in pluralistic communities.

Human rights provide an ethical and moral framework for living in a community, whether this be
a class, a school, a village, a city, a nation state, a continent, or the global village itself (Osler &
Starkey 1994, 349). Since no society is wholly just, there will always be a need for human
rights education.

References
References

References
Action Professionals' Association for the People. The Bells of Freedom. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
1996. Amnesty International. Amnesty International's International and Regional Human
Rights Education Programme. London: Human Rights Education Team, International Secretariat,
Amnesty International, 1994. Blahoz, K. "Human Rights and the Concept ofthe Legal State in
Socialist Countries" In N. Barfoed & H. Holtermann (eds), Human Rights tn East ern and Western
Europe. Copenhagen: The Danish Centre for Human Rights, 1990. Campos, B.P. "Psychological
Development and Personal and Social Education in Schools" in H. Starkey, The Challenge of
Human Rights Education. London: Cassell Publishing, 1991. Gillespie, J.A. Introduction in: D.
Heater and JA. Gillespie (eds.), Political Education in Flux. London & Beverly Hills: Sage
Publications, 1981. Heater, D. Human Rights Education ih Schools: Concepts, Attitudes and
Sk:Ils. Strasbourg: Council of Europe, School Education Division, 1984. Kelly, A.V Education and
Demo-acv. London: Paul Chapman Publishing Ltd., 1995.

References
O'Brien, E.L., Greene, E. and D. McQuoid Mason. Human Right for All. Minneapolis: West
Publishing Company, 1996. Osler A. and H. Starkey. "Fundamental Issues in
Teacher Education for Human Rights: A European Perspective" Journal of Moral Education 23,
no3 (1994). Reardon, B.A. Educating for Human D:gn:ty. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania
Press, 1995. Shiman, D. Human Rights. Denver: Center for Teaching International Relations,
University of Denver, 1993. Tibbitts, F. "Human Rights Education in Schools in the Post-
Communist Context" European Journal of Education 29, no. 4 (1994). United Nations Centre for
Human Rights, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. Plan of Action for the United
Nations Decade for Human Rights Education, 1995-2004. Geneva: United Nations Centre for
Human Rights, GE.95I8031.

AuthorAffiliation
Felisa Tibbitts is the Co-Director of Human Rights Education Associates, which works
internationally in supporting human rightseducation programs.

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