The curriculum Let’s Grow up Together has gained new educators in the Sarajevo Canton. In the 2024/2025 school year, they will work with their students on developing and enhancing life skills, promoting health, and focusing on addiction prevention and risky behavior prevention through a series of workshops.
The program is designed for children in grades 1–4 and is based on developing life skills such as empathy, communication skills, stress management, and many more. These skills will empower children to resist peer pressure and face life challenges. Due to high interest, the training was held in Sarajevo in two groups: the first on October 24 and 25, 2024, and the second on October 31 and November 1, 2024. The training was led by school prevention program specialists from the association NARKO-NE, Sanela Pekić and Kerima Delibašić.
Teacher Dženita Demir from Osman Nuri Hadžić Elementary School shared her impressions after the training and expressed her expectations for the entire program:
The training fully met my expectations, providing useful tools and techniques that I can apply in working with students. The workshops will help students gain knowledge on the importance of healthy habits, decision-making skills, and techniques for overcoming fears and solving problems through discussions, active tasks, and examples, which are essential for their personal development. Implementing such programs is crucial because they give children not only information but also an opportunity to discuss their experiences. I believe that such programs have a direct positive impact on creating a healthier society.
Life skills programs have proven to be particularly successful in addiction prevention and proactive school prevention efforts. They provide a foundation for various specific prevention areas, such as addiction, violence, stress, and media influence prevention.
Teachers highlight that the program seamlessly integrates into regular classroom activities by supporting the development of students’ social and emotional skills, which are essential for navigating daily challenges. The training also provided an opportunity for experience exchange with colleagues from other schools, and well-prepared materials and presentations help them engage students in a meaningful way, boosting their confidence and resilience.
For all these reasons, it is highly significant that a large number of children will participate in this program this year, and NARKO-NE aims to expand the program to other cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, as only prevention can yield long-term results in building a healthier society.
Anisa Čelik Raščić
