Association for Addiction Prevention NARKO-NE has begun the implementation of the pilot phase of the Let’s grow up together program in elementary schools in the Sarajevo Canton. This is a life skills program aimed at promoting health and personal development for children from grades 1 to 4.

In the second school semester, the program will be implemented by teachers who have completed mandatory training for the program, which was held on January 12 and 13, 2023, in Sarajevo. The training was led by NARKO-NE associates Sanela Pekić and Kerima Delibašić.

The training was attended by teachers from five elementary schools in the Sarajevo Canton: Elementary School “Aneks,” Elementary School “6. mart” Hadžići, Elementary School “Vrhbosna,” “Second Elementary School” Hrasnica, and Elementary School “Saburina.”

Let’s grow up together program was developed in Germany and is based on an approach that enhances life competencies. This means strengthening children’s social and personal skills. Confident children, who have a positive attitude towards themselves and their competencies, who have learned to resolve conflicts through negotiation, who can accurately assess and verbalize their feelings and needs, and who are capable of resisting peer pressure, are better equipped to face life’s challenges and consciously choose a healthy lifestyle.

Based on monitoring and after the evaluation is completed, the applicability of the program will be analyzed, and the program will be adjusted to meet the needs of students and the educational system in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Teachers actively participated in the training, and at the end, they expressed satisfaction with the materials they received, which can serve as tools in their teaching to help develop personal competencies in children. By applying the program, teachers can improve classroom processes and dynamics, strengthen cohesion among students, and contribute to a more comfortable classroom environment.

Azra Halilović