Association“Corporation of united citizens’

actions – DUGA” Bosnia and Herzegovina

Association “Duga” sets in motion, directs and monitors the

development of democratic society through:

• promotion of children’s right to education in an environment focusing on a child,

• advancement of expert competencies of teaching, health, and social protection professionals, as well as civil society representatives.

The association practices the following activities:

I Activities aimed at improvement of educational status of children with barriers to learning

II Training of teaching professionals in the area of inclusive education

III Participation in on-going reforms regarding pre-school and primary school education

Prevention:• Psychological

counselling,• Special Pedagogue

work,• Stress and Anxiety

Prevention Program.

I Activities aimed at improvement of educational status of children with barriers to

learning

Support:• Psychological counseling• Creative Family Workshops• Hipotherapy• Development of individual educational programs

in schools• Advisory for parents, carers and teaching

professionals

Treatment:• Special Pedagogue treatment• Speech therapy• Psychological therapy

II Educational programs for pre-school carers, teaching professionals, school

menagments, health and social protection workers, and local governement

representatives regarding inclusive education.

III Participation in on-going reforms regarding pre-school and primary school education

• Advocacy aimed at fulfillment of children’s right to quality education

Characteristics of children benefitting from Association’s activities

Number of beneficiaries in year 2007:

• 184 children (75 new beneficiaries)

• 62 parents• 30 primary schools

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

Autistic spectrumdisorder

Dow n syndrom Delayed anddysharmonicdevelopment

Educational neglect Hronic diseases Other syndroms bodily impairments Attention andconcentration

disorder

Speech diff iculties

No

of c

hild

ren

Implemented projects

Psychosocial support to adolescents of Canton Sarajevo

1994 - 1999MDM - Duga

Beneficiaries: adolescents parents

On average 400 beneficiaries a year

Individual counseling and treatment provided by GP, child psychiatrist, child psychologist and special pedagogueGroup work facilitated by psycho-pedagogues/psychologist/psychiatrist/social worker and associates (photographer, journalist and radio presenter)

Institutional Capacity Buiding of Parent’s Associations of Children

With Special Needs in BHyear 2002.

• Beneficiaries: 4 parents’ associations in Maglaj, Pale, Goražde and Tuzla.

Project activities:• Workshops for associations’ project development• Provision of grants for structure development and

organisational support • Evaluation meetings• Development of Special Olympics programs

Psychosocial Support to Children and Adolescents of

Canton Sarajevo1999 - 2005

DugaBeneficiaries: children and youth

parentsOn average 300 beneficiaries a year

Individual counseling and treatment provided by GP, child psychiatrist, child psychologist, special pedagogue and speech therapistGroup work facilitated by psycho-pedagogues/psychologist/psychiatrist/social worker and associates (photographer, journalist and radio presenter)

Support to children with special needs in mainstream schools in

Canton Sarajevo2005 – to present

Duga

• Beneficiaries: children parents/carers educators/teachers

Schooling Adjusted to Children with Special Needs

in mainstream primary schools in BH

September 2000 – June 2002

Project was implemented in 16 primary schools:

• 51 classroom• 51 teacher• 16 pedagogues

When enrolled to II class:

59%

6%35% pupils following

mainstreamcuricullum

pupils followingadjusted curicullum

pupils in specialclassrooms

Pupils with special needs had the following difficulties:

• Learning difficulties• Delayed psychomotor development• Underdeveloped and impaired speech• Mental retardation• Emotional and social immaturity• Educational neglect• Underdeveloped visual and auditory reception• Autistic spectrum disorder• Visual impairment• Epilepsy• Chronic diseases

• 1772 pupils were enrolled to I grade. 195 (11%) of these pupils had some special educational needs.

Elaboration of Modules and Education of Primary School Teachers

in Inclusive EducationMay – August 2005

I Development of the Initial Program of EducationThe program consists of 4 modules, and has an aim of professional upgrade of expert competencies of teachers working with children with special needs. Special Pedagogues, Pedagogues and a trainer participated in the elaboration.

II Education of teachers from 13 primary schools of Canton Sarajevo and 10 primary schools of Srpska Republic Beneficiaries: 23 primary school teachers from Canton Sarajevo 22 primary school teachers from Srpska RepublicThe participants received attendance confirmation at finalisation of the training

Protection of children’s right to education and non-discriminatory approach to children with special

needs 2005 - 2006

• Locations: Fojnica, Bugojno, Cazin, Široki Brijeg, Šamac and Višegrad

• Participants:147 primary school teachers 83 parents 72 local community representatives

Main project activities:

I Three-day initial program of education for primary school teachers

in inclusive educationProposed education consisted of 4 modules: • Introduction to Inclusive Education • Functional Approach to Curriculum Planning and

Pupil Assessment • Behavioural and Social Skills – Disturbing and

Challenging Behaviour within the Context of Inclusive Approach to Education

• Instructional Strategies – Developing an Individual Education Plan, Effective Instructional Strategies for the Classroom

II One-day workshop for parents in inclusive education

III One-day workshop for Jednodnevna radionica za predstavnike local community representatives in inclusive education

Participants – representatives of: health institutions, social protection centers, pre-school institutions, primary schools and NGOs.

Citizen governance of public primary schools in favour of children rights protection

year 2007

• project aim: Encouragement of active participation of public

primary school bodies in implementation of the Law on Primary and Secondary Education in Canton Sarajevo, thus ensuring the protection of children right to adequate education.

• beneficiaries from 8 primary schools in Canton Sarajevo:

school bodies workshops (school boards, teacher/parents/pupils councils: 512 participants

round tables: 170 participants

One-day and two-day seminars

for primary school teachers Dec 2007. and Jan 2008.

• location: Sarajevo and ZenicaThemes:• opservation,• initial assessment, • development of individual adjusted curriculum, • follow-up,• evaluation.

Inclusive educationyear 2008.

Project aim is to contribute to the improvement of teaching practices in inclusive education in BiH.

Project objective is to support education authorities in fulfilment of their obligations in relation to inclusive education.

Main project activities:• training of trainers for 26 local trainers in initial inclusive education program in order to increase possibility for professional upgrade of teaching professionals (Sarajevo, Mostar, Tuzla, Banja Luka i Zenica).• development of advanced inclusive education program in order to continuously raise the competencies of teaching professionals.

Research

Children with Special Needs in Bosnia and Hercegovina

2003 - 2004• Mapping, • Attitudes assessment regarding inclusive

education: teaching professionals, pre-school educators, pedagogues and parents on the random sample of 30% of pre-school and primary school institutions in BH

DIFFICULTY:1. Intellectual impairments2. Disturbances in speech and language3. Hearing impairments4. Vision impairments5. Chronic diseases and bodily impairments6. Combined difficulties7. Behaviour problems8. Neglected children9. Abused children10. Self-harm and suicidal tendencies11. Children with PTSD12. Returnees13. Children from minority groups14. Children from incomplete families15. Talented16. Gifted

Atitude assessment of school staff showed that:

• 10% of participants gave their full support to inclusive education

• 78% of questioned persons had positive attitudes when basic prerequisites were fulfilled

• 12% of participants did not support inclusive education

• positive attitudes were present in 86% of parents• negative attitudes were present in 6% of participants• neutral answers were provided by 8% of parents

Atitude assessment of parents showed that:

Inclusive Education Feasibility Assessment in Birač Area

Dec 2004 – April 2005

• Aim: collection and interpretation of the main data about children and youth with special needs – their number, nature and extent of their special needs, educational status, the need and possibility for change, as well as direction of such change. Assessment of organisational and technical capacities of relevant organisations and institutions was performed.

Cooperation of NGOs and mainstream primary schools

regarding inclusive education

• Cooperation of Association “Duga” and primary schools Kovačići and 9 May

The paper was presented at XIII International Congress of Comparative Pedagogy, Sarajevo 2007.god.

Publishing

Translation of “What’s Wrong with Timmy” author Maria Shiver

year 2002

• The book was translated and printed in 150 sets in Bosnian, Croatian and Srbian language

• Distribution of the books in primary schools

Manualsyear 2001

Preparation, printing and distribution:• School based project for children with

disabilities in BiH – Teacher’s Manual• Manual for Inclusive Classroom

year 2006Preparation, printing and distribution:• Manual for Inclusive Education

Stress and Anxiety Prevention in Children Program

year 2002

Translation and printing of:• facilitator’s manual; • 10 sets of books for children

Campaigns

Child Tailored Schoolsyear 2002

Awareness rising of the importance of inclusive education and children’s rights

Activities:• Production and broadcasting of 4 TV telops• Performance in TV programs on “Perspectives of education in BH – inclusive education for children with special needs”• Printing and distribution of 6600 copies of marketing materials

We require smaller but faster composition – we are graduates but still children

year 2007Aim:• Less subjects in final grade of eight-year

long primary schooling in Canton Sarajevo

Activities:• Production and distribution of leaflets• Production and distribution of posters• Round table