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March 2006
GCO In-Country Workshop
Nearly
30 GCO in-country volunteers met for a weekend workshop at our GCO camp
location near Sarajevo on March 10-12 to plan for our 2006 summer
programs.
Highlights: sharing creative conversations, connecting as a communty, and envsioning GCO into the furture. Plenty of serious prep work aimed at making Summer 2006 an unprecedented success. And, an abundance of fabulous music!
Who was there?
From GCO camps from past summers:
Rene, Djeka, Vanja, Juga, Lea, Fedja, Zagi, Miro, Toni, Ninja, Zlatan, Adnan, Tarik, Nino, Sisa, Jaso, Ermin, Alma, Antonio
From Land of Friendship and Peace Foundation:
Ramija, Sanja, Emina, Ena
Welcoming to GCO for the first time:
Nemanja (Banja Luka), Kristina, (Tuzla) and Elvedina (Gorazde)
Here are some photos. BRAVO and THANKS to you all.
Highlights: sharing creative conversations, connecting as a communty, and envsioning GCO into the furture. Plenty of serious prep work aimed at making Summer 2006 an unprecedented success. And, an abundance of fabulous music!
Who was there?
From GCO camps from past summers:
Rene, Djeka, Vanja, Juga, Lea, Fedja, Zagi, Miro, Toni, Ninja, Zlatan, Adnan, Tarik, Nino, Sisa, Jaso, Ermin, Alma, Antonio
From Land of Friendship and Peace Foundation:
Ramija, Sanja, Emina, Ena
Welcoming to GCO for the first time:
Nemanja (Banja Luka), Kristina, (Tuzla) and Elvedina (Gorazde)
Here are some photos. BRAVO and THANKS to you all.
January 2006
GCO Hosts First Winter Camp in the Balkans
In January 2006, GCO
participated in its first WINTER CAMP. Held at The Land of Friendship
and Peace, in the mountains around Sarajevo, children from Banja Luka,
Mostar and Mihatovici met for 6 day winter camp. (Mihatovici is a
refugee camp near Tuzla; it is the last sanctuary of refugees from
Srebrenica; these children, new to GCO, will be joining us at our
summer program in 2006).
The children at the Winter Camp enjoyed horseback riding, sledding and other snow games in the cold and snowy January weather. Warming up in the cozy indoors, their activities included table tennis, chess, checkers, bowling, and indoor soccer.
Every evening included guitar playing and singing, and different special events were scheduled for each night (disco, game, talent, and movie nights).
Here are the observations from Vildana, the volunteer who accompanied the children from Mihatovici:
"The first children's contact with horses was a beautiful experience. Children from Mihatovici had opportunity for the first time to be close to them. Even little bit afraid in the beginning, they lost their fear when they started to ride them. Zijo and Ramija helped them a lot to be much more confident in themselves. At the end they became real riders who could clean and saddle the horses without anyone's help.
At the end, we had a Wish Tree ceremony which was organized by Alma as we began the closing of winter camp. The first signs of sadness where visible.
As an overall impression I can say that I have never seen so much positive energy at one place. According the feedback received from children from Mihatovici, they were more than satisfied with their stay in Kakrinje and in spite of their tears before departing to home they were happy to gain new friends from Mostar, Sarajevo and especially from Banja Luka.
They all expressed hope that they would return to Kakrinje in summer."
Congratulations to Alma and the GCO volunteers from Bosnia-Herzegovina who organized and lead this Winter Camp program!
The children at the Winter Camp enjoyed horseback riding, sledding and other snow games in the cold and snowy January weather. Warming up in the cozy indoors, their activities included table tennis, chess, checkers, bowling, and indoor soccer.
Every evening included guitar playing and singing, and different special events were scheduled for each night (disco, game, talent, and movie nights).
Here are the observations from Vildana, the volunteer who accompanied the children from Mihatovici:
"The first children's contact with horses was a beautiful experience. Children from Mihatovici had opportunity for the first time to be close to them. Even little bit afraid in the beginning, they lost their fear when they started to ride them. Zijo and Ramija helped them a lot to be much more confident in themselves. At the end they became real riders who could clean and saddle the horses without anyone's help.
At the end, we had a Wish Tree ceremony which was organized by Alma as we began the closing of winter camp. The first signs of sadness where visible.
As an overall impression I can say that I have never seen so much positive energy at one place. According the feedback received from children from Mihatovici, they were more than satisfied with their stay in Kakrinje and in spite of their tears before departing to home they were happy to gain new friends from Mostar, Sarajevo and especially from Banja Luka.
They all expressed hope that they would return to Kakrinje in summer."
Congratulations to Alma and the GCO volunteers from Bosnia-Herzegovina who organized and lead this Winter Camp program!
JANUARY 15, 2006-----BALKAN COUNCIL MEETS AT LAND OF FRIENDSHIP AND PEACE (LFP)
This report from Alma Elezovic, GCO Coordinator, Balkans:
"On Sunday, January 15, 2006 the GCO Balkan Board had a meeting at the LPF. Our volunteers came for a lunch: Fedja Kulenovic, Tarik Terzic – Zagi, Tony Pesikan, Miro Pesikan, Lea Gotovusa, Jasmin Elezovic and me. We spent some time with (the) children and joined them for lunch. Afterwards we had a meeting where we discussed this winter camp and some GCO's plans for future. We are planning for three sessions of camp in summer 2006."
March 2005
In-County Volunteers
Meet for Pre-Camp Retreat at New Location
GCO hosted a
wonderful planning retreat in Bosnia in March, 2005. The retreat was
held at the location for GCO's Friendship Without Borders Mountain
Camp, near Sarajevo.
A great group of GCO in-country volunteers, as well as new friends who are members of the Land of Friendship and Peace Foundation, joined together for the March 19 and 20th meetings.
Here is the list of people who attended this retreat:
In-Country Volunteers:
Rene Rajkovic, Fedja Kulenovic, Zinaida Kulenovic, Marko Peric, Miro Pesikan, Jas Elezovic, Mahamed Sisic, Robert (Robo) Kranjcic, Gordan (Gogo) Kranjcic, Lea Gotovusa, Zagi Terzic, Dino Durokovic, Vladimir Vajagic, Nikola Vagagic, Nino Ninic, Lana Ferovic, Adi Turkusic, Vanja Matic, Faruk Alisehovic, Emin Muratovic, Ermin and Alma Elezovic.
From the Foundation:
Jean-Claude Carreau, Nermina Halkic, Barry Cleland, Amra Zupcevic, Ramija Mujic, Sanja Burlovic, Maja Burlovic, Mona Muratovic, Sanjin Durakovic.
From the US:
Irv and Kathy Buck, Angela Mazer, Karen Fagerstrom and David Glenn.
A Camp Planning Committee, composed of in-country volunteers, will be taking on major leadership roles in planning camp this summer.
This committee will be working on many tasks in preparation for our summer program, including, helping to plan the program, getting publicity for the program, updating the volunteer manual and translating it into local language, preparing budget for the program, planning and coordinating with others to make the evening program a great success, getting donations for items we need for camp, making contributions to GCO website, in local language, and more..
Members of the Planning Committee are: Zagi Terzic, Fedja Kulenovic, Gordan Kranjcic, Antonio (Toni) Pesikan, Marija Vagagic, Dragan Jugovic, Lea Gotvusa, Jasmin Elezovic.
A "taste" of plans for summer include:
---Sarajevo Drum Orchestra will do regular workshops during camp, as well as work on providing our evening programs. They will be bringing some exceptional musical colleagues to camp from Musicians Without Borders. Here are the websites for the Sarajevo Drum Orchestra and Musicians Without Borders:
http://www.drum-orchestra.co.ba/bio.html
http://www.musicianswithoutborders.nl/
---Hamed Sisic (well-known Bosnian mountain climber and outdoorsman), will be providing climbing wall and ropes activities at camp, and will be leading hiking trips.
---In-country and international volunteers will spend three days together before camp to get to know one another and plan for camp.
A great group of GCO in-country volunteers, as well as new friends who are members of the Land of Friendship and Peace Foundation, joined together for the March 19 and 20th meetings.
Here is the list of people who attended this retreat:
In-Country Volunteers:
Rene Rajkovic, Fedja Kulenovic, Zinaida Kulenovic, Marko Peric, Miro Pesikan, Jas Elezovic, Mahamed Sisic, Robert (Robo) Kranjcic, Gordan (Gogo) Kranjcic, Lea Gotovusa, Zagi Terzic, Dino Durokovic, Vladimir Vajagic, Nikola Vagagic, Nino Ninic, Lana Ferovic, Adi Turkusic, Vanja Matic, Faruk Alisehovic, Emin Muratovic, Ermin and Alma Elezovic.
From the Foundation:
Jean-Claude Carreau, Nermina Halkic, Barry Cleland, Amra Zupcevic, Ramija Mujic, Sanja Burlovic, Maja Burlovic, Mona Muratovic, Sanjin Durakovic.
From the US:
Irv and Kathy Buck, Angela Mazer, Karen Fagerstrom and David Glenn.
A Camp Planning Committee, composed of in-country volunteers, will be taking on major leadership roles in planning camp this summer.
This committee will be working on many tasks in preparation for our summer program, including, helping to plan the program, getting publicity for the program, updating the volunteer manual and translating it into local language, preparing budget for the program, planning and coordinating with others to make the evening program a great success, getting donations for items we need for camp, making contributions to GCO website, in local language, and more..
Members of the Planning Committee are: Zagi Terzic, Fedja Kulenovic, Gordan Kranjcic, Antonio (Toni) Pesikan, Marija Vagagic, Dragan Jugovic, Lea Gotvusa, Jasmin Elezovic.
A "taste" of plans for summer include:
---Sarajevo Drum Orchestra will do regular workshops during camp, as well as work on providing our evening programs. They will be bringing some exceptional musical colleagues to camp from Musicians Without Borders. Here are the websites for the Sarajevo Drum Orchestra and Musicians Without Borders:
http://www.drum-orchestra.co.ba/bio.html
http://www.musicianswithoutborders.nl/
---Hamed Sisic (well-known Bosnian mountain climber and outdoorsman), will be providing climbing wall and ropes activities at camp, and will be leading hiking trips.
---In-country and international volunteers will spend three days together before camp to get to know one another and plan for camp.
Art and Healing
Program
Headed by GCO Art Director, Carol Tanenbaum, The Art and Healing Program is showing its art to the nation. In this program, the children are able to begin the healing process by expressing their feelings, dreams and fears creatively while building relationships that help return the trust lost by the devastation of war and political violence. Beginning in 1996, Carol has collected the children's artwork. Together with the photographs of volunteer McGregor Bullard, the pictures, masks, and photographic projects are a compilation of the children's experience of the Bosnian war.
Children of War, a pictorial essay by Julie Dennis Brothers, professional photographer and volunteer is now finished. This moving photo art piece will be on exhibition in Santa Barbara and be available for purchase.
The exhibit will be displayed throughout the United States with the help and expertise of Jane ten Brink of Rembrandt Museum & Exhibition Services. The inaugural exhibition was at the Los Angeles Children's Museum in October 1999, followed by an exhibition at the Santa Barbara Jewish Community Center in February and March 2000.
3580 Wilshire Blvd. Suite 1800
Los Angeles Ca 90010
Phone: (310) 581-2234
Fax: (213) 389-1237
gco@globalchild.org