Peace Work
Our Vision
Bašta mira aims to be a long-term, growing center for international peace work, youth encounters, and social understanding. We believe that peace is created where people meet, listen to one another, and act together. When young people experience that cooperation across cultural, national, and historical boundaries is possible, new perspectives for peaceful coexistence emerge. From encounter comes understanding—and from understanding, peace can grow.
– Dalai Lama
Letting peace grow
A Place for Encounter and Peace Education
The Friedensgarten Bašta mira in Bosnia is a place where young people from diverse cultural backgrounds come together to meet, learn from one another, and shape the future together. Set in an extraordinary natural environment on a mountain site, a space is being created that enables intercultural exchange, dialogue, and communal learning.
Our vision is to establish a sustainable hub for peace education, democratic development, and international youth encounters. Youth groups, school classes, and international initiatives come together through youth retreats, class trips, and project weeks to gain new experiences and develop mutual understanding within a safe and supportive environment.
Peacebuilding through collective action
At the heart of our work lies action-oriented and experience-based pedagogy. By working together on projects, participating in artistic activities, and engaging in creative forms of expression, we create a space where cooperation across cultural boundaries becomes a lived experience.
Theater and action pedagogy, storytelling, woodworking, painting, and collaborative design promote dialogue, self-expression, and trust. Conversations in small groups or around the campfire create an atmosphere where young people can talk openly about their experiences, perspectives, and hopes. In the process, friendships and networks are formed that endure long after their stay has ended.
Dialogue, Reconciliation, and Transgenerational Perspectives
Encounters between young people from different backgrounds enable a change in perspective and help dismantle prejudices. Through creative and dialogic methods, spaces are created where experiences can be heard and processed. This work strengthens resilience, empathy, and conflict resolution skills, contributing to long-term peacebuilding in the region.
Education for Democracy and a Peaceful Future
Through intercultural learning, collaborative projects, and participatory processes, young people develop skills in dialogue, cooperation, conflict resolution, and social engagement. These competencies are central building blocks for sustainable peace and stable democratic societies.
Nature as a Space for New Perspectives
The special location of the Peace Garden in nature allows young people to step back from their everyday lives and embrace new experiences. The surroundings support reflection, personal growth, and communal processes.
A stay at the Peace Garden offers young people the opportunity to develop new perspectives, build trust, and experience a culture of respectful togetherness.
How we make a difference
Bašta mira – Peace Garden promotes long-term understanding, dialogue, and democratic action. Through international youth encounters, creative projects, and collaborative work, young people build trust, empathy, and resilience.
Our activities strengthen social cohesion, conflict resolution skills, and youth empowerment, helping young people return to their communities as multipliers for peace and democratic values.
The Peace Garden also provides a protected framework for transgenerational peace work and reconciliation, ensuring that encounter and cooperation lead to sustainable peace.
Why Bosnia is a key location for peace work in Europe
Bosnia and Herzegovina remains an exemplary case of both the challenges and opportunities of peacebuilding in Europe. The consequences of the 1990s war continue to resonate across many social spheres—within collective memories, political structures, and the personal histories of many families. While many young people did not experience these events personally, the experiences continue to shape their environment and are frequently passed down through generations.
This is exactly why encounters between young people from different cultural, ethnic, and religious backgrounds are so significant. Peace work in Bosnia means more than just coming to terms with the past; it is, above all, about shaping a shared future. International youth encounters, dialogue formats, and collaborative learning can help build trust and overcome social divisions.
Bosnia is thus a central location for European peace and reconciliation work. Projects like the Bašta mira Peace Garden create tangible spaces where young people can practically experience democratic values, the capacity for dialogue, and mutual respect. These experiences promote social cohesion, intercultural understanding, and long-term stability—not only within the region but also within the broader European context.
Peace work in Bosnia is therefore both regional reconciliation and European future-building. By learning to see differences as an enrichment and to handle conflicts constructively, young people here create vital momentum for a peaceful and solidary Europe.
