The Tribunal’s Outreach Programme is participating in the 10th annual Sarajevo ‘Kids Festival’, the largest of its kind in South East Europe. From 7-11 June the Festival welcomed nearly 40,000 children to participate in workshops and games designed to build confidence and educate them about other cultures. The Festival aims to promote tolerance among different ethnic groups and is a useful venue for sharing information about the work of the ICTY.

Outreach representatives engaged children aged 11 to 14 from across Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) in a workshop about the Tribunal, using age-appropriate photographs from wartime events and ICTY proceedings. The images were used as a catalyst for a larger discussion on reconciliation efforts in BiH, after which the children were encouraged to express their reactions to the workshop through drawing.

Speaking about the success of the Outreach Programme’s participation, Festival Director Susanne Prahl said, “After the workshop, ‘Hague’ has become more than a word, but an institution with an important significance in the life of each BiH citizen, especially the young generation.” 

Participating in the Festival has enabled the Outreach Programme to extend its youth information initiative to younger children. The project, which was founded in 2011, has already reached over 3,500 young people in high schools and universities across the former Yugoslavia, raising their interest in the Tribunal’s work and issues of transitional justice that will shape their region for many years to come.

As the ICTY moves towards the completion of its mandate, the Outreach Programme is intensifying its efforts to ensure local communities are able to access information about the Tribunal and its achievements. In doing so, the Outreach Programme seeks to foster a greater understanding of the Tribunal’s work and legacy throughout the region of the former Yugoslavia.

The Outreach Programme benefits from the continuous support of the European Union and its work with young people is generously supported by the Finnish government.