The Learning From the Past (LFTP) summer school aims to make a contribution to the process of dealing with the past, reconciliation and transitional justice approaches in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) and the region. Three factors – the legitimacy and professionalism of the academics and activists who are engaged in the fields of transitional justice and peacemaking, the lack of local young people engaging in those same fields, and the ongoing international interest in divided societies – mean that there is a missed opportunity to leverage legitimate, local leadership to both train international and equip local young leaders to take a leadership role in the fields of transitional justice and peacebuilding.
The previous four summer schools were highly commended for their scope, interdisciplinary approach and innovative pedagogy involving experiential, intercultural and reflective learning methodologies. LFTP's distinguished lecturers, renowned in their fields globally, will facilitate the participants’ experience through interactive learning activities, class discussions, site visits and experiential learning in a local community context.
By examining how we as students and researchers can learn from the past in order to confront the challenges in the present, the LFTP summer school promotes the idea of education as an essential tool for reconciliation and an agent of positive societal change in a post-war country like Bosnia and Herzegovina. Furthermore, the school emphasizes the importance of experiential and active learning, intercultural exchange, and reflection as practical pedagogical tools in post-conflict contexts like BiH. The main field trip to Eastern Bosnia and a three-day-stay with local families in the village of Klotjevac aims to provide the participants with the opportunity to experience learning beyond the classroom, in a community setting, and obtain more intensive hands-on practice with methods discussed during the class sessions.