The mission of HERMES is education for democratic citizenship, through developing and applying innovative (non-formal) educational programs based on promoting non-violent communication methods such as structured and critical thinking, active listening and radical empathy as conflict resolution and prevention tools.
The objectives of HERMES are:
HERMES’s activities revolve around using applied debating skills for the purpose of fighting discrimination, contributing to active participatory citizenship, raising awareness about human rights and facilitating the building of an open and inclusive democratic society.
Anne Frank – A History for Today
The travelling exhibition Anne Frank – a History for Today is an educational programme created by the Anne Frank House (AFH) that visits high schools, elementary schools, libraries, museums and other institutions around Croatia where it is managed by AFH’s local partner organisation, HERMES.
MICC WeB
The project encompasses recreating the successful Kreisau Initiative’s Model International Criminal Court project, in three countries in the Western Balkans: Croatia, Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina. Model International Criminal Court is a successful Kreisau Initiative project that has been running for 15 years. The workshops in MICC are designed according to the needs of the young participants. Trainers apply methods of non-formal education which are participatory and learner-centered. While ice-breaking activities create an initial comfortable and open atmosphere, participants go into more depth by sharing experiences from their home countries and connecting through their similarities and differences. Intercultural dialogues allow them to see and experience each other as equal, a first step in preventing prejudice, racism and exclusion. MICC simulates cases and verdicts related to the International Criminal Tribunal for former Yugoslavia (Erdemović case), as well as verdicts from the International Criminal Court for Rwanda (Bikindi case) and the famous Nuremberg trials (Flick), which preceded the establishment of the International Criminal Court.
Historija, Istorija, Povijest – Lessons for Today
The project ‘Historija, Istorija, Povijest – Lessons for Today’ was launched in 2015 by the Anne Frank House, in cooperation with local partner organizations from Croatia (Croatian Education and Development Network for the Evolution of Communication – HERMES), Bosnia-Herzegovina (Youth Initiative for Human Rights-YIHR and Humanity in Action-HIA), Serbia (Open Communication – OK) and Macedonia (Youth Educational Forum – MOF).
We had big goals – to raise awareness and encourage discussion about the recent history of nationalism, exclusion, prejudice, discrimination in the region and promote debate and dialogue on our common past. We also wanted to promote critical thinking about historical events and their relevance for contemporary challenges, as well as to inspire an interdisciplinary, civic-education oriented history education.
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Donors:
