PASCH-Alumni Talk Workshop

The Faculty of Philosophy of the University of Zenica hosted the PASCH-Alumni Talk workshop in cooperation with the Goethe Institute and Schulen: Partner der Zukunft (PASCH) on Monday, April 14, 2025. The workshop, which took place as part of the Student Culture Festival (STUFEK), brought together 3rd and 4th grade students of the First Gymnasium in Zenica, providing them with a unique opportunity to learn about the concepts of interculturality and linguistic dialogue.

IV year students of the German language and literature study program performed the skit "Caffe bar Bosnian pot" at the beginning of the workshop, which they devised together with assistant Nihada Topovčić. In this way, they presented a number of previously realized projects from the study program with the aim of showing creative ways of applying the acquired knowledge in practice.

The workshop, which was attended by about 30 students of the First High School in Zenica, was led by Emina Sinanović, PASCH alumni and professor of German language and literature, and Ismar Vehabović, coordinator for PASCH in front of the Goethe Institute. Professor Emina Sinanović spoke about her PASCH experience and the idea for creating a "Different Dictionary", which motivated the students to talk about their PASCH experience and express interest in working with the dictionary. Ismar Vehabović, the coordinator for PASCH, gave students access to the digital version of the dictionary via tablets, which made the work even easier, and the interactivity of the workshop itself was significantly improved.

From a dictionary that promotes linguistic diversity and intercultural understanding, students had the opportunity to choose words, read them and explain their choice. In the continuation of the activity, they were divided into four groups, and the task was to memorize the words from the cards in Bosnian, German and Romani, find them in hidden places in the classroom and put together the assigned cards.

The PASCH-Alumni Talk workshop aimed to raise awareness among students about the importance of tolerance, intercultural communication and appreciation of linguistic diversity, with a special focus on learning and respecting the languages of minority communities. Through active learning, students had the opportunity not only to improve their language skills, but also to become familiar with the richness of the Romani language, comparing it with their native and German languages. After the workshop, students emphasized that the workshop was their first encounter with the Romani language, which opened up a new perspective for understanding linguistic and cultural diversity.