BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA – In Foča, a small town in eastern Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Drina river winds through mountains that once hid the worst of a war. Although the conflict ended 30 years ago, many children still grow up divided: Bosniak, Croat and Serb students often attend separate schools, sometimes sharing the same building but entering through different doors, learning polarized versions of a shared history.
Theirs is a country that technically has peace, but has not yet solidified it. Now something is changing: At a school where young people from multiple faiths and backgrounds study and play together, Iva Kovačević recalled her moment of triumph at a new board game tournament. “The point was not to win, it was to learn – together”, she said. The game is called Odyssey of Peace, and was created by UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, which is the UN’s sexual and reproductive health agency, to encourage youth leadership and social cohesion.
“This is not a game where we compete to see who is better, it teaches us how to be better to each other” – Dalija Malak
Shaped by over 1,500 students and teachers from nearly 60 schools across the country, bridging cities once separated by the front lines of war, the game forms part of UNFPA's efforts to institutionalize peace education through participatory and innovative approaches. The aim is to empower young people to engage in constructive narratives, strengthen intercultural dialogue, inclusion, gender equality and create mutual understanding and trust in the region.
In Odyssey of Peace, each player governs a district, with the aim of building a community – players earn ‘crests’ for initiatives such as inclusive development, creative economy and sustainability. “The game contains many beautiful messages that connect us,” explained Lena Milović, a 17-year-old Serbian student from Trebinje.
Helping to transform the legacy of war-related pain and trauma, Odyssey of Peace has since become part of the education system in Tuzla Canton – the first in Bosnia and Herzegovina to take this step – with all 124 of its schools using it in their classrooms.
Built by young people, for young people
“This is not a game where we compete to see who is better,” said Dalija Malak, from Tuzla. “It teaches us how to be better to each other.”
Imrah Poško, 18, from Mostar, agreed. “It reminded me that peace is not a final state, but a process in which we learn to listen, understand and build trust with one another.”
But there are parts of the board called ‘war fields’: If a player lands on one of these, the game stops for everyone, no matter the resources collected or progress made. “The outbreak of war is a shared failure,” explained Darko Samardžić, a 16-year-old Serb student from East Sarajevo.
The only way to keep the game going is by summoning the so-called Armies of Peace: empathy, dialogue, respect for diversity and care for the environment.
“The outbreak of war is a shared failure” – Darko Samardžić
There also comes a moment in every game when a player from one community ends up helping one from another to avoid a ‘war field’. When a Serb boy hands a special card to a Bosniak girl, for example, or when a Croat child helps a Serb peer move forward, the game teaches them that their fates are linked.
“Through this game, I realized that peace starts with ourselves,” said Ana Ćurak, a 16-year-old Croat student from Vitez. “But it is impossible to maintain it without working together with others.”
Created for classrooms, transforming communities
The game awards ‘people cards’ for fair leadership skills, with each one featuring a real person from the local community. From neighbours to teachers and activists, these are the real-life human faces of those who chose the path of reconciliation.
“Odyssey of Peace enables social and emotional learning, encourages critical thinking, and empowers young people for peacemaking,” said Ivana Kešić, who helped design the game.
The initiative is implemented under the regional Youth for Inclusion, Equality and Trust project and the Moving Us Closer project, supported by the United Nations Secretary-General's Peacebuilding Fund and funded by the Government of Italy.
“Peace starts with ourselves, but it is impossible to maintain it without working together with others” – Ana Ćurak
In the Bosnian Podrinje canton, where communities still carry deep scars from the war, 13-year-old Arifa Mehić summed up her generation’s hopes: “Young people want a future free from divisions, fear and hatred.” In a country still learning how to share a future, that is no small thing.
