What’s it about?

This good practice showcases an innovative, student-centred approach to fostering inclusive and safe academic environments through peer education. Developed within the framework of the Living Peace Lab of the University of Sarajevo (UNSA), the initiative empowers students as active co-creators of peace pedagogy, human rights awareness, and violence prevention strategies, particularly addressing gender-based violence. By bridging interdisciplinary academic departments (law, sociology, and pedagogy) with civil society organisations (CSOs), the practice equips students with the tools to conduct peer-to-peer research, run awareness workshops, and advocate for institutional policy changes. The model transforms students from passive policy recipients into proactive leaders for social change across higher education campuses.

What’s the objective?

The initiative aims to empower youth leadership by enabling students to design, facilitate, and deliver peer-led educational workshops on peacebuilding, non-violent communication, and non-discrimination. It integrates practical peace pedagogy, bridging theoretical academic frameworks with actionable community-based practices through interdisciplinary Living Lab methodologies, and seeks to prevent campus violence and discrimination by raising awareness and fostering zero-tolerance cultures regarding gender-based violence, sexual harassment, and peer discrimination. It also builds cross-sectoral synergies by strengthening collaboration between university faculties, research centres, public authorities, and local civil society actors, and institutionalises peer learning by embedding student-led educational outputs and recommendations directly into university policies and broader Alliance curricula.

Who’s it for?

The primary beneficiaries are UNSA undergraduate and postgraduate students across diverse faculties (law, social sciences, humanities, and health). Secondary beneficiaries are academic staff, administrative staff, and student union representatives seeking student-informed approaches to campus safety and inclusion. Key stakeholders include higher education institutions across the EUPeace Alliance, local CSOs, gender equality bodies, and local municipal education representatives.

How are we doing this?

The initiative relies on a participatory, multi-stakeholder Living Lab methodology structured around three core pillars:

Co-design and capacity building: interdisciplinary student cohorts collaborate with mentors (academics, human rights experts, and CSOs) in interactive workshops to master peer-facilitation techniques, qualitative research methods, and conflict-transformation principles.

Peer-to-peer engagement: trained student facilitators lead small-group focus discussions, interactive workshops, and peer surveys, creating safe spaces where fellow students candidly discuss campus culture, safety concerns, and systemic barriers.

Evidence-based resource creation: findings from peer activities are translated into open-access educational guides, policy recommendations, and research publications co-authored by students and academic mentors.

The initiative was rolled out in five structured phases:

• Phase 1 – Needs assessment and coalition building: mapping institutional gaps around student inclusion and establishing partnerships between the UNSA Human Rights Centre, student organisations, and local civil society groups.
• Phase 2 – Train-the-trainer modules: intensive preparation sessions covering peer education dynamics, ethical research practices, gender-based violence prevention, and inclusive group moderation.
• Phase 3 – Student-led workshops and data collection: peer-led sessions across multiple faculties, gathering qualitative insights on student experiences and institutional needs.
• Phase 4 – Co-creation of educational materials: findings compiled into open-access educational toolkits, such as the “Study About Experience and Prevention of Violence Among Youth in Bosnia and Herzegovina“.
• Phase 5 – Policy dissemination and Alliance integration: recommendations presented to university leadership and key findings integrated into EUPeace shared educational frameworks.

What’s the outcome?

Dozens of student facilitators have been trained and hundreds of students reached through peer workshops and awareness campaigns. Open-access research materials co-authored by students and academic staff have been published and distributed; for many students, this was their first opportunity to have their writing published. The initiative has increased student awareness and open dialogue regarding non-discrimination, harassment prevention, and conflict resolution mechanisms, and the project’s findings have been incorporated into the existing UNSA curriculum.