We are grateful and happy to present the Peace Award to Amalija Krstanović for her immeasurable contribution to peace through lifelong support to people, peace activists, teachers and young people.
Amalija Krstanović is a graduate pedagogue. A widow with two sons and 4 grandchildren. She worked for 45 years at the Jagoda Truhelka Elementary School in Osijek. During the Homeland War, she changed the duties of the school principal, organized the evacuation of students and the organization of classes in exile. After her return, she gets involved and participates in numerous educations, projects and peacebuilding activities, strengthening her own peacemaking capacities (insights, knowledge and skills) in the first step in order to transfer them to others.
Amalija Krstanović – Peace Education Pedagogue
Amalija contributes to the growth of the quality of the school where she worked as a pedagogue. Although it was not called that and is not yet called it, Amalija professionally and devotedly introduces peace education into practice. In the early post-mortem period, it also included work on trauma, and later, for example, peer mediation; The key elements of peace education are taught and transferred to teachers in about a hundred other schools. He does this until years after his retirement.
Amalija Krstanović – peace activist
However, Amalija goes a step further: she contributes to the subsequent peacebuilding, especially the peaceful reintegration of the Croatian Danube region. He participates in creating ways to really be with people and give them support when they needed it – when they needed to find the strength to get out of the logic of war and start rebuilding peacetime relations, free themselves from traumas, fears, hostilities and rebuild broken social bonds – trust. And gradually create a space of cooperation for the good of all. On that path, Amalija was an accompaniment to ordinary people (women, young people, veterans...), peace activists and organizations, but also to people with special responsibilities in Pakrac, Bilje, Berak, Beli Manastir, Tenja, Baranja, Okučani, Slavonski Brod, Novo Selo, Zborište, Osijek... Without such contributions as Amalia's, peaceful reintegration would hardly be achievable at all, and it would certainly not be possible to attach the title of the most successful UN peacekeeping mission ever.
Amalija Krstanović – reconciliation
With gratitude and joy, we present the Peace Award to Amalija Krstanović for the immeasurable language Although she had one of the most difficult experiences of the war – the experience of a mother whose sons were separated by the attitude towards the war or precisely because of it, she remained as a reconciler, tirelessly and always. Amalia does not condemn, but does everything in her power to heal the injuries, bridge the divisions and open the space for creativity - cooperation - a good life. And do it tirelessly and regardless of the inconveniences and even dangers. Amalia teaches us how this is possible! We know the need!
Amalija brings change everywhere she works because she selflessly shares her knowledge, experience and compassion. She lives what she talks about and what she teaches. That is why she was able to lay the seeds of peacemaking.
The truth, then, is what she would say to everything said – well, that's me, that's my life!
We are grateful to you, Amalija, for everything you are, for what you have done and for everything that we cannot even imagine, let alone measure, that will grow from your life path, grow and bear fruit in the future and for a good future. Thank You that we have something to celebrate and rejoice with You!