Alma Ahmethodžić

Occupation: Professor of Philosophy and Sociology

Place of employment: Public Institution High school for Textiles, Leather and Design, Sarajevo

Areas of interest: philosophy, ethics, politics, religion and art

If we want to live life to the fullest and contribute to the community in the best possible way, we need to focus on universal ethical values that allow us to see each person as someone being equal to us and with the same rights and duties. ETOS Initiative enables me to engage as many young people as possible in promoting universal ethical values, which should be one of the most important qualities of a person as an individual and of society as well.

Amela Petričević

Occupation: Primary classroom teacher, the graduate economist

Place of employment: Public Institution “Husino” Primary School, Tuzla

Areas of interest: education, human rights, management, humanism, peacekeeping activities

The first indicators of the success of this project in schools are: humanizing relationships at school, strengthening partnerships with parents and the local community, a school without violence, developing and enhancing environmental awareness. The school becomes a SECOND HOME because everyone strives to promote and live the positive values that underpin global ethos. It builds a humane and healthy society that is needed for all of us. For the first time, in educational practice, we have a project that has been REALLY HONORED by both teachers and students, as well as their parents.

fra Ivan Nujić

Occupation: friar, professor of the Croatian and French language and literature

Place of employment: Franciscan Classical Gymnasium in Visoko

Areas of Interest: Abrahamic religions and Peacemaking, a culture of peace and non-violence

ETOS Initiative emphasizes the importance of questioning and learning about peacekeeping and Judaism, Christianity and Islam through the exchange of different point of views with others. There is also a possibility of engagement in creating a culture of peace in a pedagogical environment.

Izet Numanović

Occupation: Professor of Philosophy and Sociology

Place of employment: Pedagogical Institute TK Tuzla

Areas of interest: educational process, ethics, politics, philosophy, culturalism

ETOS Initiative is significant. After all, it is one of a few initiatives that promotes a human being as the greatest cultural and civilizational value because it does not restrict or adopt national, religious, ethnic or other stereotypes that challenge freedom of thought or freedom of speech. On the contrary, it questions the most conflicting phenomena and as such it opens up to the greatest extent as a liberal rather than a conservative and conformist ideological initiative. Anyway, in Bosnia and Herzegovina, ETOS Initiative takes the lead in terms of affirming human values.

Miroslav Bagara

Occupation: Master of Theology

Place of employment: State Institution

Areas of interest: religion, philosophy, geopolitics, social issues, working with youth

 

In a time of human´s constant need to be overwhelmed with short-lasting popularity, media glorification of life without spirituality, suppression of the traditional values for the short-term interests of politics (…), at least for a moment all of it was replaced by the discovery of ETOS Initiative, which strongly points out the existence of doing good towards every man and cherishes professor Küngs’ ideas. To think and act from one’s own beliefs and traditions for the sake of the global good is not a syncretistic alignment of ideas and ideals, but the actualization of one’s own values for the benefit of all people in this world. It is an idea that can be preached in a family, on the street, at work or school.

 

Jahić Mirza

Occupation: B.Sc. Educational psychologist, M.Sc. pedagogy

Place of employment: Public Institution Secondary Medical School in Tuzla

Areas of interest: pedagogy, innovation, ethnology

ETOS Initiative represents a series of socially useful concepts which offer answers to the questions and challenges of today’s society. Considering the fact that I at work daily encounter prejudices, stereotypes, discrimination, misunderstandings, lack of empathy, violence and other negative aspects of society we live in, the concepts offered by ETOS Initiative give me a systematic framework to handle these challenges. Using ETOS principles, I always put a focus on human, reciprocity, society and humanistic activity.

Munevera Rahmanović Hrbat

Occupation: Primary classroom teacher

Place of employment: Public Institution “Brčanska Malta”, Primary school, Tuzla

Areas of interest: art, religion, poetry, humanism, ecology

ETOS Initiative promotes all values that should be the basic characteristics of a human being, while respecting and pointing to the values of the other and the different. The awareness that we can stumble upon many obstacles in communication points to the importance of gaining knowledge of different cultures and skills to overcome and identify visible and invisible obstacles in communication. Also, what is fascinating is that children feel free to express themselves and they are active participants in promoting universal values and indirectly pointing to the omissions of adults. ETOS Initiative informs the public unobtrusively about the culture of life and coexistence. Ethos is us because we live ethos.

Sabahudin Ćeman

Occupation: Professor of Islamic theological studies

Place of employment: Musa Ćazim Ćatić Gymnasium and Technical Secondary School, Tešanj

Areas of interest: theology, ethics, philosophy

Today, we are witnessing numerous global crises and problems that essentially arise as a result of the current human alienation of moral and ethical values. Because of the massive rotation around the utilitarian matrix of material and personal interests, humanity will not have a bright future unless something changes. As if we have forgotten the feeling that we, as humans, belong to the same large family and a sense of ethics and humanity towards people, plants, animals and nature, although great religions teach us that. Therefore, universal human values like doing good to everyone and being a good person are the values ​​promoted by ETOS Initiative. Genuine people have moral and ethical values.

Sanela Mesihović

Occupation: Graduated construction engineer

Place of employment: Public Institution Mostar High School of Civil Engineering

Areas of interest: humanism, nutrition

ETOS Initiative promotes precisely the values that I consider to be the most important and on which I think humanity should be established. The essence of these universal values comes down to one thing: to be a good person and to do good to everyone whenever the opportunity arises. Personally, I think the next stage of evolution is just that – a good person. I am fascinated by individuals who are already close to this stage of development, and ETOS Initiative brings together those individuals.

Sead Gazibegović

Occupation: Professor of Mathematics

Place of employment: Public Institution “Combined High School”, Gračanica

Areas of Interest: Art, Mediation and Nonviolent Communication as a Model for Conflict Resolution and Promoting the Values ​​of Peace and Nonviolence

ETOS Initiative is important for raising awareness to higher level, which main principle is HUMANITY. Humanity has lurked within us to get as much material gain as possible. So we started forgetting or we have already forgotten, it depends on at what level of materiality one is, the basic human values ​​that make a person human. So ETOS, by the values ​​it promotes, encourages a change in the human model called “Give Only to Me” to the “What Do You Need, Brother and Sister” model. We witness that it is only in times of tragedy that people become aware of the importance of interpersonal relationships and connection with one another.

Selvira Mašnić

Occupation: Professor of Philosophy and Sociology

Place of employment: “Maarif College” Gymnasium, Sarajevo

Areas of interest: humanism, inter-religious dialogue, interculturalism, working with young people through non-formal education

ETOS Initiative is a framework that embraced what Ethos advocates as two principles, humanity and reciprocity, which are part of Bosnian identity that we need to teach and learn to live with. Ethos Initiative places ethics and universal values at the centre, which are timeless categories for me.

Vanja Ivković

Occupation: Master of theology

Place of employment: Primary and secondary education in Tuzla

Areas of interest: Peacekeeping, dialogue, humanism, journalism, volunteerism, philosophy

TPO foundation promotes basic human values and being human is the hardest thing to do. TPO foundation recognizes the ethical principles as the groundwork of religious communities, especially these monotheistic ones in our region. TPO creates a ground of peace and dialogue in Bosnian society.