Workshop Held at the 17th International Scientific and Professional Conference “Improving the Quality of Life of Children and Youth” (25–28 June 2026, Zlatibor, Serbia)

The 17th International Scientific and Professional Conference “Improving the Quality of Life of Children and Youth” was held in Zlatibor, Serbia, from 25 to 28 June 2026. The conference was organized by the Association for the Support and Creative Development of Children and Youth Tuzla and the Faculty of Education and Rehabilitation of the University of Tuzla. As part of the conference programme, Prof. Dr. Art. Jelena Kovačević and Associate Professor Jadranka Mlikota, PhD, delivered the workshop “The Letter: An Art-Linguistic Activity with Elements of Art Therapy.”

The workshop also presented an example of the application of the research foundations of the ReDiP project – From Reinterpretation to Retrodigitalization of Croatian-Language School Manuals from the Mid-Nineteenth to the Early Twentieth Century. One of the project’s objectives is the reinterpretation of school manuals and textbook discourse from the second half of the nineteenth century from contemporary linguistic, literary, methodological, philosophical, and artistic perspectives. By selecting excerpts from Horvatsko-slavonska slovnica za početnike (Croatian-Slavonian Grammar for Beginners) by Lavoslav Firholcer (1850) as the starting point of the workshop, a historical textbook text was removed from its original educational context and transferred into a space of contemporary creative interpretation. Through reading, reflection, and the creation of their own letters, participants established a dialogue with a text written more than a century and a half ago, while recognising its cultural, linguistic, and educational value in the present day. In addition to acquiring technical knowledge and skills, the workshop aimed to encourage divergent thinking, enhance the understanding and interpretation of the reading material, and foster a creative approach to artistic expression. Particular emphasis was placed on the art-therapy elements of the activity, which contribute to greater awareness of emotions, personal experiences, and the significance of the creative process.

The workshop once again confirmed the importance of interdisciplinary approaches that connect art, language, and individual well-being, while opening up possibilities for further research and the application of creative methods in work with children, young people, and professionals from various fields. It also demonstrated that historical school manuals should not be viewed solely as documents of the past, but as active carriers of knowledge, values, and educational practices that can be revisited, reinterpreted, and brought closer to contemporary audiences. In this respect, the workshop showed how research materials originating from Croatian educational heritage can be creatively and interdisciplinarily integrated into contemporary educational, artistic, and social contexts.