Jasminko Halilovic

About

Jasminko Halilovic was born in 1988 in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Jasminko Halilovic is the Founder and Director-General of the War Childhood Museum (WCM), the world's only museum dedicated to the experiences of children affected by war. The WCM received the Council of Europe Museum Prize as part of the European Museum of the Year program.

Jasminko has written and edited several books, including "Sarajevo – My City, a Place to Meet" and the award-winning "War Childhood," translated into six languages. He holds a master's degree in financial management and is pursuing a PhD in museum management.

He has served as a keynote speaker at conferences in over 15 countries on museums, peacebuilding, and entrepreneurship. Jasminko frequently presents and lectures at universities worldwide and has contributed to outlets like The Huffington Post, Asahi Shimbun, and Politico.

In 2018, Halilovic became the first Bosnian in Forbes’ Europe “30 under 30” list, and in 2023, he was named a European Young Leader (EYL40).

An entrepreneur since age 16, Jasminko co-founded several businesses before dedicating himself fully to his not-for-profit initiative, the War Childhood Museum. He is an avid traveler, having visited over 90 countries.

War Childhood Museum

Rising from the crowd-sourced book War Childhood and championing the principles and practices of social entrepreneurship, the independent, youth-led War Childhood Museum has garnered recognition as the world’s only museum focused exclusively on childhoods that have been affected by war.

Through its unique platform, the WCM is able to tackle trauma at an individual level for both participants, whose personal stories and objects comprise the museum’s collection, and visitors – ultimately contributing to greater understanding for society on whole. Its first permanent exhibition opened in January 2017, seven years after the project’s beginnings, in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Having proven successful in providing Bosnians of all ages with a rare opportunity to confront the traumas of their recent past without reinforcing ethnic boundaries, the WCM has expanded its activities to contemporary conflict, post-conflict, and resettlement zones. Today, the WCM has offices in three countries and runs projects in several more, becoming an international platform that gives voice to current and former war children.

The 2018 Council of Europe Museum Prize – one of the most prestigious awards in the museum industry – was awarded to the War Childhood Museum as part of the European Museum of the Year Awards.