“Stronger Together – Ethnicity Peacebuilding (STEP)” – youth project in North Macedonia for peace building

Our partners from CET PLATFORMA Skopje together with the Forum for Educational Change, from 1st to 4th of December 2022, in Krushevo, North Macedonia, have implemented the youth project “Stronger Together – Ethnicity Peacebuilding (STEP)”. The project involved 22 young people, aged between 18 to 30 years old from different ethnic groups that were educated on the concepts of intercultural learning and human rights with a focus on peace building.
In North Macedonia, there is a huge division between the different ethnic groups, so the main goal of the project was to increase awareness of the enrichment that diversity and common living brings, to get the participants to know each other and to improve the way of behaviour and tolerance towards the members of the different ethnic groups living in our country, in this case between young Macedonians, Albanians, Turkish and Roma.

This program lasted for 3 days and through the methodology of non-formal education covered the topics of intercultural dialogue, conflict resolution and peace building. Participants also used intercultural dialogue to support breaking stereotypes and promote tolerance, acceptance and the value of diversity.
The project managed successful to raise awareness among young people for intercultural learning and respect of human rights with a focus on building peace – through an inclusive and interactive methodology. It also increased the intercultural dialogue of participants that contributed to breaking down stereotypes and promoting tolerance and appreciation of diversity while encouraging the young participants to engage in the peace building processes.
As a result of the project, the participants created videos with messages that aimed to break the stereotypes that have been placed between the ethnic groups living in North Macedonia.

This project was sponsored by the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) Impact Awards Initiative and the IVLP Impact Awardee Blagica Eftimova. This global initiative is implemented by Meridian International Center, in partnership with the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.