Young People from the Region Break Down Stereotypes and Build Mutual Trust.
The symbolic planting of a birch tree, as a sign of fostering understanding and trust among young people in the Western Balkans, marked the end of the Regional Youth Camp at the student resort “Ratko Mitrović” in Palić. The tree was planted together with the young people by the Assistant Minister for Human and Minority Rights and Social Dialogue, Nina Mitić, and the Deputy Permanent Representative of the UNDP in Serbia, Fabrizio Andreuzzi
From October 21 to 23, 23 young women and men from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, and Serbia participated in the camp, as well as two young refugees from Burundi and Afghanistan who live and work in Serbia.
“We have to build bridges and tear down walls left from the past, and to do that, we have to have strong, educated young people who will be part of future changes and who will understand each other and work together for a better future,” said Rejhan Kurtović, State Secretary in the Ministry of Human and Minority Rights and Social Dialogue, who joined the participants at the beginning of the camp.
We need to build bridges and tear down walls left over from the past
During the weekend, young people participated in workshops on youth activism, social entrepreneurship, video, and photo production, as well as on media literacy and understanding information from social networks. Also, they shared experiences in the field of activism and showed that they can work well together and as a team.
Assistant Minister for Human and Minority Rights and Social Dialogue Nina Mitić emphasized that young women and men are key collaborators and, more importantly, social media users. This is precisely why they must acquire knowledge and skills to interpret information critically.
“We work with young decision-makers, local governments, youth advisors, and national authorities to include young women and men in decision-making processes and the development of youth strategies and plans at the national and local level,” said the deputy permanent representative of UNDP in Serbia Fabrizio Andreuzzi.
“The young generations who will shape the public and political discourse in the region in the years ahead are very aware of the responsibility that awaits them and want to strengthen their position in society so that their voice is heard and the activities they use to change their environment are positively accepted in their communities. The awareness they showed at this camp is just one more reason to provide them with support in the future and many more opportunities for them to acquire new knowledge and skills through further governmental and non-governmental sector projects,” emphasized the regional coordinator of the “Youth 4 Inclusion, Equality & Trust” project, Thomas Jackson.
The regional youth camp in Palić was held as part of the “Youth 4 Inclusion, Equality & Trust” project, which is implemented by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in cooperation with UNFPA, UNESCO, and UN Women, with financial support from the UN Secretary General’s Peace Building Fund. The project in Serbia is implemented in partnership with the Ministry of Human and Minority Rights and Social Dialogue in the Government of the Republic of Serbia.
