Youth Agents of Social Change

Start: 15-05-2018 - End: 14-05-2019

Project Reference: 2018-1-RS01-KA105-000398

EU Grant: 17748 EUR

The project is response to low competences of youth of Serbia and Macedonia on issues of child and human rights, democracy, equality and tolerance. Official educational systems of Serbia and Macedonia failed to provide them chance to develop it and acquire those competences within regular curriculum. Education for child/human rights is considered as the most important precondition for implementation of those rights in practice and development of democratic society. By being deprived from those and being not aware of their rights, children and youth cannot stand up for their rights, they cannot claim them from duty-bearers, they do not know how to use them for their benefit. It reflects negatively to the society and evidence on this is present in numerous situations. The project will address the issue of low participation of young people in decision making as well and raising awareness of importance and benefits of active citizenship. 

The objectives are: 

1. To strengthen competences and skills of young people of Serbia and Macedonia to become agent of social change and active promoters of European values in their communities. 
2. To promote values of freedom, tolerance, respect for child and human rights among young people of Serbia and Macedonia. 

The project will be realized by Uzice Child Rights Centre from Serbia and The Coalition of youth organizations SEGA from Macedonia who have long term cooperation history started in 2008. Both organizations are very active in the field of child participation and youth activism and significant experience in realization of educational and exchange activities with children and youth. 

The activities include set of preparatory workshops and task-related activities. Implementation of two youth exchanges - one in Serbia and one in Macedonia both based on human/child rights, intercultural education and active youth engagement in promotion and dissemination of those values in their communities. Participants to both planned youth exchanges will be children and youth aged 15 -18, secondary school student. Youth exchanges will gather 30 participants and 4 group leaders each - 15 participants and 2 group leaders from Serbia and the same number and structure from Macedonia - 68 participants in total in two planned exchanges. All groups will be gender balanced. Participants from Serbia will be from Uzice and smaller surrounding communities, while participants from Macedonia will be from Prilep and surrounding communities. In each of two youth exchanges UCRC and SEGA will ensure participation of at least 20 young people with fewer opportunities. Those will be youth from rural, socially deprived communities and distant villages. Young people from rural parts of Serbia and Macedonia face number of disadvantages including social and economic preventing them from reaching full potentials. The methodology applied on both youth exchanges will consist of interactive learning approach, will provide participants to actively contribute learning outcomes, by sharing experiences, commenting, debating and learning from each other. They will also have chance to contribute the program of exchanges and expected learning outcomes by presenting their culture and customs which they prepared as task-related preparatory activity. 

After each youth exchange participant will implement individual knowledge and skills transfer plan which they will develop during the exchanges. Each participants will realize one-day workshop with in schools they attend for their peers on one or more topics covered during the exchanges. In this process they will realize total of 60 one day workshops for approximately 25 participants per each workshop - 1500 participants in total (750 from Serbia and 750 from Macedonia). Target groups for those workshops will be peers of youth exchange participants, from their classes or schools. 

Expected results: 

• Participants level - Children and youth developed skills, knowledge and competences relevant for active participation in democracy society as active citizens, acting as peer educators and promoter of values of democracy, tolerance, respect for human and child rights in their schools and communities, strengthened positive attitudes towards European integration process and values of democratic societies 
• Partner organization level - UCRC and SEGA gained relevant skills and experience in participation in Erasmus + projects and strengthened its cooperation 
• Target group level - Children and youth raised awareness on importance of respecting human and child rights, developed positive attitudes towards diversity, tolerance, democracy, values of freedom, equality, nondiscrimination. 

We expect that the project will result with the following positive impact - Increased support of youth of Serbia and Macedonia to European integration process and values of democratic societies, decrease of growing ethically based distance, intolerance and violence.