Messengers of Peace - A Balkan Success

Scouting is building bridges and breaking barriers all around the world. It’s reviving communities and leading the march to a more peaceful future.

Nowhere is this more apparent than in the Balkan states, in the little towns of Gradovci and Struga. Here, the Scout Association of Macedonia is empowering their young people and initiating change, bringing divided communities closer and strengthening bonds.

In Gradovci, the Scouts of Brakja Miladinovci unit have taken it upon themselves to renovate an old deserted school in the almost-deserted village. This has reinvigorated the community, has provided a new place for one thousand Scouts to learn by doing and has provided a training facility for leaders from across the entire country.

Whereas in Struga, inter-ethnic tension has existed between Albanian and Macedonian communities for generations, but a Messengers of Peace project has tackled this sensitive topic head-on and is diffusing the tension.

How has it done this? By creating a community - The Krste Jon Scout unit.

This community has the confidence and strength to develop joint activities for the young people of Struga, open dialogue on religion and customs, and even celebrate religious holidays together.

If we consider young people to be the leaders of the future, what better way to build a peaceful world than by harnessing acceptance from an early age.

#MoP #Scouting #Peace #Dialogue @worldscouting