To mark the International Day of Peace, our YEAs set out to remind young people that peace is more than just the absence of conflict – it is built every day through tolerance, equality, and respect. In cooperation with the Council of Europe, YEAs Nevena Matić, Marija Milićević, and Uroš Šestović visited elementary schools across Serbia to engage with students in meaningful conversations about the values that hold communities together.
Throughout September, seventh-grade student in Novi Pazar, Niš, and Zaječar took part in workshops designed to spark dialogue and reflection. In classrooms that turned into spaces for cooperation and creativity, students explored the importance of peace in their everyday lives, learned to recognize discrimination, and practiced ways of standing up for fairness and mutual respect.
The activities went beyond theory. Through interactive exercises and group discussions, children were encouraged to think about how their own actions, whether in school, online, or in their neighborhoods, can foster understanding and harmony. The workshops showed that even small gestures of kindness, empathy, and dialogue can create ripples of peace that extend far beyond the classroom.
By spending time with young people in different parts of Serbia, the YEAs emphasized that peace is not a distant goal, but a responsibility that belongs to everyone, especially the next generation. As the students left with new ideas and perspectives, one message became clear: peace truly begins with us.
This initiative was part of the project “Combating Discrimination and Promoting Diversity in Serbia,” implemented within the joint European Union and Council of Europe programme Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye.
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