Skopje – 23 schools from North Macedonia received the title of “Superschool” this year, and their proposed projects, which will contribute to building peace, reconciliation and intercultural learning and dialogue within the framework of the Western Balkans School Exchange Programme, were presented yesterday at the official event called “Meet the Superschools”.
Along with representatives from the selected schools, the event was attended by Mr. Fatmir Sabriu, State Secretary at the Ministry of Social Policy, Demography and Youth, Ms. Elena Ivanovska, State Secretary at the Ministry of Education and Science, Mr. Alexandru Albu, EU Delegation to North Macedonia and Mr. Kevin Maas, Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in North Macedonia.
Opening the event, Mr. Fatmir Sabriu, State Secretary at the Ministry of Social Policy, Demography and Youth, said that Superschools is RYCO’s flagship program and that we are proud of the success it has achieved so far. RYCO and its partners are proud to introduce the new 100 schools that are part of the 4th cycle, and more specifically today, a record number of 23 awarded schools from North Macedonia. We look forward to their inspiring exchanges.
Ms. Elena Ivanovska, State Secretary at the Ministry of Education and Science, emphasized that “Peace, respect, friendship and cooperation are necessary for the world to move forward. These are actually the values that we need to teach young people both within family communities and within educational institutions. The idea of RYCO is complementary to what I am saying, it supports the efforts to build generations that will want to be united and with an identical goal – to transform the region into a better, happier and more prosperous place to live.”
Mr. Alexandru Albu, reaffirming the continued support of the European Union in terms of opening more opportunities for young people in the region such as exchange programs, shared new calls and spaces for young people to be involved in their communities, by being members of bodies that give them the right to consultation on matters that concern them.
While Mr. Kevin Maass emphasized the importance of young people being open to recognizing similarities rather than differences, and treating each other with respect, everyone wins in the end, and the Superschools program plays a big role in that.
In addition to presenting project ideas, the event also served as an opportunity for representatives of the selected schools to better get to know each other and engage in discussions with key local and international partners of the Superschools project, as well as to learn more about the next steps in the exchange implementation process.
The upcoming exchange activities will be implemented from November 15 this year to April 15 next year. During this period, school principals and teachers will coordinate and develop these activities with the support of RYCO and its mentors. You can see the list of 100 secondary schools from the region, including 23 from North Macedonia, on the RYCO website.
During the implementation phase, each partner school will organize one exchange to the other partner school for a duration of up to 6 days, with students traveling accompanied by one or two teachers. Through the exchange program, students and teachers will have the opportunity to travel, introduce themselves, their schools and customs to their hosts, and learn new things about local communities across the region. More than 100 exchange proposals were submitted for the 4th Superschools open call, which put a special emphasis on the concept of homestays – a unique opportunity for students and schools to participate in bilateral exchanges within their local communities and homes. In this call, 13 partnerships are implementing homestays.
About the Superschools program
Superschools is a RYCO program for school exchanges in the region with the objectives to support the peacebuilding and reconciliation process and intercultural learning and dialogue between schools, students and their communities. The program is part of a multi-donor project “Western Balkans School Exchange Scheme” co-financed by the European Union and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and implemented by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) together with the Regional Youth Cooperation Office (RYCO).
About RYCO
RYCO is an intergovernmental organization that stewards and promotes regional and intercultural cooperation of young people within and among Western Balkans societies. RYCO’s programs focus on creating opportunities for young people to engage in activities that build mutual understanding and reconciliation in the civic, social, educational, cultural, and sports domains. RYCO initiates and participates in policymaking and advocates for reform. It supports the development of a political and social environment that empowers and facilitates youth exchange.