Superschools
RYCO Superschools Western Balkans School Exchange Scheme aims to support the peacebuilding and reconciliation process and intercultural learning and dialogue among schools, students and their communities. It aims at providing the ground for creating strong and sustainable bonds between secondary schools within the region and building long-term partnerships. By participating in this initiative, secondary schools will have the chance to apply and, if selected, implement school to school exchanges as well as to participate in the scheme’s activities dedicated to their capacity building, networking and cooperation.
Partners involved, donor, time-framework and locations:
Superschools is a RYCO programme for school exchanges in WB6 with the objectives to support the peacebuilding and reconciliation process and intercultural learning and dialogue among schools, students and their communities. The programme 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). The project contributes to the overall objective of increasing skills and knowledge of young people in the Western Balkans by enhancing education systems and promoting cooperation in the region, through establishing a regional school exchange scheme. This will be achieved through the following three intervention areas:
- Improving the institutional/operational capacity of RYCO to manage regional cooperation projects.
- Improving the capacity of schools and other formal education structures to actively participate and develop quality projects.
- Improving RYCO’s regional School Partnership Scheme.
A grant allocated to RYCO for the implementation of the School Partnership Scheme (SPS) includes four open calls. Through these calls, 340 schools that formed 170 bilateral partnerships have been supported. The programme has significantly contributed to building capacities, with 707 teachers strengthening their skills and 3,052 students participating directly in exchanges and an additional 1,500 students expected in the ongoing cycle. Beyond direct participants, 7,285 young people have been indirectly involved through local outreach activities, with a further 4,000 anticipated.
One of the main goals of the project is to establish a sustainable, regional school exchange network that promotes peacebuilding, reconciliation, and cooperation across the Western Balkans.
General remarks
This programme is part of a multi-donor project, co-financed by the EU and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), and implemented by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) together with RYCO.

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