In January and February 2021, webinars for implementation of student initiatives through online digital tools were held, as part of the USAID Youth Ethnic Integration Project, in cooperation with the Bureau for Development of Education and the Youth Educational Forum. The webinars were attended by over 450 Civic Education teachers, support staff and directors from 240 primary schools that are part of the project and are implementing student initiatives and Civic Education Open Days in the school year 2021/2022.
The webinars paid special attention to the importance of implementing student initiatives through digital tools, especially in conditions where the educational process takes place at a distance. The participants in the webinars were introduced to the stages that a student initiative needs to go through to successfully contribute to the development of civic competencies of the students, as well as various digital tools that serve as additional or alternative option to the traditional methods of implementing student initiatives with physical presence.
The workshops helped the schools to support the students in the implementation of various initiatives, through digital tools or a hybrid approach. Please read below about some of the implemented activities in the period February-March 2021.
On the Civic Education Open Day in the primary school “Ss. Cyril and Methodius” in Skopje, students from the Student Parliament had the opportunity to talk with the Deputy Ombudsman Vaska Bajramovska – Mustafa. At the beginning of the event, the Deputy Ombudsman gave a short lecture on human rights and democracy, emphasizing the importance of equality in a multicultural society. By asking the guest questions, the students were informed about the competencies of the Ombudsman, the most frequent citizen complaints related to protection of the rights and the manner in which protection can be requested from this body.
Students from the municipal primary school “Goce Delchev” from Demir Hisar decided to launch an online petition to clean the illegal landfills and solve the problem with the garbage disposal. In the online petition, the students emphasized the need for free movement and play in a clean nature. After collecting signatures through an online tool, they will submit the petition to the Mayor and the Municipal Council of Demir Hisar.
Students from the municipal primary school “Kocho Racin” from the village of Blatec implemented several activities for preservation of the environment: ecological march “For a clean Blatec”, two actions for cleaning the environment and raising the environmental awareness among the general public, as well as an action for embellishment of the school yard. During the actions, students from all grades, school staff, high school students and parents collected more than 30 bags of garbage.
The pandemic did not stop the students from the primary school “Avram Pisevski” from the village of Bardovci to implement a student initiative whereby they will encourage positive change in the local community. After the discussions about the problems they face in their environment, the students decided to conduct an information campaign to raise the public awareness about the use of the local children’s playground.
These are just some of the many activities initiated by students that will be implemented online in the upcoming period. They encourage student activism and develop students’ skills for creative thinking and finding solutions to the challenges they face.
This activity is part of the Youth Ethnic Integration Project, supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
This article is made possible by the generous support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The contents are the responsibility of MCEC and do not necessarily reflect the views of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) or the United States Government.
