About twenty secondary school students from North Macedonia participated in a summer camp at the Pestalozzi Children’s Village in Trogen, Switzerland, in the period from 7th until 20th July. Approximately 150 young people from 9 countries participated in the camp – North Macedonia, Serbia, Croatia, Turkey, Poland, Moldova, Ukraine, Russia and Switzerland. Through educational and interactive workshops, the participants learned about the children’s rights, the features of various cultures and other topics related to the global challenges of modern society.
Over the course of these two weeks of living together, the young people from various European countries worked together in mixed groups and cooperated about numerous initiatives. The workshops included discussions on how can youth critically use the media, balance freedom and safety and similar. In addition to the offered topics, young people created workshops tailored to their own interests.
In their leisure time, the secondary school students enjoyed joint sports and arts activities – they drew, played musical instruments and participated in various youth clubs, such as the media club. The members of this club played the role of journalists – they conducted interviews with the participants in the camp, as well as with the supervisors and the other staff at the Children’s Village. They also aired their own radio shows, organized radio interviews, and recorded videos.
“Those 2 weeks that I was in Trogen gave me one of the best memories of my life. I had a lot of fun, met new people, made new friends from different countries…I wish I could have a chance to come back again one day“, said one of the participants in the camp.
During the weekends, the participants went on organized field trips in Zurich and had a chance to visit the Rhine Falls. In the upcoming period, they will convey the acquired skills and the entire experience with their peers in their schools.
This activity is part of the Strengthening Multiethnic Cooperation in Municipalities Project, funded by the Pestalozzi Children’s Foundation, organized in cooperation with the Coalition of Youth Organizations SEGA.
