On January 28, 2021, a promotional event took place to mark the official beginning of the activities within the Idea Fusion Center, supported by USAID’s Youth Ethnic Integration Project. The center represents an informal youth group in which highly-motivated students, members of the student parliaments in the schools, will participate in the development and implementation of unique and creative ideas.
During the event, the students introduced the center. They pointed out that it will enable the voice of youth to be heard and will give them an opportunity to make a real change in their schools and communities. They explained in more detail how they will develop and implement the ideas with the support of their fellow students, the teachers and school management.
“I would like to encourage my friends by showing them my thoughts and giving them hope. Doing this project is great for everyone, so that we can see what we can achieve“, says a student that participates in the center.
Together they discussed their ideas for positive changes that they have already started to come up with. Raising the awareness for protection of the environment, greater accessibility of information about professional orientation, beautifying the school yards, placing fitness equipment in them, library in the open, construction of sports and theatre halls are only some of them.
Dawn Carmin, USAID’s General Development Office Director in North Macedonia spoke on the event, as well. She praised the proactivity of the young people and told them, “I want to encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity and really make it anything and everything you think it can be. It is so wonderful to be able to spend time together and really be creative and talk about all ideas. In that I want to encourage you to stay positive and create your network. Reach out and find those that can support you and help you in your ideas and be brave and bold in generating those ideas.”
In the upcoming period, the students, who participate in the center, will organize more monthly meetings where they will collaborate with each other even though they are from different locations across the country and discuss their creative and unique ideas, which they would like to implement in their schools and communities.
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.
