Macedonia

Mozaik Performance

The Centre for Common Ground (CCG as SFCG is known in Europe) has been working toward reconciliation, interethnic relations and stability in the Western Balkans since 1994, beginning with Macedonia and later expanding into Kosovo after war erupted there. Although inter-communal tensions never exploded into full civil strife as they did in Kosovo, Macedonia did balance on the verge of civil war in early 2001 and sharp divides still exists between ethnic Macedonians, Albanians, Turks and Roma.

CCG works across demographics but especially with children and youth to counter prejudice and empower the next generation of leaders. Our programming was some of the earliest to take youth perspectives seriously and to incorporate young people in decision-making processes.

For 16 years, SFCGM has been creating multi-faceted projects and initiatives, especially using media and education, designed to facilitate inter-ethnic communication on all societal levels, improve community cooperation, promote peaceful co-existence and encourage cross-cultural dialogue in the country.

Mozaik

Mozaik is a unique model of bilingual and multicultural pre-schooling in public kindergartens, bringing together children from Albanian, Turkish, Serbian and ethnic Macedonian communities.

Education in Macedonia is highly segregated based on ethno-linguistic criteria. Because children from the country’s various communities commonly attend separate classrooms, from kindergarten through high school - and even at university - most children rarely come into contact with peers from other communities. Mozaik preschool groups are the only example in Macedonia of bi-lingual, multicultural education at any level.

Over the past twelve years, more than 850 children has passed through the Mozaik kindergartens in nine municipalities. It is SFCG's longest continually-funded program. Teaching young children to be free of prejudice has also influenced kindergarten staff, their family members and education authorities, reaching over 2000 beneficiaries and engendering wider changes in attitudes across society.

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Balkans Theatre Networks

Initiated in January 2011, Sharing a Common Culture: Balkan Theatre Networks for EU Integration is a regional project that involves youth from Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Macedonia in the creation of plays that highlight their common European culture while promoting cultural and ethnic diversity. Partnering with the Centre fo Drama Education in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Student Cultural Center in Serbia, the Common Ground Theatre promotes tolerance by debunking stereotypes.

Some achievements from 2011:

• Produced formative research measuring youth access and attitudes toward cultures across the three countries

• Organized an inaugural conference in Skopje, brining together 40 youth and stakeholders from across the region

• Developed a curriculum for the theatre plays

• Organized a playwrights seminar in Skopje for six playwrights from the three countries

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