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Imagine, Improvise, Integrate!
Creative writing and storytelling are powerful tools to address issues of stereotyping, discrimination, and hate speech. It helps people express anger, helplessness, exclusion and similar feelings in a constructive way. These creative methods are focused on speaking up, raising your voice about injustice, racism, sexism, etc., and hate speech that is usually used against marginalized…
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The greatest threat to youth – radicalization
“Preventing the conflicts of tomorrow means changing the mindset of youth today.”- Graça Machel While most of us are familiar with the concept of radicalization, it is often difficult to define it. We also narrow down its meaning to a specific group, e.g., terrorist or religious groups, which does not reflect the phenomenon’s complexity. What…
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Under the purple sky
Gender equality, inclusion, and the fight against stereotypes are not slogans from TV commercials but processes implemented here and now. TWOST: Training without stereotypes is a project that raises awareness about the importance of gender balance in youth organizations, sports clubs, and informal groups. But how much longer will we build equality?
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Another step in the development of future facilitators!
Diversity & anti-discrimination was the main topic of the “PeerAct” training course in Struga. Youth in the partnership countries still discriminate and show intolerance towards their peers (based on religion, gender, ethnicity, race, disability, or sexual orientation or simply not fitting the social norms). This situation is not compatible with EU values, and a solution…
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Burgos, Barcelona, Madrid: Spain by bus, plane, and train
Sightseeing three Spanish cities in one day during a pandemic? Done! And most of that by walking. This is how six young Macedonians spent an incredible week in Spain in late August 2021. We started our journey by flying to Madrid from Sofia. We were supposed to eventually arrive in Castrillo de la Vega for…
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“I want to feel empowered”
When she arrives in Skopje with six other Spanish volunteers on the 7th of June, it is the first time in her life Sheila comes to Macedonia. She does not know the language, and has to integrate fast into a society that is completely unknown to her: the VET program she enrolled indeed finishes at…
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New experience, new skills
A professional career is an important part of our lives. It is safe to say that each of us wants to do it today. However, not everything goes our way, and it often turns out that the completed studies do not guarantee our work in the profession. Good work is the result of our actions…
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The first part of an unforgettable experience. Shake a leg, together!
Young people from five different countries met in one place to jointly try to change their approach to a healthy lifestyle, and then make changes in their local community. After a few days spent in a charming place, they left full of new knowledge and optimism to actually introduce a real change. The training course Shake…
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CUTE more than ever!
The endless lake, golden sand, restless sun, and young power! Between the 10th and 18th of August 2021, Volunteers Centre Skopje hosted Youth Exchange “CUTE: Cooperate Understand Tolerate Empower” in Struga, Macedonia. The project was organized by VCS’s partner from Hungary: Hang-Kép Kulturalis Egyesület and funded by the Erasmus+ program.
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A bright European future
Yes, it was really challenging to organize an event with about fifty physical participants in a period of easing the measures and still insufficient confidence whether we beat Covid-19. But these wonderful young people deserved a chance to present their projects that changed the society for the better. They have worked hard for the past…
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We continue with new beginnings #TEHV
Volunteers Centre Skopje as part of its work focused on humanitarian activities and already increased and advanced capacities through the project “Towards effective humanitarian volunteering” looks forward to the European Union’s new Erasmus + program, and in particular the European Solidarity Corps. It is taking big steps towards the new challenges and the future volunteers…
