OSCE field operations bring together youth from Novi Pazar and Brčko in intercultural camp

Fostering regional dialogue through youth connectivity between Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, while also promoting youth resilience to security risks in local communities was the focus of a youth intercultural camp held in Kopanik, Serbia, from 3 to 7 November 2017.

The youth camp gathered some 60 secondary school students from Brčko, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Novi Pazar, Serbia, two communities that are characterized by a multicultural social fabric.

The OSCE Mission to Serbia, in partnership with Novi Pazar’s youth scouting organization Bratstvo and the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina, organized the youth camp to heighten the participants’ awareness of their potential role in promoting civic education, environmental issues, and inter-cultural dialogue, as well as in tackling peer violence and other security risks.

The programme included activities in an outdoor, mountainous setting designed to promote interaction among the young people and strengthen their resilience to violent radicalization and extremism, by fostering tolerance and intercultural understanding.

“The most successful strategy for repressing violent behaviours is to prevent and defuse the potential for asocial extremism before it turns into violence,” said Deputy Head of the OSCE Mission to Serbia Joseph Mellott at the close of the intercultural camp. “The role of youth in promoting regional understanding and co-operation is key to shaping the future of countries of the region, one with no room for prejudice and intolerance. That is why the OSCE encourages initiatives such as these in support of peace, security and co-operation.”

The OSCE Mission to Serbia and the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina are committed to assisting youth organizations in both counties in strengthening youth connectivity and in creating opportunities for dialogue between young people towards long-term peace and stability in the region.