Mission to Skopje supports integration of minorities through scouting

This summer, the OSCE Spillover Monitor Mission to Skopje supported a series of camps where a total of 60 ethnic Roma and Vlach children from the municipality of Sveti Nikole were introduced to the world of scouting by 60 ethnic Macedonian scouts.

In Sveti Nikole, located in the north-east of the country, a majority of the 13,292 inhabitants are ethnic Macedonians. Minority ethnic groups include Roma and small numbers of Vlachs, Serbs and Bulgarians.

Local initiative to strengthen ties between ethnic groups

The initiative to get young people from these ethnic minorities more interested in public activities and to help strengthen ties among children of different backgrounds came from the local Goce Delchev Scout Association, one of most active in the country.

"We were concerned over the lack of participation by citizens from minorities in local society," said Alexandar Stojanov, the President of the Association.

"Their public activities are often limited to involvement in ethnic associations. Scouting is the perfect vehicle through which they can learn to appreciate and value their diversity and how they can play a more active role in society through volunteer work."

Assisting with the fund-raising and implementation of the scout camp project was Michael Bogdan, an enthusiastic US Peace Corps Volunteer.

"Together with the Association, we organized four camps for children of similar ages between 7 and 20. Each gathering had an equal number of current scouts and young people from minorities interested in learning about scouting traditions," he explained.

Local authorities supported the idea, especially because they have been co-operating with the Goce Delchev Scout Association since 1972. Scouts are involved in many municipal activities, including city cleaning, tree planting, assisting the elderly and promoting volunteer activities.

Making new friends through scouting

Each of the camps had an equal number of current scouts and minority youth interested in learning about scouting traditions. The final one, which took place in July, included thirty children of all ages and was hosted by the Ohrid Scout Camp.

The children - some of whom were seeing Lake Ohrid for the first time - enjoyed activities such as map reading, orienteering, physical exercise and swimming.

The children also made new friends. "Perica Angelovski, a 15-year old ethnic Roma boy, created a 'sand city' on the beach with Christina Gjorgieva, a 13-year old Vlach girl, as part of the camp's sand castle competition," commented Borche Serafimovski, vice president of the Sveti Nikole Scout Association.

"They have become really close friends, which shows that we can work together and live without prejudice."

Through scouting to integration

At the end of the camp, each participant received an invitation to join the Scout Association. The project, of course, also has longer-term benefits, which were outlined by Project Manager Jasmina Todorovska of the Mission to Skopje's Confidence-Building Unit.

"Attracting children from minorities to scouting is one step towards community integration. It is important that from an early age, they understand that they should take responsibility for their communities. Active scouts will grow up to be active citizens, willing to improve their society," she said.

The Scout Association Goce Delchev is continuing its scouting and public service activities, the first of which will be an ecological project to clean the city park of Sveti Nikole. The implementation of this high-profile project, which is based on plans made at the camps, will showcase the group's new multi-ethnic character.

Sharing best practices across the country

"We are very proud that 17 Roma and seven Vlach children have already applied to the Scout Association. It is the first visible result of our pilot project," smiles Alexandar Stojanov.

Meanwhile, the leaders of the Goce Delchev Scout Association are sharing the successes of the pilot project and the lessons learned with other scout associations across the country.

Other interested scout groups, as well as National Scout Association, are seeking support and funding for the implementation of similar initiatives.