ACT in Action: Ethnic Conflicts in Kosovo
In November/December of 2000, Craig Zelizer worked in partnership with the United Methodist Committee on Relief, Giljane Office, in Kosovo to deliver introductory training for young leaders from all of the ethnic groups in Eastern Kosovo. The youth were participants in a year long leadership and community building program organized by UMCOR and ACT, with the initial team building/leadership trainings in cooperation with UMCOR staff.
Given the tense situation and security risks at the time in Kosovo the trainings were conducted in separate groups. The trainings were highly interactive and elicitive in nature, and integrated the content of the workshop to the specific needs and challenges that the youth face living in a highly unstable post-conflict situation. To maximize learning and impact of the training, wherever possible the exercises, discussions, and role-plays were based on the situation in Kosovo.
A key part of the training focused on training participants to conduct conflict needs assessments of their communities and to examine potential peacebuilding roles that young people could undertake. As a follow up to the training, many of the participants then developed their own peacebuilding projects which were designed to help facilitate initial steps toward reconciliation.
Although ACT only provided the initial training to the participants, ACT has continued to support program participants and staff and helped to facilitate exchange of information, contacts and resources with other youth and peacebuilding organizations in the region.
Click on each image to see selected pictures from the project.
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