WHAT IS THE ADVANCING SOCIAL COHESION PROJECT?

Launched in 2017, the USAID Advancing Social Cohesion project is a four-year activity to improve relationships among children and youth across ethnicities, religions, and social divisions, and increase public awareness about ethnic integration and social cohesion. The project provides training to teachers, state educational inspectors, and pedagogical students on multicultural education. It also organizes outreach and sports activities for students from targeted primary schools across North Macedonia. Through 24 episodes of an innovative reality TV show, the project will highlight youth from diverse backgrounds working together to address common issues they face in their communities.

WHAT HAS BEEN ACCOMPLISHED?

• Through the project, 531 preschool teachers have been equipped with the knowledge and skills needed to support multicultural education in ethnically mixed public kindergartens in 10 municipalities.
• Twenty inspectors from the State Educational Inspectorate and 17 counselors of the Bureau for Development of Education have been trained to supervise multicultural education classes.
• Workshops have been organized for 198 parents from different ethnic backgrounds to share experiences, concerns and discuss topics of common interest to build trust in ethnically mixed communities. 
• 169 pedagogical students have been trained on intercultural education standards and methodologies to develop their skills as future teachers.
• The project has organized sport events with 940 primary school children from different ethnic, religious, and cultural backgrounds to play together and foster friendships. 

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