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Education in the Western Balkans has been manipulated for decades
with an aim to promote nationalism and negative ethnic stereotypes
as well as to construct ethnic myths used to define one nation or
ethnic group as superior to another. Despite the progress made in
the last years, history textbooks in the region are mainly focused
on disparities between ethnic groups, deepening the already existing
“us” versus “them” narratives, and contributing to populist
techniques and scapegoating and self-victimization fostered by
politicians. This “othering” of the different ethnic groups and the
dangerous war narratives over the years has led to a drastic
increase in prejudices among the youth. The widespread presence of
the nationalist propaganda, inability to reconcile with the past and
the ongoing ethnic segregation among the youth in the region of
Western Balkans results in a low level of civic activism and fewer
successful efforts to better neighbouring relationships and foster
cooperation between the youth of the Western Balkan societies.
The "Challenge History - React for the Future" summer school, held
during August 2021 in Mokrin, Serbia, aimed to address these issues
by providing young people from the WB with informal education on the
topic of Yugoslav history, human rights violations, historical
revisionism and the importance of reconciliation with the past, as
well as the opportunity to work together, exchange knowledge, and
create a platform for future cooperation.
The Challenge History Summer School was based on four modules
consisting of 12 sessions, two sets of workshops, and site and
virtual visits to locations of importance for boosting
interculturalism and a sense of solidarity with neighbours. In
addition, follow-up activities conducted in each of the partners'
societies were formatted in line with the Summer School’s topic and
agenda and served as additional opportunity to educate participants
and encourage them to take on the responsibility of educating their
peers themselves.
The Toolkit “Challenge History - React for the Future” consists of
comprehensive summaries from educational workshops for challenging
history, its goals, participants remarks and potentials for future
collaboration and activism, as a result of the expertise engaged, as
well as a joint effort and thought-exchange during the Summer
School, and it is intended to support and inspire follow-up
activities for young peer educators, teachers and facilitators
across the region.
The Toolkit can be downloaded
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