European Rails of Peace 2012 project
Background
Since its inception, the European Rails of Peace Project, designed to promote peace in the Balkans and free youth mobility in the countries of the region and Europe, has already reached more than 180 young citizens from Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo and Serbia, selected on the basis of their age (18-25), student status and availability to contribute to inter-ethnic dialogue.
Six Project editions were already implemented in summer 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011. The youth were provided with visas and sponsorships which allowed them to travel one month trough all Europe by train, while attending workshops on reconciliation and regional cooperation, taking place in the cities of Vienna, Siena, The Hague, Bruxelles and Rome. In 2008 the Project was selected as one of the “best practice” by the European Commission in the framework of the projects funded under the Youth in Action program.
The Project activities were very successful and had great impact on the participants, by enabling them to establish an open dialogue with their peers from communities previously engaged in conflict and to express their opinions about sensitive topics such as: national identities, cultural heritage, memory and reconciliation and the role of media in the Balkans, while debating such issues with the other participants as well as with relevant experts. At the same time, cross-cutting personal relations and friendship among members of the three groups were developed thanks to the Peace building and Travel component, which facilitated the forging of friendly relations and the sharing of common travel plans and positive experiences together.
About the Program
This year’s edition of the project is taking other course, but will remain dedicated to its core values of peace building, establishing contacts, bringing down and crossing the imaginary and existing borders, educating and training young people to become leaders in their local communities, inter-cultural and inter-ethnic dialogue, facing the past, dealing with public memory, emotions management and building mutual respect and credence. The main difference concerning the previous editions is that it will be based in the region and it will emphasize on regional cooperation. Previous editions were more focused on the travelling through Europe. There are several reasons for this. Young people in the Balkans, even those with the best education, at that time when the Project started, still found their lives constrained by the effects of war, such as political instability, mobility limitations and rampant unemployment. For them it was difficult to obtain visas to travel through Europe or even to cross their neighbors’ borders. The vast majority has never left their country, and many did not have a passport. Some have experienced Western Europe only as refugees. Due to such mobility limitations, they were even more exposed to often distorted images about “the others” coming from media and politicians. Representing the majority of the Balkan population, young people are eager to escape the cycle of conflict and ensure a prosperous future for a new generation, but need opportunities to build their capacity in order to do so. Due to the recent change of geopolitical relations between SEE countries and European Union, namely, due to the visa liberation, young people found themselves in completely different situation: They can travel to the countries of EU, but, because of current political and diplomatic issues, they can’t travel to the countries of their first neighbors and, even worse, because of the postwar heritage of intolerance and hatred, they do not travel to the geographic and administrative parts of their own country with other ethnic majority. Therefore, this years’ Project edition will mainly take place in the region, stressing on the identity issues, but will also keep its component of traveling to the countries of EU with the part of the Project activities organised in Rome.
Why the Program?
The purpose of the Program is to consolidate, strengthen and empower youth participation in civil society and political activism of young people in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo and Serbia.
The Visiting Program in Bosnia and Herzegovina aims at:
•Connecting members of different ethnic communities within one country
- Breaking the prejudices, hate and divisions among young people, in order to understand the facts of the past and to take full responsibility for it in the future
•Strengthening the capacity of young people for a more active participation in the process of decision-making and democratization of their society
•Establishing and deepening the communication and cooperation between young people in divided towns and communities within one country
•Raising awareness about contemporary identity issues throughout the Balkans
Who will participate?
The project’s target groups are young people from Bosnia and Herzegovina who are willing to contribute to the development of cooperation and communication between different ethnicities in the country.
A special focus of the Program will be young people in the age between 18-25 years, who have never traveled in the other state entity; who are engaged in civil society, political and media actions and initiatives and those coming from isolated and/or divided communities.
How will the program work?
The project will start by the end of July. Issues covered by program activities are contemporary identity in the region and the youth mobility.The first phase of activities will be conducted in the region (former Yugoslav countries)andin Rome. During the first phase, after attending activities, the participants will be prepared for an unforgettable experience of individual journey with provided free InterRail pass.
The project will be organized by YIHR BiH and Eurosduvillage Italia
About YIHR BH:
Sarajevo Office of the Youth Initiative for Human Rights (YIHR BiH) was established at the end of 2006, with the intention to further develop the activities and programmes of the YIHR, to promote and protect human and citizen’s rights both globally and locally. YIHR was established by young people from the country, endeavouring to include youth in the society democratisation processes and strengthening of rule of law through the process of facing with the past and establishment of new progressive contacts in the post-conflict region of ex-Yugoslavia. Through its activities YIHR BiH strives to connect young people from all parts of BiH, and both Entities, in order to jointly work on promotion of truth on the war crimes in BiH and other countries of the former Yugoslavia, and assist young people in dealing with the past. The same time, YIHR BiH tries to re-establish a dialogue and connections between young people, which have been interrupted by the war and to bring the silence of the parents and society to the end.
The second very important field of activity is developing program activities for youth in the following areas: human rights, strengthening of capacities and self-sustainability of partner-organizations and their networking for the purpose of establishing new and stronger bonds among young people in the region, as well as advancing a dialogue and cooperation among young people from different ethnic groups in segregated communities and municipalities of Bosnia and Herzegovina. In this way, the YIHR strives to develop the activities it has been working on since its foundation – networking of victims and victim organizations from Bosnia and Herzegovina with young people from Serbia, Kosovo and Montenegro and to restore the trust and to promote truth-telling as the model of transitional justice.
VISION:
YIHR BiH is organisation of young people who represents the response of the generation to the social apathy, irresponsibility and pending issues from the past. Young people from whole BiH are engaged in YIHR. They are striving to contribute to development of a society of responsible citizens and institutions, culture of remembrance and fine regional relations.
MISSION:
YIHR BiH educates and trains young people to take a proactive role both in respective local communities and at the state level. YIHR BiH contributes to development of remembrance culture and understanding of the past, and builds bridges to connect young people in BiH and the region.
MANDATE:
YIHR BiH programmes have educates young people for active role in the society and development of critical opinion. YIHR BiH supports culture of remembrance and fights oblivion with public actions. YIHR BiH works on overcoming of the war consequences; builds bridges between segregated communities and encourages young people to activism in their respective communities. YIHR BiH makes new bridges through regional cooperation and supports European spirit in the Balkans.
About Eurosduvillage Italia:
Eurosduvillage ITALIA is a youth no profit organization aiming tobring together students and young professionals specialized in European matters in order to organize activities such as events, meetings, publications to support the ideas behind the EU project. Eurosduvillage Italia is all about being passionately interested in Europe and wanting to share that interest with others. Their “European dream” is to make Europeans conscious of the bond bringing them together, be it political, social, economic or cultural. The association also owns the web magazine “Eurosduvillage.com”. The web magazine is currently published in 4 languages (Italian, English, German and French) and it is visited each month by almost 100.000 readers. (
TheEU.R.O.PE. 2012 project is organized by the Eurosduvillage Italia Association and Youth Initative for Human Rights Bosnia in collaboration with the Jean Monnet Center of Excellence University of Rome Tor Vergata and supported by Intesa San Paolo bank and Eurail GIE Group