OSCE Mission to Skopje supports “Building Bridges Together” promotional event

SKOPJE, 1 November 2014 – Over 500 students, from eighteen schools around the country, came together during an OSCE-supported Building Bridges Fund event that took place in Skopje today.

The students, beneficiaries of the Fund, jointly staged songs, theatre plays, and dance performances. Music artists and  the Fund’s Board members Rebeka and Toni Zen, as well as the award winning troop of children from the “Golden Nightingale” festival also, performed at the event.

The promotional event was organized by the OSCE Mission, in co-operation with the Education Ministry and Swiss Embassy in Skopje.

The Head of the OSCE Mission to Skopje, Ambassador Ralf Breth, said that the huge number of applications for Building Bridges proves that in daily life people feel the need to increase the interaction between their communities. “I want to praise all those teachers, parents, schools and students for their activism and their wisdom: they know that new generations need connecting for an integrated future in a diverse Europe and they acted upon it,” said Breth.

Minister of Education and Science Abdilaqim Ademi commended the excellent cooperation between the Ministry, the OSCE Mission and the Swiss Embassy in the successful Building Bridges Fund, emphasizing the importance of positive interaction and communication between all the communities and languages at schools.

“The Building Bridges model is a good example of  successful volunteerism,  and it is therefore a model that works and can be replicated” said Ademi.

The Swiss Ambassador Stefano Lazzarotto observed that “Building Bridges is an innovative instrument which provides a tool to foster interactions among different communities, which in turn will increase their mutual understanding and acceptance.

“This project is in line with Swiss OSCE Chairmanship 2014 priorities and the Swiss cooperation strategy 2013-2016 with the country”.

The Building Bridges Fund is a joint effort by the Ministry of Education and Science, the Swiss Embassy and the OSCE Mission to Skopje supporting joint activities at schools involving students from all communities, and different languages in order to increase interaction, understanding and integration in the school environment.