CONNECT International and partners are officially starting the implementation of the Social Transformation and Reconciliation Youth (STAR Youth) project, a three-year Erasmus+ initiative that brings together partners from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Belgium, Serbia, Croatia and Kosovo.
STAR Youth was developed in response to the need for modern approaches to peace education and trust-building among young people, grounded in European practices and experiences. The project focuses on creating safe spaces where young people can engage in authentic dialogue, jointly reconsider biased narratives, and build mutual understanding.
Main goals of the project:
- Increase empathy and humanize young people’s perceptions of members of other ethno-religious groups.
- Encourage young people to actively work on promoting mutual respect and interethnic cooperation.
To achieve these goals, the project has two key operational directions:
- Improving interethnic attitudes and behavioural tendencies among youth organisations and actors working with young people.
- Sharing knowledge, tools and experiences on interethnic respect within the youth work sector through new approaches based on dialogue and active participation.
Who is involved in the project?
The consortium is led by PRONI Center for Youth Development (BiH), together with:
- CONNECT International (Belgium)
- NGO Libero (Serbia)
- Kosova Young Lawyers – KYL (Kosovo)
- EDUNORTH (Croatia)
Why STAR Youth?
Due to long-standing divisions, geographic and social isolation, and traditional lecture-based methods, young people have not always been offered space for dialogue and shared learning. STAR Youth introduces methodologies that create experiential environments where young people can connect, learn through interaction, and develop the skills needed for long-term social transformation.
What’s next?
In the coming months, we will publish:
- calls for young people and organisations,
- workshops and trainings,
- regional activities,
- content documenting changes and personal stories.
We invite young people and organisations to follow project activities and become part of a new generation actively building peaceful, inclusive and connected communities.
Project is co-financed by the European Union.