Our Future European Integration Program
Integra’s project Our Future European Integration in partnership with Fractal (Serbia) and IKV Pax Christi (the Netherlands) had as its primary goal the promotion of basic values of peace and stability in the regions of Kosovo and Serbia. The project promoted the dialogue among young people from Kosovo, Serbia and the Netherlands and bringing those people closer.
Our Future European Integration project was implemented for seven years in a row from 2003 – 2009.
“Our Future – European Integration” (OFEI) is a youth network and an exchange program, in which every year a new group of 15 selected young people from Kosovo, Serbia and The Netherlands participates.
Within the program participants share their ideas and views on political, cultural, social and other issues. OFEI constitutes an extra-curricular program that is widening and deepening knowledge of youngsters on different topics related to European integration and the Kosovo-Serbian conflict. Moreover the exchange constitutes an empowering and enriching life experience and gives the opportunity to meet people from different ethnic and cultural backgrounds within and outside of their own societies.
Overall objective and aims of the program
This program aims to contribute to peaceful relations between Serbs and Albanians within Kosovo and between Kosovo and Serbia through open and (self) critical dialogue regarding the past and future. We hope to achieve that by means of:
Advocacy: By engaging political and institutional actors we meet in study visits to support the process of dealing with the past in and EU integration of Kosovo and Serbia.
Dialogue: By maintaining channels of communication and dialogue between youngsters from Kosovo and Serbia to engage in third-track negotiations. The addition of Dutch youngsters, a more “neutral” party, facilitates this dialogue.
Awareness raising and youth activism: By stimulating young people to critically engage in public youth activities and peer-to-peer lectures knowledge regarding dealing with the past and EU integration is transferred. Also media channels are used to transfer the message.
There are three study visits that took place in 2009: Kosovo (May), Serbia (June) and Netherlands (October). Each Study visit also this year consisted of three main components: visits to institutions, youth interaction and activities.
The main activity where project promotes regional cooperation, freedom of movement and multiethnic environment, is multiethnic Camp for Critical Thinking and Writing “Loesje” that it is organized during the study visit in Kosovo.
“Loesje” is a known Dutch organization that has a great experience in organizing trainings and seminars of critical thinking and writing. Loesje became famous in Netherlands and Europe during the 90’s when some of its activists responded with posters and attractive slogans against global political developments.
Such a camp was organized within our project Our Future European Integration in one of the recreational areas of Kosovo, in old and oriental city of Prizren. During the Camp participants have worked to create different slogans for the issues that are present in our society. The eight slogans created by our participants have been printed and distributed in the street action in 9th of May - Europe Day in Prishtina.
Drilon Potera participant from Kosovo said: It is interesting to see how great ideas can be born from the simplicity of a sentence.
Slogans distributed are:
1. Hisotry Education
Don’t teach me how to read, teach me how to understand
2. Prejudice and differences
We are both different, than we have something in common
3. Dealing with the past
How far do you have to look back in order to go forward
4. Effective Government
They could learn a lot from my aunt Rita in the kitchen
5. Media
A remote control can do more damage than a gun
6. European Integration
EU “Not allowed for countries under 18”
7. Heroes
My true heroes admit their mistakes
8. Free love
My parents told me I can’t date foreigners but I fell in love with a girl from Mars.
This year’s theme for the three study visits was “History Text Books and Dealing with the Past”. During the Study visit in Kosovo participants had a chance to meet different institutions and different people as well. Such as: Agency for Coordination of Development and European Integration within Prime Minister Office Mr. Demush Shasha, Political Adviser of Vice Prime Minister - Government of Kosovo Mr. Lirak Celaj, EULEX Mr. Mattiraymond Maatikainen, Communication for Social Developments - CSD and “Enclavia”, History Institute Mr. Frasher Demaj. Vetevendosja Movement Mr. Glauk Konjufca, Mr. Migjen Kelmendi - “Java” Newspaper and Rrokum TV, Graduated student in Hisotry at University of Prishtina Mr. Selim Bezeraj.
Nertila Qarri said: The week of the study visit in Kosovo was a week full of work and meetings, but in the mean time we enjoyed our free time periods. It was at the free time where we got to know each other better, where a lot of jokes and dancing was going on and when we kind of realized that the “new friends” became our “good friends”.
Vigan Limani said: Study Visit in Kosovo It was full of critical thinking, debates, work and fun. I learned a lot from this study visit, the reality on Serbian enclaves in Kosovo, the Serbian attitude toward Kosovo Albanians, the condition of media in Serbia, the problems of Dutch people, and the most important, I learned that mixing cultures is fun.
During the second study visit in Serbia participants have met with members of: Liberal – Democratic Party, Office for EU integration, No Alternative to Europe. Humanitarian Law Centre, Helsinki committee for Human Rights, Meetings with Liljana Smajlovic, Svetlana Lukic and Svetlana Vukovic (B92), Srdan Milosevic (Historian), Petar Lukivic (e-novine), etc.
Except meeting there were visits to: House of Flowers – the place where Tito is buried, visits to Kalemegdan fortress and also preparations and a street action in Belgrade.
Participants were very satisfied also with the study visit in Serbia.
The last but not the least study visit for the Our Future Program was in The Netherlands and Brussels. Study visit to the Netherlands and Brussels it is pretty active one – despite the fact that participants have the chance to visit Hague, Amsterdam, Utrecht and Brussels also there were organized very interesting formal and informal meetings related to the Programs theme.
Meetings that were organized in the Netherlands were: Anne Frank Foundation, and a tour through the Anne Frank House, ICTY, Institute for Historical Justice and Reconciliation, EuroClio, Dutch Parliament, etc. And during our stay in Brussels we had meeting in European Commission DG Enlargement (Kosovo Desk and Serbia Desk), European Parliament with MEP Doris Pack and NATO.
The last planed day was the workshop Eye Opener by Henrik Looij who prepared participants for peer-to-peer presentations. Each participant has to do presentations in their country in order to share their experience with other youngsters.
Saying goodbye it was hard for them because there was no “see you in the next study visit” as they were used to. After the Study Visit in Kosovo they knew that they will see each other in Serbia and after the Study Visit in Serbia they were saying see you in the Netherlands, but after the third study visit they really felt that this is it – to one year project the end came. But the friendship remains and they will always be Alumni of the Our Future Network.
Our Future European Integration Programs theme for the 2010 is “Who controls the past, controls the future”. There will be a call for applicants for the new participants for the 2010.
You can be one of them!