Sport for Development is a valuable tool for promoting intercultural dialogue and reconciliation in the Western Balkans

Interview with Anja Bebekovska from the Regional Youth Cooperation Office (RYCO) in North Macedonia

Could you give me an insight into your work? 

As a Programme Officer at RYCO in Skopje, I mainly work with young people and regional cooperation projects that aim to address reconciliation, intercultural dialogue, peace-building and participation here in the Western Balkans. We've embraced new tools to tackle these difficult issues, as we're always looking to innovate and find new ways to involve more young people in our activities. That's how we got to know the Sport for Development approach, implemented through GIZ's global programme.

How does your organization apply the Sport for Development approach?

Over the past few years, I have had the privilege of getting to know the S4D approach better, both through internal capacity building within the RYCO team and through S4D activities with young people. One such activity is the summer camps we run with our partners from GIZ. We've had very positive results from integrating the S4D approach into the summer camps. And now we're looking for more opportunities to implement S4D in other programmes. In general, as RYCO, we mainly work in the SuperSchools Western Balkans exchange programme, which is our flagship programme that we're really proud of and that we've been running with GIZ for several years.

How does RYCO see S4D as a tool that supports their strategic reconciliation approach in the Western Balkan region?

We met with the Sport for Development team in Skopje and looked for a way to merge our activities, because we're trying to achieve the same things when it comes to young people. Sport for Development brings a bit of innovation and a bit of ease, especially when it comes to tackling difficult issues like intercultural dialogue or reconciliation in the Western Balkans, which is still a burning issue. And it can be really difficult for young people to feel more involved and to have a safe space where they can really work on these issues. That's why we developed and implemented the regional summer camps together. We were able to build on the experience and capacity of the Sport for Development Youth Ambassadors and S4D coaches trained in the region. They really brought a lot of knowledge to the table and knew how to manage the group.

Can you tell me more about your joint activities with GIZ’s Sport for Development programme?

We started the summer camp in North Macedonia and held a second one in Bosnia and Herzegovina last year. We brought together a really diverse group of participants, which is exactly what both RYCO and GIZ aim for. Working alongside Forum ZFD, we’ve been able to tackle some really complex and sensitive topics—ones that spark emotions and meaningful conversations. Our main goal is to help bridge the gap between young people in the Western Balkans because, according to research, many still don’t know their neighbours at all.

What do you consider the additional value of the S4D approach in RYCO’s work?

The approach is very valuable to address serious issues among a young age group (18 to early twenties). Most of the intergovernmental and non-governmental organisations that work on this issue have a more serious approach to dealing with these serious issues, like panel discussions, debates, etc. and the S4D activities help the young people to get out of their comfort zone, but in a safe environment. It's not about playing and having fun, it's about working on a topic but feeling more free and that's why they really enjoy it. We try to make the most of that and use it for topics and issues that they would feel very uncomfortable with in other situations. As well as making the target group feel more comfortable, S4D also ensures that everyone is included and can express their opinions. In other training formats, introverts are excluded or not heard enough. Finally, we really see that the approach can be integrated into different programs thanks to its great adaptability and therefore it can also be adapted in other countries and world regions.