The Bridging Backgrounds program empowers high school students in the Balkans to foster tolerance, expand inter-ethnic understanding, and promote human rights in their communities. The program consists of two phases: learning and activism.

During the learning phase, program participants attend a twelve-day residential training where they participate in human rights education activities, restorative practice workshops, community activism trainings, digital field trips, and discussions with distinguished activists, politicians, and academics. During the activism phase, each participant designs and implements their own community-based projects with a micro-grant and sustained mentorship from the organizing team.

For the 2023 program, the phase one residential training will take place from August 8 to August 19 in Skopje and Tetovo, Macedonia. The phase two community projects will take place between September and January in participants’ communities.