MIP holds series of meetings with national associations of history teachers across the Western Balkans region

On 26 and 27 August 2022, representatives of the Mechanism’s Information Programme for Affected Communities (MIP) – Ms. Anisa Sućeska, youth outreach coordinator, and Ms. Sara Vukicevic, public infomation assistant – held a series of meetings with representatives of the European Association of History Educators (EUROCLIO) and of local associations of history teachers across the region of Western Balkans.

The meetings were held in Ohrid, North Macedonia during a four-day long Summer School entitled Transitional Justice – Through a Joint Educational Approach, and were organised by the Association of History Teachers in Macedonia (ANIM), in cooperation with the Western Balkan Fund and EUROCLIO. The Summer School gathered together more than 100 history teachers and education policy makers from across all of the countries of the Western Balkans.

The aim of the meetings was to develop joint strategic plans on the continuation of activities with history teachers and education policy makers in the region of the former Yugoslavia and the broader Western Balkans. The participants agreed that, during the coming period, activities focused on educating history teachers on how to use the archives of the ICTY and the Mechanism should be expanded and intensified through continued cooperation.

During the meetings, the representatives of national associations of history teachers showcased their progress in drafting the publication “Guide for History Teachers on the Use of the ICTY and the Mechanism Archives”, which is currently being developed in cooperation with the MIP. This Guide will be released in two volumes and will encompass an introduction to the work and legacies of the ICTY and Mechanism, a brief description of the archives’ contents, and a practical outline on how best to access and use the archives within the classroom. The Guide will be published by the end of this year.

The aim of the MIP is to improve the knowledge and understanding of citizens and communities in the countries of the former Yugoslavia about the crimes committed during the conflicts of the 1990s, based on ICTY and Mechanism cases. The MIP is funded by the European Union.