It is often said that the youth will change the world far faster, for the better. Youth do not feel held back by some of the unwritten rules that seem to dominate much of current political life. Add to this the drive and energy to truly make a difference and to live a better life, today’s youth are a formidable force. PTPI Youth have started a number of dialogues through technology in order to gather views peer-to-peer. They have launched an initiative called Friendship over Politics as an umbrella project for some of the issues they experience.
The initial kick-off in February looked at some of the misconceptions between countries such as Bulgaria and North Macedonia. As our Founders have indicated clearly through our mission, when people get to know each other misconceptions disappear. This initiative will require effort from everyone within the PTPI family. We all have a role to play to ensure that we are leading by example through our actions. We have a need to promote the homestay program once again within the boundaries of the current pandemic. There were many funny stories shared during our first zoom call about homestays. In most cases, it’s the fact that certain words in different languages have a completely different meaning in another language. This can often raise a few eyebrows without being offensive. It’s a fantastic opportunity for us to learn that we all smile in the same language.
Our plans are to release a short video made by the participants of the first zoom call. We will then create a space on our website where we can host material and information to share with others. We shall develop a set of actions and projects that we can all commit to for the rest of this year. And we shall look externally at some other best practice examples from other youth organizations.
Through PTPI, individuals around the globe are coming together to break down barriers and celebrate diversity. As a global network of individuals pursuing knowledge and understanding of other cultures, we cultivate connections that make an impact on local and international levels.
Friendship over Politics will be one of our major deliverables in 2021.
