Promotion of Multiculturalism and Tolerance
The Provincial Government project titled “Promotion of Multiculturalism and Tolerance in Vojvodina”, whose main goal is to foster cultural diversity and develop the spirit of interethnic tolerance among citizens of AP Vojvodina, has been successfully implemented since 2005. The holder of this project is the Provincial Secretariat for Education, Regulations, Administration and National Minorities - National Communities and it is implemented in cooperation with a number of national and international organisations and institutions. The Project is conceived as a complex, multithematic and multicultural programme, with an idea to strengthen the interethnic trust among the youth in the AP Vojvodina. It comprises a range of sub-projects and events organised in the territory of the entire AP Vojvodina that include various activities of several thousand pupils and students of primary and secondary schools in Vojvodina.
The main goal of this project is to mitigate interethnic tensions, and in the long run - to develop the spirit of tolerance, mutual respect and trust among the citizens of the AP Vojvodina, involving all relevant stakeholders.
The main idea of the projects is fostering and developing the values of the multiethnic and multicultural society of the AP Vojvodina as a modern European region, based on the principles of open democratic society established on the rule of law. The project activities are oriented towards young people, primarily those aged 14 to 19, in higher grades of primary school and in all years of secondary school. The direct effects of the project should primarily concern the participants themselves, but also all the entities that take direct or indirect part in the project implementation. Taking into account that projects normally involve and facilitate direct contacts of several thousand of young people, the project implementation would indirectly have an impact on a wider population of the AP Vojvodina.
The Project implementation phases have differed so far in their scope and structure. It is important to mention the most extensive and most relevant subprojects and activities in the previous phases:
TV quiz “How well do we know each other” - for secondary school students
This subproject includes organisation of the quiz competition about the history and culture of minority national communities from the territory of the AP Vojvodina. The quiz participants are teams of secondary school students from the territory of the entire province.
The goal of this subproject is to educate the population, first of all young people, about the common history and culture of different minority national communities living in the AP Vojvodina, create conditions for this type of education by large involvement of secondary school students from the AP Vojvodina and by facilitating the media coverage of the competition.
From the beginning of the project implementation, in the previous fifteen cycles of the quiz competition (starting from 2006), the total of 739 teams with 2,929 competitors have participated, as well as around 30,000 viewers - supporters of the schools represented by the teams.
“Camp of Multiculturalism”, Kanjiža
In the framework of the “Promotion of Multiculturalism and Tolerance in Vojvodina” project, the Provincial Secretariat for Education, Regulations, Administration and National Minorities - National Communities organises the event "Camp of Multiculturalism”, Kanjiža, whose primary goal is to promote positive values of multiculturalism and mutual coexistence of communities in the territory of AP Vojvodina.
The main idea behind this subproject is to allow its participants, secondary school students from the territory of the entire Vojvodina, to socialise and get to know each other during several four-day camps, as well as compete in popular games, demonstrating their skills, aptitude and knowledge. The specific feature of this subproject is reflected in the fact that the teams are mixed by gender and ethnic structure and are made up of representatives of different participating schools, which is all aimed at strengthening their relations and trust.
The idea of the camp is to make it a place of competition, but also to organise an additional programme, together with creative workshops to allow participants to learn about each other, overcome ethnic prejudice and strengthen the interethnic trust among them.
From the beginning of the event implementation in 2015, so far there have been 917 competitors from 103 secondary schools from Vojvodina.
Other activities in the project implementation
“Educational journey”
Every year the Provincial Secretariat for Education, Regulations, Administration and National Minorities - National Communities, as the project holder, organises an educational journey for the most successful project participants - students and their teachers.
The concept of this journey corresponds to the main goals of the Project and it is to contribute to the promotion of its values, getting to know new people and places with similar cultural backgrounds to that of the AP Vojvodina.
Specific objectives of this journey are to allow participant to learn more about the culture and tradition of ethnic communities that used to or still live in the territory of the AP Vojvodina, by visiting the native regions and countries of particular nations, as well as cultural and historical sites and institutions dealing with preservation of identity.
From 2006 onwards, the most successful Project participants have had the opportunity to visit the following cities: Budapest, Bratislava, Vienna, Berlin, Munich, Salzburg, Graz, Passau, Ulm, Dresden, Strasbourg, Brussels, Rome, Barcelona, Istanbul, Prague, Krakow, Wroclaw, Ljubljana, Maribor, Košice, the cities of the Northern Italy – Venice, Padua, Bolzano, Verona, Trieste as well as a number of important institutions - European Parliament, Council of Europe, Danube Bureau Office in Germany, Universities in Bologna and Bolzano.
Participants in the educational journey
Call for proposals for co-financing of projects pertaining to the preservation and fostering inter-ethnic tolerance in Vojvodina
As part of the Project, the Provincial Secretariat for Education, Regulations, Administration and National Minorities - National Communities announces the Call for proposals for co-financing of projects pertaining to the preservation and fostering inter-ethnic tolerance in Vojvodina.
Every year, the Provincial Secretariat for Education, Regulations, Administration and National Minorities - National Communities announces Calls for proposals for co-financing programmes and projects pertaining to the preservation and fostering multiculturalism and inter-ethnic tolerance in AP Vojvodina.
Funds are allocated for co-financing programmes, projects and activities of organisations, associations and other entities, whose goal is to promote values of a multicultural society and preservation and fostering inter-ethnic tolerance in Vojvodina, particularly intended for the following purposes:
- Preserving and fostering languages, folk traditions and old crafts;
- Protection and presentation of folklore heritage;
- Creation of conditions for the development of culture, science and arts;
- Fostering and stimulating folk creativity;
- Presenting cultural property of exceptional importance;
- Literary, drama, performance, music and fine artistic work, memorials, festivals, celebrations of anniversaries, artistic colonies, camps fostering tolerance and rights of national minorities-national communities;
- Conferences, tournaments, events and similar gatherings, fostering tolerance and rights of national minorities-national communities;
- Fostering and development of amateur work, guest performances of ensembles;
- Cooperation with native countries and other forms of cooperation.
- projects pertaining to the development, preservation and fostering the spirit of the inter-ethnic tolerance of youth
- Improving the production, radio and television programme production, Internet presentations, other forms of digital presentations, print propaganda activities, print media activities and other forms of media activities.
The total of 373 applications were received for the 2023 Call for proposals, 349 of which were valid. The funds were allocated to 200 applications.
Results of the First Call for Proposals in 2020 (The document is currently available in the Serbian language only)
Results of the Second Call for Proposals in 2020 (The document is currently available in the Serbian language only)
Results of the First Call for Proposals in 2021 (The document is currently available in the Serbian language only)
Results of the First Call for Proposals in 2022 (The document is currently available in the Serbian language only)
Results of the Call for Proposals in 2023 (The document is currently available in the Serbian language only)
Multiculturalism on Click
After the conducted call for proposals for co-financing the sub-project “Multiculturalism on Click”, the Provincial Secretariat for Education, Regulations, Administration and National Minorities - National Communities in cooperation with the Forum for Education, Cooperation, Affirmation and Support to Civil Society, Novi Sad, is implementing 8 award competitions for primary and secondary school students from AP Vojvodina in 2022.
The competitions entail pupil involvement and submission of papers in various formats of expression (video clips, photography, literary form, design or artwork, etc.) on given topics in the fields of multiculturalism, ethnic diversity and cultural identity of national communities in the AP Vojvodina.
Within the specified topics, the purpose of the authors’ material is to express their personal views of ethnic diversity or cultural specificities of ethnic communities living in the AP Vojvodina.
The authors’ materials are evaluated by the competition committee, formed by the representatives of the Forum for Education, Cooperation, Affirmation and Support to Civil Society, the Secretariat, educational institutions and prominent individuals in the field of the competition topic, and the best ranked authors are awarded with multimedia devices.
Project activities in previous implementation phases
In addition to those specified, the project included the implementation of a range of subprojects and activities:
• Sports competitions with additional contents, “Cup of Tolerance”
• Museum exhibition “Homeland on the Danube - coexistence of Germans and Serbs in Vojvodina”,
Museum exhibition “Living together - coexistence of Serbs and Hungarians - mobile form”
• Competition for the amateur photograph “Richness of Diversity”
• “Together” - a documentary TV series
• Media campaign - Multiculturalism in AP Vojvodina
• Presentations of minority national communities “Ethno Day”
• A study titled “Evaluation of the status of interethnic relations among the youth in AP Vojvodina”
The “Promotion of Multiculturalism and Tolerance” project has been a continuous action implemented by the Provincial Government. The executive authority in the province has recognised the problem and has taken the necessary actions and measures in the form of this project. The initiative had to be launched by the executive authority; however the main idea, from the very beginning of the project implementation, has been for the project activities to grow into an educational process, whose implementation will be entirely delegated to the relevant entities in the AP Vojvodina.
On the other hand, one of the goals of this activity has been to promote a positive social trend that would engage all relevant actors in the process of advancement and promotion of values that are significant for the AP Vojvodina’s cultural identity.
Contact details:
Bojan Gregurić
Independent Counsellor for Exercise of Equality of National Minorities - National Communities
e-mail: bojan.greguric@vojvodina.gov.rs
021 487 4604