Building Bridges for Peace
About the project and first meeting
The Building Bridges for Peace project aims to empower young people and youth workers across Europe to become active promoters of peace, solidarity, and intercultural understanding. By combining non-formal education with creative and artistic methods, the initiative creates inclusive spaces for learning, dialogue, and collaboration across cultures.
The overall objective of the project is to enhance the capacities of youth workers and young people in Europe in the fields of peacebuilding, solidarity, and intercultural dialogue. This is achieved through innovative non-formal education approaches that integrate artistic expression as a powerful tool for
Between 6th and 11th of March 2026, part of the VVIF team went to a Capacity Building Camp in Moldova, which brought together 20 youth workers from different European countries. During the camp, participants took part in intensive training activities designed to develop their skills in peacebuilding, creative facilitation, and intercultural dialogue through experiential learning.
By equipping participants with practical tools, new methodologies, and hands-on experience, the project supports them in becoming more effective educators and facilitators in their local contexts.
Summer Weekend Seminar in Sofia
On 19–20 September 2026, the summer weekend seminar of the “Building Bridges for Peace” project took place in Sofia. Participants had the opportunity to get to know each other and build trust through icebreaker activities, team-building games and group exercises, followed by creative work on their own peacebuilding ideas.
The ideas developed are diverse in terms of both approaches and artistic tools and methods. What unites them is the common goal of using art as a tool for peacebuilding, dialogue and connecting people.
Teams have now been formed and are continuing to develop their ideas with the support of the project.
The next steps include mentoring meetings with the teams and a winter weekend seminar in January 2027, where some of the ideas will be presented, tested and further developed. The project will conclude with an international event in May 2027 in Bansko, Bulgaria, bringing together participants from Bulgaria, Italy, Poland, Moldova and the Czech Republic.
