Unity

A youth initiative representing multiple political parties provides a fresh take.

A youth initiative worked to garner consensus on youth issues across the aisle in order to counter polarisation in their community.

Unity sought to counteract political polarisation in Gostivar by strengthening cooperation between local political parties’ youth organizations and empowering them to set powerful examples for their parties. The group set out to understand the root causes of polarization among youth and their stances on certain issues by conducting surveys and spot interviews.

Using their research, the team organized a series of meetings between various parties’ youth organisations, culminating in a Memorandum of Understanding which outlined common youth priorities in Gostivar, and which was signed by all political parties. The group also leveraged social media to encourage attitude change among other young people toward polarising topics in the city.