Use It

Use It

North Macedonia
North Macedonia
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Dates: 2021 - 2022

“Use it, don’t destroy it.”

Fostering local ownership of public spaces among young people by driving their renovation and empowering peer-peer community solutions.

Use It wanted young people in Gostivar to care for, and take ownership of, their community. They wanted to highlight that vandalism not only renders a space unusable, it also derides the community and contributes to a sense of insecurity. Following a workshop on civic responsibility, 15 young people were mobilised as messengers and helped to promote participation in a series of activities.

One of these activities involved a painting workshop that prepped 20 high schoolers to paint a basketball court where they held a follow-up tournament with 40 young players. The project was captured in a social media campaign that broadcasted the importance of civic responsibility and promoted a sense of ownership in one’s community.

Youth participants
62
Young people reached online
48,748

Setting a positive example for other young people in the community. 

The painting workshop doubled up as both an opportunity to discuss the importance of collective communal responsibility and how to counter despondency among young people, as well as an opportunity to impart some skills and knowledge in street art and outdoor painting. The event was not only well enjoyed by the participants who attended, but impactful too. Using surveys, the team gauged that participant awareness and knowledge of civic responsibility and youth activism rose by 30% over the course of the workshop.

By the end of the day, they had successfully transformed and beautified a communal basketball court in the centre of the city, led by youth themselves, before celebrating their achievements with a basketball tournament to which over 30 youth attended as spectators. The team launched an accompanying online campaign, reaching nearly 50,000 people with the help of community and public figures and influencers.

Find Out More

Find out more about the impact of the project in Gostivar.

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