The Commissioner for the Protection of Equality, Brankica Janković, participated in an educational workshop with peer educators – high school students – within the project “Youth Panel – Youth for Equality”, which is being implemented with the support of the European Union’s Erasmus+ program.

During the event, the Manual on the Concept and Forms of Discrimination was presented. The manual offers practical tools and examples for working with young people and is focused on the development of critical thinking, recognition of inequalities, and empowerment for active engagement. It is primarily intended as support in training peer educators, so that they can later independently organize workshops in their schools.

Following the examples from the Manual on the Concept and Forms of Discrimination, two interactive workshops were held today in which high school students and employees of the Commissioner’s institution symbolically “stepped into someone else’s shoes,” reflecting on differences, unequal starting positions in life, as well as on the pressures that society imposes through stereotypes and prejudices. The participants had the opportunity to re-examine their own views and to jointly seek answers to the question of how to build a fairer society free of discrimination.

“It is always a pleasure to talk with young people, because without their energy, ideas, and active participation, there can be no genuine progress toward a fairer and more equal society. We learn from each other, but from young people we always have the opportunity to learn more. That is why the exchange of knowledge among peers, as well as between generations, is both valuable and necessary,” emphasized Janković.

The Commissioner especially highlighted the importance of using innovative methods and creative tools such as films, video games, and social networks in working with peers, so that issues of equality are as understandable as possible to young people.

At the end of the workshop, all participants were awarded certificates in recognition of their commitment to promoting equality and combating discrimination.