Global Village on the Move in North Macedonia

The second Global Village on the Move program took place in Skopje, North Macedonia from September 1-7 for 35 FLEX and YES alumni. During the workshop, participants attended sessions led by facilitators from Lehigh University’s Iacocca Institute on project design and pitching one’s ideas, but the core of the workshop was the group projects. In six project groups, participants worked on a UN Sustainable Development Goal project design challenge.

Each group developed and pitched an innovative solution to a social challenge facing their communities and/or the world and received feedback from facilitators, an alumni guide, and their peers. At a networking lunch followed by project presentations and the closing ceremony, participants met with and listened to remarks given by U.S. Embassy Assistant Public Affairs Officer Jaewon Oh and Exchanges and Alumni Coordinator Gazmend Ilazi.

Participants also had the opportunity to engage with local Macedonian culture firsthand through a site visit to Skopje’s Old Bazaar, where four different craftsmen demonstrated their work and talked to the participants about their shops and running a small business. Participants also took part in a city tour organized by YES alumni from North Macedonia.