Western Balkans School Exchange Scheme 2024

The key goal of the RYCO Superschools program is to support peacebuilding and reconciliation processes, intercultural learning and dialogue among schools, students and their communities. These efforts aim to make the Western Balkans societies more resilient to the region’s political challenges by empowering their youth to participate in intercultural dialogue and regional cooperation. The program of the Superschools grant scheme has been specifically designed to pave the way for creating strong and sustainable bonds between secondary schools within the region as they are crucial to strengthening the reconciliation processes in the region. The aim is to facilitate engagement of secondary schools in the pervasive processes of regional cooperation by serving as a platform for networking opportunities with other secondary schools from around the region with a strong programmatic focus on RYCO related thematic areas. In addition the program is designed to build the capacities of the schools and teachers as well in the area of peacebuilding and project cycle management.

Aims 

• Through the Superschools, RYCO aims to:
  • address the specific local needs of young people,
  • enable meaningful youth participation and co-creation in different phases,
  • support and prepare young people for the intercultural learning mobility experience they will take part in,
  • facilitate gaining competences in particular attitudes and skills relevant for regional cooperation and peacebuilding and reconciliation efforts,
  • facilitate and create opportunities for meaningful connections.

Program Lots

The Superschools exchange scheme has two different LOTs, each tailored to accommodate needs of two types of partnerships, namely:

• Newly founded partnerships/Establishment of partnerships (LOT 1)
  • New schools forming NEW PARTNERSHIPS which were not funded within the Superschools exchange scheme before (including those partnerships that were selected but did not manage to implement the projects)
  • New partnerships composed of two schools that as a partnership were not funded within the Superschools exchange scheme before (including those partnerships that were selected but did not manage to implement the projects)RYCO strongly encourages schools and partnerships that have never been selected nor funded under the Superschools exchange scheme to apply.
• Long-term partnerships/Support the sustainability of partnerships (LOT 2)
  • RYCO wishes to recognize the importance of sustaining and nurturing the partnerships created within the previous calls, which demonstrated commitment and quality of their joint work in light of addressing RYCO thematic areas. This is why under LOT 2, partnerships with a proven track record of effective addressing of RYCO thematic areas and achieving wider local community engagement are eligible to apply for the support.

Funding Information

• Each partnership applying for LOT 1 will be financed with approximately 13,700.00 EUR which will be managed jointly with RYCO. The funds will be allocated as described below:
  • Travel costs for students and teachers which are related exclusively to traveling via minibus/bus during the exchanges from and to each location of the partnering schools. RYCO will cooperate closely with the schools’ coordinators to organize each trip in due time and according to the exchange plan.
  • Insurance cost: RYCO will cover all participants’ (coordinators + students) travel and health insurance costs.
  • Accommodation: Accommodation of participants will be covered and organized entirely by RYCO considering participants’ necessities and preferences when necessary and possible. The participants are encouraged to organize homestays for the visiting students during the exchanges or host them at school dormitories.
  • In the case of homestays, families who will be hosting exchange participants will be provided with financial support.
  • Visa and administrative costs for traveling within the region are eligible costs, as long as they are necessary for the realization of the exchanges. Visa is an endorsement for pupils and teachers to enter, leave, or stay for a specified period in a place different from their own. Administrative costs which also include declarations to the notary public for parents’ permission for the young people to participate in the exchanges will be covered as well. Finally other types of administrative costs might be considered following further assessment from RYCO.
  • Subsistence costs When visiting the partner school, two coordinators accompanying the students will receive lump sums of 300 € EUR each.
  • Activity costs may be, for example, costs of museum tickets, cultural visits, and other costs of services related to the exchange activities. RYCO will advance the payment for such costs to the school teachers coordinating the exchanges, who will need to submit to RYCO an invoice and any other relevant documents after the payment. The potential need for external expertise may also be covered under activity costs.

Eligibility Criteria

• The Superschools, as defined by the RYCO Strategy, targets:
  • secondary schools across the Western Balkans (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, or Serbia), encompassing various types of education profiles, such as grammar schools, vocational schools, art schools, mixed schools, schools for students with disabilities etc, both public and private.
  • To summarize, in order to apply the school must:
    • Be a secondary school. Please note that schools which are registered both as elementary and secondary schools are eligible to apply but can only involve high school students as participants of the project,
    • established and operating within the Western Balkan Contracting Parties (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia),
    • Be registered as a secondary school for at least one year.
• Your school is eligible to apply within LOT 1 if:
  • You and your partner are applying for the first time for the Superschools open call
  • You had implemented a Superschools project during 1st and/or 2nd Superschools open call and now you wish to apply with a different partner
• Your school is eligible to apply within LOT 2 if:
  • You had a successful implementation of an exchange project in 1st and/or 2nd Superschools open call project with your partner and you wish to continue your collaboration.

For more information, visit RYCO.