From 14 to 17 May 2025, the Council of Europe successfully held two parallel Summer Academies in Struga, North Macedonia, organised by the Macedonian Civic Education Center (MCEC) as an implementing grantee, within the framework of the project “Quality Education for All – North Macedonia”, funded by the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany.

Over the past three years, the project has supported 25 pilot schools across the country in fostering inclusive school environments and advancing democratic culture through school governance, capacity-building and mentoring. The Summer Academies represented the culmination of this work, bringing together 25 teachers and 25 students from the pilot schools for four days of intensive non-formal education and peer learning.

Under the theme “Promoting Democratic Values and Pedagogical Innovation for Inclusive Classrooms”, the Academies offered sessions on non-discrimination, diversity, tolerance, peaceful conflict resolution, and student participation. All activities were designed to be gender-sensitive and inclusive and were conducted in both Macedonian and Albanian.

Through interactive workshops, case studies, and group planning sessions, participants strengthened their skills and knowledge in democratic competences, active citizenship, and inclusive pedagogical practices. Participants co-created action plans to improve their school environments and committed to applying what they learned in their daily school life.

The training curricula were tailored to reflect the Council of Europe’s Reference Framework of Competences for Democratic Culture and built on materials developed by the project, as well as relevant national resources. These efforts contribute to the sustainability of the project’s impact, as the Council of Europe and its partners are now working to finalise and publish an electronic version of the training materials, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Science and the Bureau for Development of Education.

The Summer Academies reaffirm the project’s commitment to supporting inclusive, rights-based education and building a democratic school culture that empowers both educators and students.