PEJA, Kosovo - U.S. Army Soldiers deployed to Kosovo with Multinational Battle Group-East volunteered their time to help a Kosovo Rotary Club's Violence-Free Future program at the sixth annual Anibar International Animation Festival, August 22 in Peja, Kosovo.
Violence-Free Future's goal is to promote pro-social behaviors among Kosovo's youth who struggle with negative behaviors such as bullying, violence and inequality.
Seven Soldiers spent a few hours of their off-duty time in Peja's main square, leading team activities with locals and festival-goers of all ages, in order to highlight the program's youth outreach initiatives.
The group activities and games are used to simulate real-life situations such as discrimination and prejudice. Afterward, the U.S. Soldiers led the groups in discussions about stereotypes and gender equality.
"The goal is to get them to start talking about these different topics so they can build similarities between each other," said Gena Sturgon, an American living in Kosovo who manages the program for Pristina's Rotary Club. "We want them to build inclusive societies, get involved in their communities and steer away from the negative behaviors to build a better, stronger Kosovo."
Although local youth are usually trained in running the games, U.S. Soldiers serving in Kosovo occasionally volunteer to provide a unique perspective to the events. The U.S. Army, which has supported NATO's peace support mission in Kosovo for more than a decade, has maintained a habitual community service relationship with the English-speaking club as forces have rotated in and out of Kosovo.
"The Soldiers are separated from the topics and these issues," Sturgeon said. "It is easier for the Soldiers to be able to dialogue it out or realize when something needs to be pulled out a little bit and discussed."
She also said that bringing in Soldiers brings in a diverse group of people, working as an example to show younger generations that people from different backgrounds can work together as a team.
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