UNESCO supports the Young Trainers’ School Initiative for Intercultural Dialogue

On 15 May 2023, a presentation of the “Young Trainers' School” project took place at UN Plaza in Almaty, Kazakhstan. The initiative was jointly organised by the Competence Centre for the Development of Communication Skills “Dialogue of Cultures” of the International Centre for the Rapprochement of Cultures under the auspices of UNESCO, the City Scientific and Methodological Centre for New Technologies in Education, and the Social and Human Sciences Sector of the UNESCO Almaty Cluster Office.



Using the “peer-to-peer” educational principle, the innovative project will prepare young trainers from the 9^th to 11^th grades to impart intercultural communication skills to their peers. Some 35 school deputy principals and representatives from the Almaty Department of Education attended the event. They exchanged ideas and strategies that will ensure effective planning and implementation of the project from 2023 to 2025. The discussion generated valuable suggestions and recommendations and identified approaches to transform potential challenges into opportunities for the project’s success.

Opening the event, Maxat Baibekov, National Programme Officer for Social and Human Sciences at the UNESCO Almaty Cluster Office, said: “By actively engaging high school students, we are nurturing a generation of leaders who understand the importance of diversity, the richness of cultural uniqueness and the skills to engage constructively in intercultural dialogue. This initiative builds on UNESCO's unwavering commitment to education and unity to promote respect for the cultures of the different peoples living in Kazakhstan and beyond.”

This project is part of UNESCO's long-term efforts to promote intercultural dialogue in the region in line with the principles of the UNESCO Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity. By seeking to foster respect for cultural diversity, UNESCO promotes understanding and harmony among peoples, shaping a new generation of leaders capable of addressing global challenges through intercultural dialogue and cooperation.