On the first day of the camp, representatives from each group took turns to introduce their groups dressed in national costume, illustrating the diversity of the region as various traditions were demonstrated. “We come from different cultures and traditions but we have the same wishes and dreams; we like the same music and we all have the same dream to live in peace and to enjoy life”, shared Muskic Milena, aged 13 from Niksic, Montenegro

World Vision’s national offices and microcredit organisations in the Balkans invested in peace this summer by gathering 40 youths of different ethnic backgrounds in Montenegro for a peace camp. Focusing on conflict resolution and breaking negative stereotypes, this week of peer to peer training gave young people to whom ethnic division is a daily reality, a rare opportunity to learn tolerance and appreciation for cultural and ethnic diversity. Photographs and text by World Vision Kosovo’s Rick Spruyt reveal how investing in youth, is investing in peace.