Mitrovica in Kosovo has been ethnically divided since the end of the Kosovo war, with Serbs living north of the river and Albanians in the south. Our Mitrovica Rock School brings together Albanian, Serb and other youth through daily rock music lessons and sessions of ethnically mixed bands. To travel safely to the other side of town, the Rock School drives students by car - but its car is broken beyond repair. We are looking to raise USD 6,000 to buy a second-hand car to drive our students.
The Kosovo war of 1999 left the miners' town of Mitrovica rigidly divided, with the Serb minority living north of the river and Albanian majority in the south. But before the war, Mitrovica had been a center for rock music: the home of many bands, an annual festival, and regular concerts and jam sessions.
The Mitrovica Rock School connects young Albanian, Serb and other musicians through a daily music lesson program, a program for mixed bands, and regular concerts and events. The school has brought together some 1,700 youth and has become one of Mitrovica's first spaces to be shared by musicians from both sides. To bring youth together, the Rock School organizes ethnically mixed band sessions and workshops, for which young musicians need to travel by car to the other side of the city.
Having its own car to bring students to music lessons safely will contribute to the sustainability of the Rock School's interethnic programs. The Rock School is one of the very few Mitrovica initiatives that structurally and successfully brings together young people from different ethnic backgrounds, contributing to a safer and more sustainable living environment.
