US to allocate up to $160,000 to develop 'critical thinking' among Serbian youth

As specified in the document, future contractors will help the American side achieve its goals, whose tasks will include the implementation of English language courses.

The new American initiative should mainly involve interaction with young people, students, teachers and young professionals.

In some cases, cooperation with representatives of the media or civil society is possible.

“The US Embassy (in Belgrade. - 

) understands that English proficiency opens up opportunities to improve the employment prospects of Serbian citizens, expand access to information and knowledge, and promote the development of critical thinking and media literacy,” the text says.

As part of the work, recipients of funding will also have to pay attention to other issues, such as promoting "mutual understanding" among the peoples of the Western Balkans, strengthening ties between American and Serbian students, and business representatives.

However, as part of the initiative, contractors will be asked to focus on making progress towards Serbia's accession to the EU.

In particular, we are talking about the need to improve the English language of local officials in order to communicate with colleagues from the European Union.

It follows from the document that the activities of grantees can take any form.

Thus, the necessary work can be carried out within the framework of seminars, courses, hackathons, online projects and other events.

The amount of funding that the United States is ready to allocate for the implementation of the program should not exceed $160,000.

Vladimir Olenchenko, senior researcher at the Center for European Studies at IMEMO RAS, commenting on the US initiative, noted that in their policy the Americans

always

follow a certain pattern.

“Teaching English, developing “critical thinking”, teaching “understanding the world”.

In the context of language learning, it is clear that Americans are aimed at popularizing the American mentality together with it.

As for “critical thinking,” this is also clear.

How does such a scheme work?

A certain standard is declared, and everything that does not correspond to it is criticized, ”the expert explained in a conversation with RT.

According to him, it is important to consider that such programs often serve as a form of screening in order to look at students and determine the most active - those who in the future may become a "fan" of American ideology.

“Such courses are aimed at identifying leaders who will be ready to defend the American point of view.

I think that in Serbia the United States will pursue just such a goal... The Americans are inspired by the example of Ukraine, where they have invested a lot of money, including with the aim of disorienting the youth.

Perhaps they think that in Serbia they will be able to achieve similar results,” concluded Olenchenko.

In January, the intention of the US State Department to fund initiatives that would promote American culture and values ​​among the people of Serbia was announced.

For these purposes, the department planned to allocate up to $ 400 thousand.

The United States has been implementing similar projects in a number of countries over the years.

According to experts, such a policy involves interference in the internal affairs of those countries where it is carried out.