People-to-People Contacts members of various youth NGOs. To overcome mistrust among parents from the two ethnicities, the OSCE provided escorts to the camps and made sure that the safety of the children was taken seriously. The OSCE also helped to ensure that both a gender balance and a geographic inclusion of young people from remote and rural areas was achieved. During the events, the participants learned about each other’s cultures, traditions, customs, and languages. Break time allowed for the informal exchange of ideas and viewpoints, which contributed to a slow but steady building of trust among participants. The atmosphere was positive from the beginning because several participants had already taken part in OSCE youth activities. At the end of the meetings, participants developed recommendations for their national governments, NGOs, and the international community. These explored possible ways to further advance youth co-operation between the two societies, including joint projects and the creation of an alumni network. The participants of the summer/winter schools stayed connected through social media and created the group’s own site. Many of the participants also maintained private contacts, some returned to the other region as visiting researchers, and others became involved with a broader regional youth initiative. Selected participants also participated in follow-on activities, which helped maintain the momentum of the initial achievements and the confidence gained in working with other communities. 98