People-to-People Contacts The summer/winter schools represented a first steps toward a meaningful and lasting co-operation that began with dialogue and understanding at the most basic level. The activities brought youth together and provided an unbiased, neutral environment within which they felt free to engage with the past and the present, fighting prejudices and stereotypes. Deepening relations and building bridges among young people was found to be the best way to strengthen mutual understanding and co-operation with a view to promoting tolerance and reconciliation in the region. 2. National platform for women With women severely underrepresented in decision-making positions in the country, the OSCE aimed to promote women leaders across the political spectrum at the municipal and national levels by providing a platform for mutually reinforcing networking. The OSCE compiled lists of prominent women from all over the country, belonging to all age groups and professions, including public and political life, civil society, and business. It invited them to meetings in their local municipalities on topics ranging from the identification of issues of concern to all women, their participation in public and political life, and everyday challenges. At first, the OSCE set the agenda, but later on the participants provided the input for the discussions, bringing in topics such as capacity-building for advocacy and negotiation, public relations skills, and the promotion of intra- and inter-party dialogue. 99