Peter Dallas: How after decades I discovered my Macedonian heritage

The founder of the Birthright Macedonia program explains what motivated him to create the program, what it means to him personally and more importantly, to the Macedonian youth in the diaspora. What do Birthright Macedonia participants do in Macedonia? Birthright Macedonia is an international program that gives youth throughout the Macedonian diaspora the opportunity to re-connect or connect for the first time, with their heritage in a meaningful way. For three weeks during the summer, Macedonian youth gather in the Republic of Macedonia and are involved in the multi-faceted aspects of the program. The three major components of the Birthright Macedonia are its internship program, home stay with host families and a myriad of activities that exposes the participants to the culture and history of the Republic. They are assigned an Internship work program that aligns their academic and career goals as closely as possible to their assigned task. They work side by side with native Macedonians and with other Macedonian youth from around the world - sharing their knowledge and life experiences with one another. The dates for the 2017 summer session of Birthright Macedonia are June 23 to July 14. The last date to apply is May 19. Go to the United Macedonian Diaspora website for full details of the Birthright Macedonia program.

Peter Dallas (middle) with Birthright Macedonia participants Source: Peter Dallas