Empowering Young Voices: Building a New Generation of Journalists for Dialogue and Trust

Building a cadre of young journalists and empowering youth to enhance dialogue and trust by creating and promoting fact based, positive narratives and gender equality in the public sphere and media. 

The continuous divisive narratives being conveyed across various media platforms in the Western Balkan including in Kosovo undermine peace, social cohesion and stability in the region. Echoing global trends, ethnic- or nationalist-based discourse has the potential to negatively affect good neighborly relations in many areas.

It is against this backdrop that the Youth 4 Inclusion, Equality & Trust (Y4IET) project was designed. The project is a regional joint-UN initiative that empowers youth to engage in constructive and fact-based narratives, strengthen trust, intercultural dialogue, diversity, gender equality and mutual understanding in the Western Balkans.

Recognizing the need to implement sustainable interventions with youth empowered to tackle hate speech and divisive narratives, the project in Kosovo used the UNV Recruitment Methodology to engage and train 10 young community volunteers through internships in multi-community media organizations. The 10-youth (7 women) included five Kosovo Albanians and five minorities including representatives from the Serb, Ashkali and Roma communities. 

During the launching of the Programme for Young Journalists, Ms. Arnhild Spence, the UN Development Coordinator in Kosovo, expressed her satisfaction to meet young journalists, “these young bright minds leading the way to peacebuilding and sustainable development in Kosovo. With support from UN Peacebuilding, they've teamed up with UNFPA , UNDP and UN Volunteers to benefit all communities, journalism and peace development”, Ms. Spence highlighted.  

Such was the success of this initiative that six of the ten youth Volunteers have been retained by the media organizations and continue with their work producing media content while the remaining four joined UNDP’s Mis/Disinformation Project funded by the UNDP Funding Windows which also engaged 10 UNVs/young journalists in various media outlets to counter mis/disinformation and gendered disinformation. Three of the ten volunteers collaborated with UNDP Istanbul Regional Hub (IRH), aligning Kosovo activities with regional initiatives for a cohesive regional information integrity approach. This cost-effective strategy educated skilled young journalists, enhancing Y4IET project impact beyond immediate goals, establishing a proactive response to divisive narratives and hate speech on the media sphere, and mis/disinformation through adept young journalists and collaboration with prominent media and academia.

One of the key achievements of this commitment was the creation of tens of media products in the form of exposure stories, articles, documentaries and media fact checking that promoted positive narratives, and challenged gender stereotypes and gender inequality. The media products have been identified and led by young journalists featuring youth as agents of change, regardless of gender and ethnicity, that have impacted society through positive storytelling. 

The engagement of the 10 UNVs/ young journalists with the project had a ‘snowball effect’ as their work covered other activity results and components of the Y4IET project such as those related to inclusion empowering young people with disabilities through unifying sports programs, gender equality, Y-Peer education and bystander intervention trainings. “Languages make up the different notes of our culture, history and identity. A society that takes care of all its languages is a gallery of undivided assets, where each word reveals its own colour and voice", says Laureta Sopa one of the UNVs from K-Albanian community now working for the Public Information Office of the Office of Prime Minister.

The UNV engagement also helped amplify the youth voices in the fifth UN Youth Assembly in Pristina including those the voices of the regional youth delegates of the project: "everyone has its own stereotypes and prejudice about others, until they come into direct contact…and realize that not everything is as it seems and as media is presenting it to us”, Tijana Ristovska from North Macedonia noted. 

Furthermore, the impact of this project was not limited to the media sector, but also extended to the fields of education, culture and sports. Through these efforts, young people contributed to building positive narratives that promote inter-ethnic tolerance and social inclusion in Kosovo, amplifying positive stories that reflect important changes in relations between different communities.

This engagement of young journalists demonstrates the transformative power of the youth voice in the processes of peacebuilding and the fight against miss/disinformation, reinforcing the importance of their involvement in today's social issues “Let's use social media to help and inspire, not to spread hatred and conflict”, says Emilja Stajonevic, one of the UNVs/young journalists from K-Serb community. Jasir Misini, one of the UNVs/young journalists from K-Roma community now working with radio voice of Roma in Prizren, believes that "When we come together to discover and develop our talent, we can create a common vision that leads to a brighter and more prosperous future for all”.