Sixty young people from the Western Balkans offered support to develop their media projects

Around 60 bloggers, podcasters, vlogcasters* and online media and social network content creators aged between 18 and 35 received support in the creation of content that speaks to them and is of use to their community. They were recruited via a call for applications launched in April 2021 by CFI and its local programme partners: Mediacentar Sarajevo ; Albanian Media Institute ; Montenegro Media Institute ; Macedonian Institute for Media ; Novi Sad School of Journalism and Foundation for Information ; Media, Dialogue and Education KosovaLive.

Selected on the basis of their desire to produce content that has a positive impact on their communities, these young people host media on a variety of different platforms, such as a blog dedicated to literature and the promotion of reading among young people, a podcast encouraging civic engagement through testimonies and discussions, or even an Instagram account that produces text-based illustrations on the themes of gender equality and social justice.

Discussions and feedback

The “influencing with purpose” regional conference provided these young people with an opportunity to draw inspiration from other online media content creators aiming to raise awareness, educate, express opinions, mobilise or inform.

At the opening of the conference, for example, the participants were able to hear Zhaklin Lekatari, an Albanian journalist and blogger who runs Tabu Blog, a programme built around 4- to 10-minute-long videos on YouTube EDU to educate people about intimate relationships, and Festa Isufi, who is one of the people behind the Myprishtina Instagram account, which highlights the treasures of the Kosovan capital, talk about their experiences.

Part of the conference was dedicated to small group workshops on topics such as monetisation and promotion of content, as well as the mental health challenges that can arise as a result of public exposure. The latter session was facilitated by a psychotherapist who specialises in providing support to young people and allowed the participants to share their experiences in this area.

These testimonies were rounded off with a discussion regarding the specific challenges and opportunities for creators of online media content in the Western Balkans region.

The second day was set aside for a training session on audience analysis and two round table discussions: one on the ethical responsibility linked to the publishing of content, and the other on the way in which users of new media can advocate for human and social rights for their communities, and in particular for “vulnerable” groups and minorities.

Consolidating and developing platforms

Following on from this conference, the participants will have the opportunity (health situation permitting) to meet in person during a regional workshop, which will take place in September in one of the region’s countries. Four workshops will be organised with 15 participants each, which will allow these users of new media to undergo training with a view to consolidating the content and technical elements of their platforms.

In addition to this regional conference, the support programme includes a four-day workshop in one of the region’s countries, as well as an incubation week and several months of mentoring for some of these young people.
Twenty-four people will be selected to further develop their platform during an incubation session, which is expected to take place in Paris in November. Twelve of those will also receive individual follow-ups for several months.

* Terme court qui signifie "Blog vidéo"