Seminar: Challenging Propaganda through Remembrance, 9-12 September 2022 in Mitrovica, Kosovo

About the Project

This seminar is part of a project also named “Challenging Propaganda through Remembrance”. The purpose of this seminar is to challenge the dominant narratives around the truth of the wars and post-war events in the Balkans, through the exploration, identification and remembrance of these violent events. The project also aims to empathize with the victims of violence of all ethnicities and alleviate the hatred and stereotypes about each other that exist among the younger generations in Mitrovica, Kosovo and the region.

About the Seminar

The youth of Kosovo and Serbia many of whom do not have experiences and memories from the past but have shaped thoughts and feelings through the stories of others, will be able to understand better the history of violent events that have taken place in the region and will have the opportunity to actively participate in dealing with the past and reconciliation processes. They will be provided with knowledge, skills and practices on these processes and remembrance.

The objectives of this seminar are:
– Exploring and exchanging regional practices around remembrance;
– Primary sources and media literacy;
– Online exhibition (as a follow-up activity).

This seminar will be organised in Mitrovica on September 09-12 and will involve 20 participants, aged 18-30, from Kosovo and Serbia.

About the Organizer

The seminar “Challenging Propaganda through Remembrance” is organized by GAIA Kosovo, more specifically by its program in Mitrovica and is financially supported by RECOM Reconciliation Network. GAIA is a peace organization working in the field of peacebuilding, solidarity between people, social justice and environmental protection. GAIA is also promoting cultural diversity and works on education and integration of marginalized and minority groups in society, especially Roma, Ashkali and Egyptians. GAIA is the official branch of Service Civil International in Kosovo.

Outcome:  We want to develop a virtual exhibition as a concrete follow-up project at this seminar.

COVID-19 during the seminar: Considering the current situation with COVID-19, the seminar will be held in person in Kosovo in September. If the situation changes, the other option will be a virtual seminar. All the participants will have to be fully protected from COVID-19 (e.g. vaccinated with a booster shot, recently recovered from COVID-19). We will have a hygiene concept for the group during the seminar and will follow all regulations by the authorities.

Participant’s profile:

All participants selected for this project should meet the following criteria:

• be between 18 and 30 years old;
• be able to work in English;
• be interested in the topics of the seminar and have a strong motivation to act as a multiplier;
• able to attend for the full duration of the seminar;
• be a citizen of Serbia or Kosovo.

We explicitly encourage participants of all classes, educational backgrounds, genders, sexual orientations, abilities and ethnic backgrounds to apply.

Logistics, financial conditions and sustainability:

Simple life: The seminar will take place in Mitrovica, a city in the northern part of Kosovo, in a facility with simple living conditions. You will sleep in a room shared with a few other people.

Costs: We can cover all essential costs of the program (including food, travel costs up to a maximum amount per country, accommodation and training) through RECOM Reconciliation Network.

Sustainable food: The food we provide will be vegan/vegetarian. This is not just a practical decision, but also an ideological one: GAIA believes in the values of sustainability and climate justice – and if we want to contribute to a more peaceful planet, we need to give up on industrialized animal agriculture and its destructive effects on our planet. In the application form, you can tell us, if you have any diets, allergies or intolerances that we should be aware of.

Sustainable travels? This is also why we ask you to come to this training through more sustainable means of transport rather than flying (e.g. by train or bus), if possible. We will give you more guidance on how to reach the venue, once you are accepted to the seminar.

How to apply? The application is open until the 14th of August and can be done by filling in this application form. All those accepted will later receive a detailed info sheet (incl. info on how to get to the venue, how to book your travels, and more info about the agenda of the project).

Contact: If you have any questions regarding the project and your application, don’t hesitate to contact us at ssd.mitrovica@gmail.com. We are looking forward to your application!

Download the Call for Participants here.