General information
Creative Agents of Social Inclusion and Peace: Empowering Youth for Social Change through Art and the YPS Agenda
Project Duration: July – December 2025
Implementing Partner: CDE Dolina (Center for Democracy and Education)
Supported by: ifa – Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen / German Federal Foreign Office, zivik Funding Programme
Project Overview
The project empowers young artists and civic leaders from northern Kosovo and southern Serbia to build trust and cooperation through art, dialogue, and civic engagement. It brings together youth from diverse ethnic backgrounds – with at least 50% women – to co-create artistic initiatives that strengthen inclusion, solidarity, and peace at the community level.
Objectives
- Foster interethnic collaboration and creative civic participation among youth and young women.
- Build lasting networks of artists and community actors committed to peacebuilding.
- Encourage new forms of dialogue and cooperation that challenge divisions and promote reconciliation.
Expected Results
- Youth-led artistic initiatives that demonstrate reconciliation through creative action.
- Strengthened cross-community networks that continue beyond the project’s lifetime.
- Greater visibility of young people and women in local peace and cultural spaces.
Main Activities
- Mapping of local civic and artistic actors to build collaboration networks.
- Open call and participant selection for youth from both regions.
- Capacity-building workshops on group cohesion, civic engagement, and socially engaged art.
- Mentorship and development of local artistic initiatives in mixed teams.
- Implementation of at least six community-based artistic projects in North Mitrovica and Bujanovac.
- Final reflection and evaluation to consolidate lessons learned and ensure sustainability.
Theory of Change
Youth + creative engagement = stronger civic participation and inclusive local communities.
Through art-based collaboration, participants will create visible interventions that foster empathy, trust, and long-term reconciliation.
