Balkans Voices is run by CFI – Canal France International, French media development agency, in concordance with the Cooperation and Cultural Action Services (CCAS) of French Embassies in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia. Financed by the French Ministry of Europe and foreign affairs, the main objective of Balkans Voices project is to enable a new generation of young talents to reclaim the language used in media and to express themselves openly on subjects that inspire them in each country. The "Balkans Voices" project began with the observation that young people in the Balkans were not engaging with the media and with concepts of citizenship. Young people found little content and few formats that suited their interests, and few outlets to express themselves in the media landscape. Hence, one of the specific objectives of the project is to strengthen the capacities of young new media players in the region. The programme was made of several activities implemented and organized by the support of Mediacentar Sarajevo:
1. A regional online conference to launch the programme, bringing together the 60 young people selected.
2. Four regional workshops/training sessions (15 people per workshop); with physical attendance where possible.
3. A one-week incubator in Paris (18 > 20 young people selected) and six months’ individual support for projects by young contributors to new media (12 young people supported).
The project aims to encourage the creation of a democratic space for expression shared by young people across the Western Balkans. Also, project aims to provide them with the tools they need to gain a better understanding of the media and allow them to express themselves openly on subjects that interest them in each country. To meet this objective, young people in these countries will gain access to training, opportunities for networking and support for their media, audiovisual and artistic initiatives.
The project aims to meet three objectives:
1. Develop critical thinking skills amongst young people with regard to the media
2. Strengthen the skills of new media contributors and influencers
3. Develop audiovisual and digital productions that enable young people to present their own realities
See more about regional three day workshops held within Balkans Voices project here:
See more about closing conference of the Balkans Voices project
here.
