Skills for the future, understanding for the present: OSCE project gives Kosovo youth brighter outlook

Zvecan/Zveçan, home to a majority Kosovo-Serb population, was once a well-known industrial town because of its proximity to the Trepça/Trepca coal mines. In 1999 the industry collapsed and the municipality has been burdened ever since from a high rate of unemployment and the presence of internally displaced persons.

Needless to say this has put many young people from Kosovo Serb, Bosniak and Roma communities in a disadvantaged position as local authorities are no longer able to attend to their needs.

To improve the outlook for young people, the OSCE Mission, using its Ethnic Community Sustainability Funds which are mainly provided by the US Government, established a Youth Creative Centre in the municipal building, which became operational in March 2010.

Consulting youth

"The aim of this centre is to provide a place for youngsters to meet and socialize, and receive relevant trainings, contributing to confidence building and reconciliation as well as encouraging young people to stay in Kosovo," says Ljubisa Bascarevic from the OSCE Regional Centre in Mitrovicë/Mitrovica.

Before deciding what to offer, the OSCE and its implementing partner, the NGO scout group Kota 797 - established in 1973 and named after the height of Zvecan/Zveçan hill - met with young people from Zvecan/Zveçan. "We wanted to see what they needed the most and, unsurprisingly, the outcome was IT training," said Marko Marinkovic, co-ordinator from Kota 797.

Drawing on the needs pointed out in the meetings, a six-month training module on Microsoft Office and web design was developed and started being implemented in March 2010 once the equipment was in place. "The young people were already using computers, but we wanted to train them in areas that would make them decent competitors in the labour market," said Marinkovic.

Training was provided in digital photography and standard photo editing and web design software. "This will enable them to find work locally as there is a demand for good photographs and editors in the media market," added Bascarevic.

Creativity for results

Dealing mainly with ecological issues, Kota 797 also looked for ways to use the training sessions to raise awareness about the polluted environment in Zvecan/Zveçan. Each module, with three theoretical but interactive sessions, taught by local experts and a lecturer from Belgrade, was complemented by one day in the field. The participants recorded a reportage about Banjska and Sokolica Monastery and took photos of their surroundings to document the environmental pollution and the lack of green spaces.

"The participants will now use their knowledge to edit the recording and photographs and put them on the web," says Djordje Ilic from Kota 797.

Participants say they have benefited from the training in many ways. "I realized I really like photography, so I even bought my first camera," said Rodoljub Drobnjakovic, a high-school student. "I'm mostly enjoying macro-photography, taking pictures from really up close and then working with them on the computer," he said.

Slobodan Pantovic, a first-year student in the physical education faculty, said the training was fun, but also beneficial. "Although we knew each other, as Zvecan/Zveçan is a small place, we had the chance to socialize a lot more, and learn from professional lecturers," he said. "Moreover, computer skills are necessary for any job, so this will come in handy in my near future."

Setting examples

The young participants - who include Serbs, Bosniaks and Roma - will soon shift their work to a neighbourhood inhabited by Kosovo Albanians and Serbs. They will produce an amateur short documentary featuring the neighbourhood Mikronaselje/Kodra e Minatorëve in northern Mitrovicë/Mitrovica, home to these two communities.

"The idea for the documentary is to socialize with the Albanians, see how the young people live there and what are their issues," said Bascarevic. "They play football together, so we waned to use it as a good example for other neighbourhoods and settlements," he added.

The photos taken during the outdoor sessions of the trainings and tackling mainly the polluted environment will be exhibited at the Youth Centre to a number of invitees. The documentary, expected to be produced by mid-November, will be screened the same day.

"This is our way of drawing attention to the issues of pollution in Zvecan/Zveçan, and highlighting the coexistence among different communities," said Marinkovic. "It is a small step, but we hope it will make people think about it."