In 2008 and 2009, The Balkan Trust for Democracy supported the Balkan Community Initiatives Fund program for Youth and Media.  This program offers young people in the Balkan region the opportunity to learn about journalism which engages them in their communities and gives them opportunities for employment.

The program initially targeted youth aged 17- 28 from smaller communities where it is more difficult to receive this type of training.  In the first phase, twenty young people from ten communities (from Vojvodina to South Serbia, including: Zrenjanin, Novi Becej, Vrbas, Knjazevac, Bor, Zajecar, Loznica, Cajetina, Vrnjacka banja, Vranjska banja) attended training for four months. They were trained by professional journalists, TV and radio technicians, editors and photographers.  They learn the basics of journalism as well as gained the technical experience required in television and radio. In addition to the training, the students engaged in real exercises such as attending and reporting on a press conference with a Roma organization, interviewing the mayor of one of the communities, and making reports from the streets of Belgrade.

One of the most important aspects of this program was the fact that all the participants came from local communities, which unfortunately lack high quality media and media projects. As this usually results in media being under strong influence of local governments, companies or  powerful individuals, I find that educating young people in local communities about all aspects of media is crucial. That way, not only that they have the opportunity to actually create a media scene in their communities, but also to be more critical to the media that already exist, which, eventually, will lead to better and more independent media. What was very useful as well, is the way BCIF work with young people involved in their projects; contrary to bad educational tradition, they are treated as partners with equal rights, which obviously contributed to their results.”

 - Tamara Skrozza, Journalist, Vreme weekly

After the students were trained, each group received between 2,500 to 2,800 USD in addition to basic equipment such as cameras and Dictaphones.  With these resources, they were able to create more than 15 media projects, including radio and TV shows as well as newsletters and web sites, all in cooperation and partnership with local media:

• 2 TV shows – one weekly, one bi-weekly (Vranjska Banja and Zajecar)
• 8 weekly radio shows (Novi Becej, Vrbas, Knjazevac, Cajetina, Loznica, Zajecar, Vrnjacka Banja, Bor)
• 6 monthly newsletters or pieces in local newspapers (Novi Becej, Zrenjanin, Knjazevac, Loznica, Bor, Vrnjacka Banja)
• 2 web sites (Novi Becej, Knjazevac)

Their TV and radio shows talk about things that are important to young people and they represent a bridge between youth and relevant local institutions that need relevant and regular information on problems and needs directly from youth.

After only two months of concrete media projects, over 120 young people joined media outlets as journalists in these ten communities and the process is still on-going.  The students also have continued to network and exchange information via social networking tools.

To help promote the media projects of the students to other young people, BCIF developed a website where the products can be seen and downloaded (www.mismouprogramu.com).