The Regional Youth Cooperation Office (RYCO), in partnership with Deutsche Welle, cordially invites young journalists and journalism students from the Western Balkans 6 to join the Peace Broadcasters program. This program offers training and mentoring on Intercultural Dialogue, Transitional Justice and Constructive Journalism, with the aim of strengthening and enhancing participants’ skills and knowledge to maintain high journalistic standards within the fields of intercultural dialogue and transitional justice in the region.
Peace Broadcasters is designed to broaden and deepen the knowledge and understanding of young journalists in the areas of Intercultural Dialogue, Transitional Justice and Constructive Journalism. It also provides mentorship to improve skills in producing high-quality journalistic content.
RYCO initiated the Peace Broadcasters program in 2021. During three cycles, a total of 55 journalists were trained, and their work was published in prestigious media outlets, including Deutsche Welle.
PURPOSE OF THE TRAINING:
Strengthening the professional capacities of journalists in the media is one of RYCO’s main priorities, given their crucial role in building and promoting peace. The overall purpose of the training and mentoring program is to enhance the knowledge and skills of young journalists in reporting and covering media content effectively on issues related to Intercultural Dialogue, Transitional Justice and Constructive Journalism.
Upon completion of the 4-day training and 1-month mentoring program, participants will:
- Gain familiarity with the concepts of human rights in media, intercultural dialogue, and transitional justice.
- Acquire a theoretical foundation for preparing and elaborating content on the program’s topics.
- Have opportunities to work both practically and independently, as well as in small groups under the supervision of a professional mentor.
- Have the chance to publish the produced article in various local and regional media.
- Can participate in the competition for the best article produced during the program.
The 4-day training will take place physically and will be conducted in the English language. The mentoring program will be organized to accommodate the group’s schedules and agendas.
Training attendees shall receive a Certificate of Participation in the Program, among other benefits, provided they attend the training and fully participate in the program.
DELIVERABLES:
Each participant is expected to produce:
- A joint story with another participant from a different Contracting Party (CP), or
- An individual story with a regional context.
These stories will be published on the Deutsche Welle channels as well as the YPS Hub. Publication in other local and regional media is encouraged.
IMPORTANT DATES:
Launching of the Open Call for Participants: 25/9/2024
Deadline for Applications: 11/10/2024
TRAINING DURATION: The Capacity Building Training is tentatively planned for the first week of November.
MENTORING DURATION AND CONTENT PRODUCTION: Approximately 1 month, until 5/12/2024.
ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA:
The training and mentoring program is exclusively intended for young journalists and journalism students, up to 30 years old, from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo*, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia who are interested in addressing the topics of Intercultural Dialogue and Transitional Justice in their future work.
Eligible young journalists include:
- Those planning to create content related to Intercultural Dialogue and Transitional Justice in their future work.
- Those who will fully attend the training and meet the program’s expectations.
- Those who demonstrate motivation and interest in the topics of intercultural dialogue, transitional justice, and human rights.
- Those with good abilities in academic writing.
- Those with sound knowledge and skills at the relevant level of journalism and journalistic skills.
- Those interested in regional cooperation and RYCO’s work.
APPLICATION DEADLINE:
This call will remain open until 11 October 2024, 23:59.
SUBMISSIONS:
If you are interested and meet the above requirements, please submit your application using this link. If you are notified as one of the finalists, additional documents may be requested.
APPLY HERE
NOTE:
Participants will be selected based on the criteria outlined in the Call for Applications, with consideration given to gender equality, diversity, and geographical balance. When applying, please be aware that all participants selected to attend will be notified via email no later than 20 October 2024.
Any queries can be directed to the RYCO office via email at peace.broadcasters@rycowb.org.
ABOUT THE ORGANIZERS:
Regional Youth Cooperation Office (RYCO) is an independently functioning institutional mechanism, founded by the Western Balkans 6 participants (WB 6): Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia. RYCO aims to promote the spirit of reconciliation and cooperation among youth in the region through youth exchange programs. For more information about RYCO, please visit www.rycowb.org.
About RYCOgnized Project: This edition of the Peace Broadcasters is funded under the RYCOGNIZED 2.0- Enhancing peacebuilding and reconciliation in WB6 which focuses on YPS actions in the WB6 region. Moreover, it serves to enhance RYCO’s advocacy efforts and institutional capacities in the Youth Peace and Security (YPS) Agenda in the region. The project supports RYCO’s effort to create an enabling environment in the Western Balkans for peacebuilding, regional youth cooperation, and improving the position of youth.
Deutsche Welle (DW) is Germany’s international broadcaster headquartered in Bonn and Berlin. It is known for its comprehensive news coverage, diverse programming, and global reach. DW reaches audiences in 32 languages. The Programs for Europe department at DW reports on European news, current affairs, politics, society and culture in 10 European languages (Albanian, Bosnian, Bulgarian, Croatian, Greek, Hungarian, Macedonian, Polish, Serbian and English), reaching 35 million user contacts every week across a variety of online, television and radio channels.
*This designation is without prejudice to positions on status and is in line with UNSCR 1244 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo Declaration of Independence.