Youth Dialogue is a five-year activity that addresses Kosovo’s reconciliation needs between Kosovo Albanian and Kosovo Serbian youth. This activity encourages inter-ethnic communication, interaction, and cooperation, addresses common interests, builds confidence, and promotes mutual understanding and positive attitudes. Through dialogue, youth are better able to reconcile with the past and challenge nationalist propaganda so past conflicts are never repeated. By doing so, this activity contributes to USAID’s overall goal of increasing opportunities for inclusive democratic and economic participation.
Activities
- Support local NGOs that work with different ethnic groups in Kosovo to address the past and advance transitional justice by providing small grants that support reconciliation processes.
- Engage young people and the general public in activities that break stereotypes and challenge dominant narratives of the past through multi-ethnic youth exchanges, art workshops, fellowships, street actions, and exhibitions that enable people to learn from each other.
- Develop an inclusive approach toward different narratives about the recent past through research and documentation of wartime experiences and stories.
- Establish the War Childhood Museum in Pristina to present the diverse experiences of children during the war in Kosovo.
Key Results to Date
- Grassroots NGOs successfully work with different ethnic communities to actively deal with the past and advance the reconciliation process in Kosovo.
- Improve relations between young people from Kosovo Albanian and Kosovo Serbian communities contributing to long-lasting peace and prosperity in Kosovo.
- Young people from different communities proactively promote a constructive and victim-centered approach in dealing with the past experiences in Kosovo.
- Increase awareness among the general public in Kosovo about the importance of reconciliation and dealing with the past.
- Enhance the collective memory of Kosovo’s recent war through inclusive and multi-perspective research, documentation, and memorialization.
Additional Information
Project Funding
U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID/Kosovo)
Project Duration
December 2019 – June 2025
Implementing Partner
Youth Initiative for Human Rights - Kosovo
Total Funding
$849,919
Key Counterparts
National Library of Kosovo, Ministry of Youth and Culture, civil society organizations
Where We Work
Nationwide
Contact
Albana Kusari, Project Management Specialist
USAID Kosovo