What is the situation in the Republic of Serbia when it comes to media freedom and civic activism?

Serbia is an unstable democracy that faces a number of challenges when it comes to political participation, the rule of law, the stability of democratic institutions, and social and political integration.

One of the foundations of building a functional and stable democratic society is the free media, whose activities inform citizens and enable them to create their own opinions and based on that become more active in the community, recognize problems and get involved in solving them. This especially refers to young people who either are or will become a change makers and whose energy and creativity can greatly contribute to the development and improvement of society.

However, we are witnessing that both groups are facing significant challenges, which is especially pronounced in local communities. According to various researches and reports of international institutions, the media in Serbia face a whole range of challenges and are constantly struggling to improve the quality and standards of research reporting, while young people are underestimated and unrecognized as actors equally participating in social and political reforms and decision-making processes which is the reason why youth organizations do not receive much-needed support.

In order to contribute to overcoming these challenges and encourage the strengthening of democratic practice in Serbia, the Belgrade Open School (BOS) with the support of the Kingdom of Sweden is implementing a four-year project "Advancing Media and Youth CSOs for Prosperous Democratic Development of Serbia - MAY4DD" which aims to encourage partnerships between the media and youth organizations to democratize society and respect the rule of law and human rights on a local level.

The project will support 10 civil society youth organizations (CSOs) and 10 media, which will jointly submit and implement their 10 initiatives. Through financial and mentoring support, but also a comprehensive capacity building program of 20 partners annually, BOS will seek to empower the media and youth to actively contribute and insist on democratic values of the rule of law and human rights, especially in their local communities.

In addition, through the Youth Academy of Investigative Journalism 2.0, which will be attended by 15 young journalists, BOS will contribute to improving the quality of standards of investigative journalism and reporting in Serbia.

You can read more about the project goals, activities, as well as the implementation plan here. About the public call for the Civil Society and Media Partnership Support Program, which is open until August 4, read here.

All questions regarding project activities can be sent to the email: may4dd@bos.rs.