Feature Story - Bridging the Divide

The project was developed from the need to overcome the institutional and physical ethnic division that have kept Mitrovica at an impasse over the past decade. BtD is a result of the unique cooperation between the South Mitrovica-based CSO Community Building Mitrovica (‘CBM’), the newly established interethnic, bilingual multi-medium ‘M-M@G’, and a North Mitrovica coalition of 7 CSOs gathered in the Centre for Resources, Youth and Media (‘CRYM’), in order to directly address problems and opportunities related to infrastructure, media, civil society development, youth care and the lack of institutional and civil inter-ethnic cooperation across the divide which is considered as main barriers for overcoming the existing ethnic tensions.Bridging the Divide brings together three different components: the Infrastructural Component; the Webzine M-M@G & Youth Portal (M-M@G); and Centre for Resources Youth and Media (CRYM).

The Infrastructural Component provides implementation of highly visible, high–impact, infrastructural intervention on both sides of the divide. This is being done in an effort to establish meaningful and sustainable partnerships between local communities, CSOs and local municipal institutions, strengthen active citizenry and diminish the feeling and factuality of the communities of North Mitrovica being underserved and left-behind by the international donor community. These interventions being aligned closely with the priorities of local authorities and communities, and being selected by an inter-ethnic board representing them, will facilitate a rudimentary form of cooperation ‘across the river’, while bringing much-needed and tangible results to citizens.

The Webzine M-M@G & Youth Portal (M-M@G) addresses the urgent need for local, interethnic, bilingual, objective and professional media. The ethnically mixed editorial team the magazine can counter external conflict-oriented reporting based on sensationalism or politicisation. The M-M@Gfocuses on relevant investigative and social journalism and assumes the role of a local watchdog. The magazine hones a sustainable, modern, multi-media strategy by simultaneously publishing a printed quarterly and adding its monthly webzine by a groovy Youth Portal (‘Mi:2’), while tightly linking all to local top radio station ‘Kontakt Plus’ and the Centre for Resources, Youth and Media (CRYM) with its Mitrovica Media Centre (MMC). Seeking a mainstream audience on both sides of the Ibar by critically and constructively reporting on locally relevant issues and holding authorities accountable, M-M@G will provide objective, solution-oriented information geared towards spanning the divide, not underlining it.

Centre for Resources Youth and Media (CRYM), supports local CSOs in capacity building, cooperation and outreach across the divide. The CRYM foresees integration and empowerment of the fragmented NGO community towards a strong, active, resource-pooling, synergetic and accountable local civil society, driven by local needs rather than donors.

CRYM offers a platform for citizen participation and form an incubator for new grassroots initiatives, while providing a newly-formed coalition of local CSOs with adequate premises to strengthen their organisations, increase their capacity, and facilitate their joint outreach and impact. In addition CRYM will reach out to the grossly neglected needs of Mitrovica’s largest demographic group, youth, by the progressively multi-ethnic youth centre that includes a rock school, youth club and informal educational, cultural and integrational programs, which form the central engine of CRYM and are firmly focused and rooted in the community.

For more information contact project coordinator Remzije Istrefi at remzije.istrefi@cbmitrovica.org