Young dreams

 

Image from: https://www.cagle.com/tag/madam-europa/

 By Rosa Heuveling van Beek

In the beginning of Peace Lab, I knew almost nothing about Kosovo. In a week we learnt the history of Kosovo and peacebuilding theory. The course seemed to be like a regular IR intensive, but it is so much more. For the first time at AUC, students were able to meet with on-the-ground organizations and people currently active in the peacebuilding process. For the first time, we were able to engage with both civil-society-led, bottom-up and institutionally led, top-down approaches. Throughout most of my academic career, the focus was always on top-down approaches and strategies for peacemaking, but it is clear that other voices are equally (perhaps even more) important.

 

Hearing about the situation in Kosovo from the viewpoint of locals allowed me to understand the gaps in conventional peacebuilding strategies. While the organizations and institutions from the UN and EU have worked for years on peacekeeping and engaging Pristina and Belgrade in dialogue, in order for there to be real change and progress, the people must be engaged. Change on the local level is required, and learning about organizations in Kosovo shows how local efforts are crucial for local change. This became clear to me in our first meeting, with the Kosovo Women’s Network, where we heard stories about Serbian and Kosovar-Albanian solidarity over a common cause.

 

Our discussions with organizations in Kosovo centered around peacebuilding and Kosovar-Serb - Kosovar-Albanian relations, which is natural considering this course is Peace Lab. While this is an important topic, I wondered what regular Kosovars - people not working in peacebuilding and activism - were concerned about. This led to my project with my partner Dieudonné, who suggested we focus on the youth. 

 

It was interesting to hear about whether their concerns aligned with the activities of the organizations and people we talked to. One issue that really stood out, which was echoed by a few individuals we met with, was visa liberalization. The dreams of the youth were to travel Europe and the world, and it has been something that has been promised, but withheld. Everyone we met with, and the youth that responded to our project were also very welcoming and open, expressed a desire to share Kosovo and its culture with the world. It is a great privilege to be an EU citizen with the freedoms that come with it. While Kosovo and other western Balkan states are taking steps towards the EU, Kosovo stands alone and isolated with its people being denied visa liberalization. Other challenges and barriers also stand in the way. One that was highlighted by the youth is corruption. With the new Kurti administration promising to fight corruption, perhaps the youth will see part of their dreams realized.

 

Kosovo has a young population, with many desiring change and taking actions towards it. Change is happening and young people are using their power (people ages 18-24 and women were key supporters of the winning LVV party) and their voices. It is inspiring to see change coming from the people of Kosovo, it is their country, after all, and this course has demonstrated how the inclusion of local actors can play a role in peacebuilding.