The panel focused on the participation of young people in reconciliation initiatives, as they have a unique opportunity to create peace. The panelists agreed that young people live in a difficult environment burdened by the past, which highlights the importance of facing it and understanding it to move forward. They concurred that the best way to build peace is to have an inclusive dialogue, allowing young people to humanize the Other.

It was noted that meeting people from other countries breaks barriers and exposes them to different narratives, helping them understand the problems more widely. The panel agreed that there aren’t enough youth initiatives and programmes, and that the older generations do not have enough political will to change the status quo. As the solution for this, the panel proposed the inclusion of dialogue and peacebuilding in education as well as giving young people a real chance to impact the process of reconciliation.

 

 

Fjolla Zejnullahu, Projects and Development Manager at Climate Awareness Association, stressed the importance of contradicting narratives among young people who have inherited the memories of the previous generations. She noted that most people in Kosovo are young and have not experienced the conflicts directly but are still burdened by them, making a better future more complicated. Zejnullahu highlighted the negative role of politicians who use divisive narratives and propaganda and recommended dialogue as a tool to humanize people from other ethnic communities, engaging emotionally with them. She expressed hope that young people can come together and build trust and peace, which is crucial because pain does not have an ethnicity.

 

 

Aleksandra Milošević, Lawyer, focused on the lack of inclusion of young people, who are not adequately represented and whose voices are not listened to. Apart from inclusivity and opposing prejudice, she stressed the importance of political will and economic cooperation. An important note of optimism from Milošević was that young people in the region have the same problems and can overcome them together, explaining that this can be achieved through open dialogue and through facing the truth while avoiding political propaganda.

 

 

Nedžla Kurtćehajić, Intern at MIRCURY, a multidisciplinary international conflict resolution institute, asserted that young people are not just the future but the present, and a potential force that can redefine the reconciliation process, being less burdened by historical animosities. She warned that young people in the region are uninvolved in political processes and that, even when they are included in official events, it is usually for symbolic reasons. Kurtćehajić expressed the view that the region’s future depends on the resilience and creativity of young people, which can be built by making collaborative connections across borders.

 

 

Kalina Dukovska, Executive Board Member at the Youth Educational Forum, focused on the importance of education and knowledge, which is crucial because without understanding the past, young people are often lost in nationalistic narratives. She warned that information is not easily accessible and that effort needs to be made to make it available to young people. The moderator, Kristina Bosilj, responded that “the young can find everything online except the truth.” Dukovska pointed out that there should be a wider and more thorough understanding of the past to move forward together. She expressed a desire for the reconciliation process to receive more official support, rather than relying only on the efforts of civil society.