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Call for International Expert — Development of a Mentoring Programme for Social Service Professionals in Kosovo

EWMI is seeking a Kosovo national or international expert to develop a mentoring programme for social service professionals in Kosovo under our Strengthened Capacity and Mechanisms to Address Gender-Based Violence Project. The Terms of Reference are included below and available to download here.

Contracting organisation: East-West Management Institute (EWMI), ewmi.org

Duty station: Kosovo and remote

Duration: Up to 20 working days

Expected period: November 9, 2026 to 28 February 2027

Reporting to: EWMI Director of Civil Society Programmes and KWN GBV Project Manager

Application deadline: 29 October 2026, 12:00 noon, US Eastern Time

1. Background

Social service professionals in Kosovo handle a wide range of cases requiring specialised knowledge, professional judgement, and interdisciplinary and inter-institutional cooperation. In addition to training and professional development, they need continuous practical support to apply their knowledge in day-to-day work. Such support is particularly important given the high volume and complexity of cases, as well as the broad range of categories and needs addressed by these professionals. In this context, mentoring can provide additional professional support and specialised expertise to social service professionals, helping them address complex cases more effectively, particularly where available human resources are not always sufficient to respond adequately to growing demand for services. A structured mentoring programme can contribute to their professional development and empowerment and to improving the quality of social and family services

The legal framework for developing and implementing the Professional Mentoring Programme for social service professionals includes Law No. 08/L-255 on Social and Family Services; Law No. 08/L-185 on the Prevention of and Protection from Domestic Violence, Violence against Women and Gender-Based Violence; Law No. 06/L-084 on Child Protection; and Law No. 04/L-128 on the Prevention and Combating of Trafficking in Human Beings and Protection of Victims of Trafficking. These laws and the bylaws adopted to facilitate their implementation provide the basis for developing a general mentoring programme for social service professionals, which may include specialised subprogrammes tailored to different areas of professional practice. These may include, among others, response to and case management of gender-based violence, including violence against women and domestic violence; mentoring on measures for the care, protection and case management of children in need of protection; and other priority categories and areas determined on the basis of the needs of the Ministry and Centres for Social Work (CSWs). The Programme would allow mentoring to be adapted to the specific characteristics of cases and the professional needs of social service professionals, helping strengthen capacities for identification, assessment, case management, referral and follow-up/supervision.

In this context, the Ministry of Labour, Family and the Values of the Liberation War (the “Ministry”), in cooperation with the East-West Management Institute (EWMI), the Kosovo Women’s Network (KWN), Terre des hommes Kosovo, other partners and members of the working group, aims to develop a general Professional Mentoring Programme for social service professionals. The Programme should define how mentoring will be organised and managed, the criteria and procedures for selecting, engaging and qualifying mentors, and tools for monitoring, evaluating and assuring the quality of the mentoring process. This common framework will enable the development of specialised subprogrammes for different categories of cases and priority areas of social work practice.

Social service professionals work with diverse categories of beneficiaries whose cases require management tailored to their needs. The Mentoring Programme is envisaged as including subprogrammes that provide mentoring adapted to those needs. Initially, two such subprogrammes will be developed. Given the sensitive nature and prevalence of difficult cases requiring mentoring, the two areas selected are response to gender-based violence, including violence against women and domestic violence, and mentoring on measures for the care, protection and case management of children in need of protection. The gender-based violence subprogramme will build on experience gained through the project “Strengthening Capacities and Mechanisms to Address Gender-Based Violence in Kosovo” (the “Project”), implemented by EWMI and its partner KWN. The child-related subprogramme will be developed in close cooperation with consultants and the relevant institutions working in this field engaged by Terre des hommes Kosovo, using the common mentoring structure while taking into account specific child protection requirements. The expert’s work on the child-related subprogramme will be funded through a separate programme supporting the Ministry, financed by Terre des hommes Kosovo. Separate Terms of Reference (ToR) will be developed for the child-case mentoring subprogramme.

To date, under the Project, KWN has supported Municipal Coordination Mechanisms for Domestic Violence in ten municipalities through needs assessments, development of work plans, capacity building and mentoring. KWN has also developed a curriculum and delivered training for social service professionals on handling and referring cases of violence against women, in cooperation with the Ministry. This experience provides a practical foundation for the gender-based violence mentoring subprogramme and for developing the general mentoring model.

Meanwhile, Terre des hommes Kosovo, in cooperation with the Professional Council for Social and Family Services, has certified trainers on the Principles of Supervision and built the capacities of social service providers in this field.

Building on these experiences, the Project will support the Ministry in developing a functional and sustainable mentoring programme for social workers that can be piloted, evaluated, and gradually scaled up nationally at a later stage.

2. Purpose and Objective

In the framework of the Project, EWMI will engage a Kosovo national or international expert (the “Expert”) to provide technical assistance to KWN and the Ministry of Labour, Family and the Values of the Liberation War (the “Ministry”) in developing a Professional Mentoring Programme (‘the Programme’) for social service professionals. The Programme will be administered by the Ministry and will establish a common framework for practical mentoring, professional development, and improved quality of social services in Kosovo.

The main objective is to develop a functional Mentoring Programme package defining how the Programme will be organised and managed, institutional roles and responsibilities, criteria and procedures for selecting, engaging and qualifying mentors, mentoring tools, and mechanisms for monitoring, evaluation and quality assurance. The package should also include a realistic plan for piloting and gradually expanding the Programme.

The Programme structure should enable the development of specialised subprogrammes. Under this assignment, the Expert will develop the mentoring approach for the subprogramme addressing gender-based violence, including violence against women and domestic violence, drawing on the experience and materials developed by KWN, the Ministry, and other partners.

The Programme should respond to Kosovo’s institutional and legal context, draw on relevant international practices and be adaptable to changing needs over time.

3. Description of Work

Working closely with KWN, the Ministry, EWMI, other relevant consultants and stakeholders, the Expert will carry out the following tasks:

Review of existing documents and experience. Review legislation, policies, institutional responsibilities, existing programmes and materials for the professional development of social service professionals, as well as experience gained by KWN and other partners in training, mentoring and practical support.
Consultations on needs and feasibility. Consult the Ministry, KWN, social service professionals, municipal representatives and other relevant stakeholders to identify mentoring needs, existing capacities, required resources and the conditions for operating the Programme.
Development of the general mentoring model. Define target groups, mentoring formats and duration, the mentor–mentee relationship, Programme governance within the Ministry, institutional roles, human and financial resources, and measures for ethics, confidentiality and quality assurance.
Definition of mentor-related processes. Develop minimum criteria and practical procedures for selecting, engaging, preparing, assessing and qualifying mentors, including the documents and tools needed to implement these processes.
Development of the gender-based violence subprogramme. Develop the content and relevant mentoring tools for social service professionals handling cases of gender-based violence, including violence against women and domestic violence. This work should reflect a human-rights-based, trauma-sensitive, survivor-centred and non-discriminatory approach, as well as the role of social service professionals in interinstitutional coordination.
Coordination on the child-related subprogramme. Collaborate with consultants responsible for this area to define the common structure, standards and tools to be used by both subprogrammes. Specialised content for working with children will be developed in coordination with the relevant expertise in this field, with support from Terre des hommes Kosovo.
Preparation of the Programme package. Deliver the practical documents required to implement the Programme, including operational guidelines, mentoring tools, relevant forms, an approach to preparing mentors, and a monitoring and evaluation framework.
Validation and refinement. Facilitate a validation meeting with the Ministry, KWN, EWMI and other designated stakeholders, and revise the Programme package in line with the feedback received.
Implementation planning. Develop a realistic plan for establishing, piloting, evaluating and gradually scaling up the Programme, specifying steps, responsibilities, indicative timelines, required resources and measures for institutional sustainability.

4. Expected Deliverables and Timeline

No.	Deliverable	Content	Days
1	Inception report	Methodology and work plan for conducting the needs assessment for the Mentoring Programme, including how stakeholders will be engaged.	1
2	Diagnostic and conceptual note	Summary of the desk review and consultations; Programme content, human resources, governance and piloting approach.	5
3	First draft of the Mentoring Programme package	An operational manual and key Mentoring Programme tools, including job descriptions for Programme staff, documentation and monitoring tools, and a simple public information strategy.	9
4	Validation and final package	Validation session(s) with the Ministry, KWN and other stakeholders; revised final Mentoring Programme package and action plan for piloting and expanding the proposed Programme.	4.5
5	Assignment completion report	A brief report describing activities carried out and key results, as well as the Expert’s comments and suggestions.	0.5

All deliverables shall be submitted in English. EWMI, KWN and the Ministry will review them and provide feedback within an agreed timeframe.

The assignment will be carried out from 26 October 2026 to 28 February 2027.

5. Management and Coordination

The Expert will be contracted by EWMI, work closely with KWN staff, Terre des hommes Kosovo and the Ministry, and report to EWMI’s Director of Civil Society Programmes and KWN’s GBV Project Manager. KWN will facilitate the Expert’s access to relevant documents and stakeholder contacts. The Expert will provide EWMI and KWN with brief progress updates, immediately flag any issues that arise, and ensure that all work respects confidentiality, the do-no-harm principle, and the safety and dignity of survivors of violence against women.

6. Required Qualifications and Experience

Kosovo national or international expert;
Advanced university degree in law, gender studies, social sciences, education sciences, public administration, international development or a related field;
At least ten (10) years of relevant professional experience in gender equality, preventing and responding to violence against women and domestic violence, social services, and capacity building within public institutions, including professional development and education;
Demonstrated experience in developing or supporting mentoring programmes, training, peer learning, or multi-agency coordination, preferably at national level;
Strong knowledge of human-rights-based, trauma-informed, survivor-centred, and inclusive approaches to responding to violence against women;
Experience in the Western Balkans or comparable contexts is a strong asset; familiarity with Kosovo’s institutional and legal context is desirable; and
Excellent facilitation, analytical and drafting skills in English. Knowledge of Albanian and/or Serbian is an advantage.

7. Application Requirements

Interested candidates must submit: (i) a CV highlighting relevant experience; (ii) a short technical proposal outlining the proposed approach and work plan for 20 working days; (iii) a sample of similar work, where available; and (iv) a financial offer specifying a daily professional fee and any anticipated reimbursable costs separately.

Please submit the above documents to info@EWMI.org no later than 29 October 2026.

Download the ToR

New EWMI Occasional Paper Reflects on Three Decades of Rule of Law Programs

A new paper, “The Rule of Law Movement, Past and Future: The View from EWMI,” reflects on over 30 years of EWMI Rule of Law programming from the mid-1990s through the 2025 shuttering of USAID.

In the paper, EWMI’s Rule of Law experts, Vice Presidents Mark Dietrich and Nicolas Mansfield, take readers through the three primary stages of the Rule of Law journey—institution building, the search for political will, and the emergence of people-centered justice. The authors provide an overview of EWMI initiatives that brought sustainable changes and others that did not and conclude with some lessons learned and concrete recommendations for charting a way forward for the Rule of Law community.

Read the report

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Engaging Communities to Combat Gender-Based Violence in Kosovo

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Artopolis forum theatre performance “Prapa Ekranit” (Behind the Screen)

Gender-based violence (GBV) remains a major threat to the safety and wellbeing of women and girls in Kosovo. Since the fall of 2024, EWMI has been supporting coordinated action by Kosovo Women’s Network (KWN), a coalition of more than 100 women’s organizations of all ethnic groups from throughout Kosovo, to strengthen mechanisms and responses to prevent GBV and provide support to survivors.

Educating and engaging women and girls, men and boys, parents and neighbours, community members and leaders about the impact of GBV and the resources available to prevent, report, and address it is crucial to generating social and cultural shifts that lead to eliminating GBV. To that end, during May – December 2025, EWMI and KWN supported community outreach campaigns using participatory approaches by four locally-led advocacy organizations. The organizations distributed multilingual information on GBV and technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV) through door-to-door visits, small community group discussions, and online interactions, ultimately reaching more than a quarter of a million people.

Among the project’s local partners, the Organization of Persons with Muscular Dystrophy in Kosovo (OPDMK), reached over 700 people — including direct outreach to 226 persons with disabilities — and generated 1,756 digital interactions. The Women’s Inclusion Centre (ZEC), working with the Serbian community, reached 1,549 people and recorded 760 online engagements.

The Network of Organizations of Roma, Ashkali, and Egyptian Women in Kosovo (RROGRAEK) reached 725 people, the majority of whom were engaged through in-person activities. Among those reached was a mother in the Ali Ibra neighborhood of Gjakova who shared her experience during the visit, explaining that fear and social prejudice had previously prevented her from seeking help: “The brochure and contact details I received gave me the courage to consider the next steps toward protecting myself and my children.”

“We felt heard and respected. Being informed about the free legal aid office helps us understand that we are not alone and that institutions exist to support us,” said a family from the village of Hereq in the municipality of Gjakova, emphasizing that severe economic conditions and unemployment had directly contributed to tensions within the household.

Another family from the Sef neighborhood expressed relief at learning for the first time about the availability of free legal aid services for survivors of domestic violence: “We have often remained silent due to fear and lack of information, but receiving the brochure and contact numbers increased our sense of safety and hope.”

A family from the Blloku i Ri neighborhood in Gjakova also responded positively to the outreach engagement, reflecting on the broader social context in Kosovo: “The general social situation often makes people feel powerless. These activities raise awareness and strengthen trust in legal support, especially in domestic violence cases.”

Complementing the direct outreach of RROGRAEK, OPDMK, and ZEC, cultural initiatives played a key role in these public education efforts. Artpolis, a nonprofit arts and human rights organization, staged the forum theatre performance “Prapa Ekranit” (Behind the Screen) in six municipalities, engaging 345 students aged 15–18 in discussions on violence against women and online abuse, while related promotional efforts reached nearly 150,000 people.

The show was well-received among both the students and school staff members who attended the performances. One of the student attendees said: “I liked how the actors expressed real-life situations through art, almost like an awareness-raising video. We also received a very important message: control and care are not the same thing because violence is not love, it is a crime.” A high school staff member concurred: “The show carries an educational message, especially for the generations who are currently our high school students. I think many of the interactive discussions with the characters provided a good example for young people on how to act, not to be controlling but to be careful and considerate of their partners.”

Complementing these direct outreach activities, EWMI partner KWN’s nine-day digital campaign on domestic and online violence reached over 595,000 online users, and more than 13,500 — primarily women aged 25–44 — engaged directly with the materials.

EWMI looks forward to continuing to support KWN and our other partners as they expand their comprehensive approach to addressing GBV across Kosovo through outreach, advocacy, and legal action in 2026.

DRAPAC25: Exploring new frontiers in the digital rights landscape

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A coalition of partners from EWMI’s Promoting Freedom of Expression in Malaysia (ProFoEm) and Securing a Safe and Open Information Ecosystem in Malaysia projects are serving as co-conveners, for the 2025 Digital Rights Asia-Pacific Assembly (DRAPAC25). aking place from August 26-27 in Kuala Lumpur, the third edition of DRAPAC will bring together over 500 activists, policymakers, technologists, human rights defenders, researchers, funders, and members of allied movements. The goal of the assembly is to create a space where advocates and movements can gain the tools and connections needed to make lasting change, strengthen movements, and explore new frontiers in the digital rights landscape.

DRAPAC25’s theme is “Collective Digital Futures: Building Power, Resilience, and Imagination.” Within this broad theme, the conference will include programing along three tracks, including:

Shaping power, driving change: This track will focus on engaging governments, businesses, regional institutions, and global communities to influence policies, norms, and standards and advance strategies for accountability, access, and justice.
Strengthening movements, securing our future: This track is centered on the sustainability of the digital rights and accountability movement by exploring the tools, strategies, and support systems needed to enhance organizational security, capacity, and infrastructure while fostering solidarity and wellbeing.
Beyond boundaries, beyond limits: This track will focus on ways to expand the “frontier of digital rights” through new alliances, approaches, and unconventional strategies to drive systemic change. Sessions in this track are designed to “challenge assumptions, connect unexpected movements, and explore speculative ideas that push digital rights beyond traditional advocacy” to unlock new prospects for impact and innovation.

Throughout the event, a Human Rights Tech Fair will showcase privacy-respecting, secure, and open technologies addressing challenges faced by human rights defenders in the region, while pre- and post-event activities led by other human rights groups and civil society organizations will supplement and enhance the experience of DRAPAC25 attendees.

EWMI’s parters and DRAPAC25 co-conveners Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ), Sinar Project, Architects of Diversity (AOD) Malaysia, and the Initiative to Promote Tolerance and Prevent Violence (INITIATE.MY) look forward to hosting a successful and impactful convening in collaboration with Engage Media.

Highlighting the Economic Impact of Nonprofits in U.S. States

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Nonprofit organizations play a vital role in local economies in the United States, employing nearly 12.8 million people, paying billions in wages, and providing essential services to communities. On July 2, EWMI’s partner, the Center on Nonprofits, Philanthropy, and Social Enterprise’s George Mason University – Nonprofit Employment Data Project (GMU-NED) released a new report, Nonprofit Employment in the States, 2017–2022. The report examines the latest available data on nonprofit employment and wages in 53 U.S. states and territories between 2017 and 2022. A supplementary data dashboard provides field-level data over this same period.

Drawing on data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the report highlights state-level nonprofit employment and wages between 2017-2022. It examines how the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic impacted nonprofit employment in the states and territories, how state-level nonprofit employment had recovered as of 2022, and how nonprofit employment and wages compared to their counterparts in the for-profit sector during this crucial period.

The supplementary data dashboard drills into these data to provide additional information on the number of nonprofit establishments operating in each state, the fields in which they are active, and how these patterns shifted during and in the years immediately following the COVID-19 pandemic. This report follows up on the December 2024 Nonprofit Employment Report which provided an overview of national-level data on nonprofit employment and wage trends between 2017 and 2022.

The report is structured around five key findings:

Nonprofit wages rose faster than for-profit wages in the majority of states during the recovery period;
Nonprofits are a major employer in virtually every state and territory in the U.S.;
Nonprofit wages are a crucial component of state economies;
Nonprofits in most states retained more of their workforce than their for-profit counterparts in 2020 during the onset of the COVID pandemic;
However, nonprofits in most states struggled to keep up with for-profits during the first two years of recovery from the pandemic in 2021 and 2022; and
Nonprofit wages rose faster than for-profit wages in the majority of states during the recovery period.

Read the report

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Youth-Led Projects Create Real Impact Across Serbia

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From organizing eco-camps in small towns to publishing investigative stories about marginalized communities, youth-led initiatives supported through the Youth Empowerment Support (YES) Project created meaningful change across Serbia, addressing local issues through creativity, activism, and collaboration.

Following the YES Grant Boot Camp, funded youth initiatives organized workshops and forums on civic engagement, media literacy, and environmental awareness. They mobilized youth volunteers, and established partnerships with municipalities, schools, and civil society organizations, proving that youth-led action can strengthen local communities and create real impact. Despite different themes — ranging from environmental activism and cultural revival to media literacy and civic participation — all projects shared a commitment to youth engagement and creating meaningful change.

One example was the Green Path initiative in Babušnica, where young scouts aged 15-20 organized eco-camps, educational workshops, and environmental clean-up activities, helping raise awareness about pollution and sustainability among local youth.

In Bečej, the project “Participate and Change” illustrated how young people can meaningfully participate in local decision-making. This initiative established youth boards and trained 50 young peer educators to propose budget priorities—an unprecedented step in civic inclusion in local governance.

Other initiatives addressed infrastructure and policy gaps around urgent local issues. In Požega, the “Safety in Motion” project focused on traffic safety and cycling infrastructure, while the youth group Selo na tri klika from Despotovac, Petrovac na Mlavi, and Žagubica addressed environmental protection and rural development issues. These groups formed working groups and prepared concrete proposals for local institutions.

Youth also demonstrated the power of media and creative arts as tools for activism. In Niš, the project “Stories Beyond the Margins” empowered young journalists to report on issues affecting marginalized communities. Their articles and digital content reached thousands online and encouraged discussions about social inclusion. Stories included:

Meanwhile, cultural initiatives such as the “Feelgood Fest” in Sombor brought together young artists and alternative bands, engaging hundreds of visitors and giving youth a platform for creative expression. Inclusion and intercultural dialogue were also central. The arts were also a means to encourage social inclusion. “All Together – Youth Singing Loud” in Belgrade, Smederevo, and Niš used music workshops and concerts to connect Roma and non-Roma youth, engaging over 600 audience members and fostering cooperation with prominent artists like Konstrakta and Pretty Loud.

In just one year, the YES Project youth-led initiatives directly engaged more than 1,500 young people across Serbia, empowering them to take active roles in shaping their communities. Importantly, many informal groups also evolved into structured networks with broader outreach — one grantee in Novi Sad began the process of registering as a formal CSO, while another expanded from 11 to 43 active members working across Eastern Serbia on youth entrepreneurship and local democracy in rural areas, and more than 30 partnerships formed between CSOs, municipalities, schools, and informal groups.

By building youth leadership pipelines, fostering cross-sector collaboration, and amplifying youth voices in policymaking, the YES Project catalyzed a sustainable civic ecosystem driven by young people committed to shaping a more democratic, inclusive Serbia. One of the strongest shared outcomes was the redefinition of youth as agents of local change.

These initiatives demonstrated the power of youth leadership: when young people are given trust, support, and resources, they become drivers of positive change.

Suara Rakyat Malaysia highlights persistent human rights challenges and emerging concerns in new report

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EWMI Promoting Freedom of Expression in Malaysia (ProFoEm) partner, Suara Rakyat Malaysia (SUARAM) — the preeminent human rights organization in Malaysia — released the 2024 Malaysia Human Rights Report on April 10, 2025. The report provides a broad assessment of the country’s human rights environment, highlighting persistent challenges in freedom of expression, assembly, and accountability within law enforcement. It notes that restrictive legislation — particularly the Sedition Act and Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act — continues to be used against journalists, activists, and individuals who express dissenting views online. According to the report, 2024 saw a five-year high in Sedition Act charges, alongside broader efforts to regulate online speech and media content through legal reforms and regulatory mechanisms.

Beyond legal restrictions on speech, the report situates freedom of expression within a wider landscape of civil liberties concerns. Authorities continued to investigate or intervene in public demonstrations with arrests rising significantly in 2024 compared with previous years. The report also highlights the growing use of security laws such as the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act (SOSMA), alongside broader concerns about police conduct, custodial deaths, and limited transparency in accountability mechanisms. While some institutional reforms have been discussed, the authors conclude that meaningful progress will require stronger safeguards for civil liberties, clearer legal protections for activists and journalists, and more transparent oversight of law enforcement institutions.

Download the report here

Making U.S. nonprofit data accessible—the launch of the GMU Nonprofit Data Works Explorer

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On February 19, EWMI’s partner, the Center on Nonprofits, Philanthropy, and Social Enterprise in the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University, launched Nonprofit Works: An Interactive Database on Nonprofit Employment and Wages, developed by the George Mason University – Nonprofit Employment Data (GMU-NED) Project.

With the launch of the new GMU-Nonprofit Works Data Explorer, users can search and download the latest available data on U.S. nonprofit employment, establishments, and weekly and annual average wages on the national, state, county, and city levels by field for over thirty years—from 1990 through 2022—and compare nonprofits to for-profits and government over the full period.

Why Nonprofit Works?

The nonprofit sector is a vital part of the employment landscape of the U.S., employing the third largest workforce and generating the third largest payroll of any of the 18 industries into which statistical authorities divide the American economy — larger than all branches of manufacturing combined, and behind only retail trade and accommodation and food services. Nonprofits employ nearly 89% of all workers providing community, food, housing, and emergency relief services, more than 66% of all workers in hospitals, and 35% of all social services workers in the country. These organizations are essential threads in the country’s social safety net, without which more people would slip through and more communities would struggle.

Without ready access to hard data, however, nonprofit leaders and advocates often find themselves at a disadvantage in countering gross misperceptions about the considerable scale and economic contribution of these organizations or in alerting sector leaders to important sector trends, such as staffing and funding shortfalls.

Nonprofit Works makes it easy to access, download, and use the best available data on the nonprofit sector’s vital role as employers, wage payers, and service providers in communities of all sizes across the U.S. at a critical time for the sector, as it faces unprecedented challenges to its funding—including threats to government grants and payments and declining individual giving. It is our hope that GMU-Nonprofit Works will fill a gap in the tools available to nonprofit leaders, advocates, and researchers.

Explore GMU-Nonprofit Works

YES LEAD Academy: Developing the Next Generation of Youth Leaders

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LEAD Academy participants and facilitators from Common Ground Consulting

Young people across Serbia are stepping up to become leaders in their communities and address issues of public concern. Through the Youth Empowerment Support (YES) Project, EWMI and its partners, National Coalition for Decentralization and Common Ground Consulting, are helping make this possible by equipping emerging leaders with the skills, confidence, and networks they need to drive positive change.

One program, the YES LEAD Academy brought together a new generation of young leaders from across the country for an intensive leadership development program focused on personal growth, civic engagement, and community impact.

The seven-day academy, held in Niš in July 2024, gathered 17 selected participants aged 18–30 who took part in interactive workshops, discussions, and leadership training designed to strengthen their skills and confidence.

The program focused on key concepts, including storytelling and advocacy, project development, public speaking, trust-building, and youth leadership. After completing the Academy, participants continued their leadership journey through a three-month internship program in civil society organizations across Serbia, gaining practical experience in fields such as human rights, environmental advocacy, media, and youth work.

The program produced strong results, as several interns became leaders in their home organizations, many participants secured employment, and all remained actively engaged in their communities.

The impact — both personal and professional — of participation in the LEAD Academy was emphasized by numerous participants, one of whom shared: “I believe the LEAD Serbia Program will have a significant impact on both my personal and professional development. Personally, it will enhance my leadership skills, boost my confidence, and help me connect with like-minded individuals who are passionate about making a difference. Professionally, I expect the program to equip me with practical tools and knowledge that will enable me to contribute more effectively to environmental policy and sustainability efforts in Serbia. Overall, it will be a transformative experience that will shape my future endeavors.”

Another participant highlighted how the LEAD Academy approach led them to new personal insights into and how those insights had informed their professional approach: “On a personal level, I learned some new things about myself and became more motivated for what I do and what I fight for. I additionally dealt with my values, fears, insecurities, things that move me so that I better understand where I am in life and what I want to do next. On a professional level, I gained an idea of how I work best in a team, i.e. what kind of role I want to have, and I improved my speaking skills.”

When asked how they would apply what they learned in the LEAD Academy to demonstrate active leadership going forward, one participant shared: “Following the LEAD training, I plan to demonstrate active leadership in my community by advocating for gender equality and the rights of young people. I will initiate and lead projects that promote better education and create an inclusive society where everyone’s voice is heard. My focus will be on empowering others to act, fostering a community where young people feel encouraged and supported to pursue positive change. By leading with empathy, consistency, and a genuine commitment to making a difference, I aim to inspire others to actively contribute to our collective growth and well-being.”

Another participant shared that the experience and lessons from the LEAD Academy would inform their approach to their life and role in society every day: “Now I am always looking for an opportunity to help others, to engage, to listen to their problems and struggles, to show empathy and to make a plan of action for going forward in the future so their lives can be better.”

As participants return to their communities equipped with new skills, confidence, and networks, they are already turning ideas into action and inspiring others to get involved. The Academy proved that investing in young people’s leadership skills can create long-term impact—not only for participants but also for the communities they serve.

Through programs like the YES LEAD Academy, the YES Project builds a growing network of youth leaders committed to strengthening civic participation and democratic values across Serbia.

New report examines the state of Freedom of Expression in Malaysia

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A new report from EWMI’s Promoting Freedom of Expression in Malaysia (ProFoEm) partner, the Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ) highlights growing pressures on journalists, activists, and ordinary citizens expressing critical views in Malaysia. Released on December 14, 2024, the 2024 Freedom of Expression Report examines the state of free speech and civic space in Malaysia. The report finds growing pressures on journalists, activists, and ordinary citizens who express critical views. The report finds that restrictive laws—particularly the Sedition Act 1948 and Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998—continue to be widely used to investigate or prosecute speech. In 2024 alone, authorities invoked such laws 187 times in cases affecting expression, assembly, and public discourse. These legal tools, often framed as protecting public order or harmony, have increasingly been applied to political commentary, online speech, and sensitive topics involving race, religion, and governance.

While the Malaysian government has pledged reforms to strengthen democratic freedoms, the report concludes that meaningful legal change has yet to materialize. Instead, enforcement practices and legislative amendments have continued to expand state powers over digital communication and public speech. The authors argue that protecting freedom of expression will require clearer legal safeguards, transparent policymaking, and reforms that align Malaysia’s laws with international human rights standards—ensuring that both offline and online spaces remain open for debate, criticism, and civic participation.

Download the report