Programs

- Scaling up HIV Prevention in Kosovo

Overall, the program is focused in support of the national response to HIV with the focus on HIV prevention among key populations at risk: PWIDs, FSW, MSM, Prison inmates and most vulnerable youth in Kosovo, and improvement of the quality of life of PLHIV.

To this context, the proposal will support the continuation of already established HIV-prevention programmes and services through intensive outreach among the most hard-to-reach groups. This will include comprehensive harm-reduction services to PWIDs through drop-in centres and outreach, including needle-and-syringe-exchange programmes (NSEP) and methadone-maintenance treatment (MMT).

Harm-reduction services, excluding NSEP, will continue to be available to drug users in prison. For sex workers, key programmes and services that include client-friendly reproductive health services, including HIV prevention and STI treatment, and for MSM - HIV prevention services through drop-in centre and intensive outreach to “hidden” MSM sub-populations will continue to serve as the basis for service provision to these groups at risk. Furthermore, the proposal will support BCC community outreach activities among youth sub-populations with specific higher HIV risk, and provide them with targeted peer education and condoms through outreach activities.

In objective (2), the program shall support activities to improve the quality of life of PLHIV through the Center for Care and Support to PLHIV, which provides psychological and medical counseling and care to PLHIV and their family members and partners.

- Dealing with the Past and Transitional Justice

Integra’s works on supporting conflict victims (Kosovo and Region), processes of dealing with the past and transitional justice and relevant actors in their efforts to achieve sustainable peace is aiming to achieve long lasting peace.

Sustained conflict transformation is the result of a sufficient, intensive and constructive work. Collaborative efforts are one the main components to the success and delivery of peace and democracy in the post-conflict countries. For that reason we work heavily and closely with direct victims of the conflict and with like-minded stakeholders to achieve our ultimate goals to bring peace and democracy once and for all in Kosovo and the Balkans. We aspire to create spaces for conflict transformation which integrate knowledge, skills and resources in a shared process of reflective learning.

Local needs and requests guide our engagement in Kosovo and the Balkans. Receptive to all stakeholders and DwP actors, we want to create the conditions of safety, democracy and constructive engagement of all citizens in the processes of peace-building. In this, we offer our knowledge, skills and resources to promote individual and collective memories as an integral part of Dealing with the Past and Transitional Justice, thus, building bridges between conflict stakeholders and actors to empathetically increase the level of trust and respect for human values. Integra’s focus on DwP and Transitional Justice, according to the nature of activities, its objectives and outcomes, within DwP framework, covers two conceptual approaches: a) The Right to Know and b) The Right to Justice.

- People and Memories Talk – Kosovo Edition

Project “People and Memories Talk – Kosovo Ediction” aim is to comfortably construct society general understanding and importance of documentation of individual and collective war stories, contribution on historiography by using individual stories, responding to victim’s needs, understanding and empathizing with people which physically or materially were victimized and will raise awareness among society and institutional representatives to give more efforts on finding missing persons and bringing to justice perpetrators who were engaged on crime committing. Of all popular media, television illustrates the power of mass communication to inform, educate and influence the public.

Especially, documentary films have grown popularity and impact, affecting social and political change, as well as introducing audiences to campaigns, ideas and individuals. Since dealing with the past and transitional justice is such a sensitive process to the post-war societies, Integra has use media, visual documentation and creative approach to collect true memories of victims of the latest war and post war in Kosovo 1997-2003. Also, through the project, Integra intents to use visual documentation, chronological and constructive storytelling, and web platforms to collect true memories of victims in order to provide a lasting resource for human rights activists, advocacy and watchdog groups, policy makers, researchers, and content creators. Integra has managed to produce a 60 Narrative Documentary Films (production continues) with stories of Kosovo victims from different ethnicities. The broadcasting of Narrative Documentary Films “People and Memories Talk” was realized in national based television, KTV, in a serial format, every Monday. The web page of the project is:

People and memories talk

- People and Memories Talk – Regional Edition

It is proven that identification and solidarity with members of the same community accused of war crimes is very strong, while members of other communities suspected of committing war crimes are accused arbitrarily.

There is therefore a need to create a regional public platform to document and publish the stories of victims of war crimes during the recent wars/conflicts in the region and disseminate these stories widely across the region, thereby contributing to building up a strong base for peace in the region. Such a platform can eventually trigger empathy from the public and respect and solidarity with not only the victims with whom the public already sympathizes but also with those whom they were unable to recognize in the past. It puts what is the most important back in the spotlight: The unique stories of the victims, disregarding their membership to a group of individuals.

“People and Memories Talk – Regional Edition” project consists in the collection of unique destinies and histories of civil victims from ex-Yugoslavia countries, in the format of short narrative documentary films for serial broadcasting on television channels across the region. Because of the previous events in the region and the current political circumstances (newly formed states as a result of the breakup of the ex-Yugoslavia), the process of Dealing with the Past and Transitional Justice in the ex-Yugoslavia requires a regional approach. Through the production of narrative documentary films on individual victims of the conflict, a broad public across the region should hear memories of victims from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Serbia and Macedonia.

A regional approach will not only restore the dignity to victims and their families, but also contribute to mutual understanding and empathy between victims across borders and foster greater understanding and tolerance between societies.The video productions will be broadcasted through TV channels and online platform.

- Critical Thinking and Writing

The lack of social engagement and problem-solving approaches is the reason why our society is poorly engaged in decision making processes. Currently, the biggest challenges facing Kosovo’s society are: crime and corruption; the judicial system; freedom of movement and visa liberalization; EU integration; security and border management; education and health; and human rights. In order to facilitate human empowerment in Kosovo, we aim to use the ‘Loesje’ internationally acclaimed methodology for critical thinking and writing.

The methodology’s focus is an intellectually developed program of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing and evaluating information - gathered from and generated through observation, experience, reflection, reasoning and communication, as a guide to value based action. The primary purpose is to stimulate a sense of critical thinking and practical writing, as well as to motivate proper respond towards social problems and civil liberty hazards. The final state of the program is the production of critical slogans related to social and political issues, by active citizens.

The project seeks to address issues related to social cohesion and reconciliation; discrimination in all its forms, as well as the fair representation of all citizens in all sectors of Kosovar society, such as governance, civil society, media and the private sector. The web page of the project is

Critical Slogans

- Our Future Project

European societies have a long history with each other. As a diverse continent Europe knows both division lines as well as overlapping interests. Dealing with conflict and with multiculturalism is not self-evident in this context.

Our Future Project seeks to gain mutual understanding on the complexity of European issues by exchanging perspectives. The project is an engaging exchange program for active youths from Kosovo, Serbia and the Netherlands. Explore how political, social and cultural differences influence the way we experience conflict. The program combines official and expert meetings with peer education. A visit to Kosovo, Serbia and in the Netherlands provides an intense experience.

“Our Future” is a challenging and exciting exchange program established in 2003 which offers a unique opportunity to explore political and social issues faced by people and communities in these countries, in relation to the process EU integration. Coming from different national, educational and personal backgrounds and living in an increasingly diverse world, it is of great worth to understand each other’s perspective. The program promotes and supports active youth participation in establishing international and intercultural connections and understanding.

- “Miredita, Dobardan” Festival

The “Miredita, Dobardan” is the first cultural manifestation that was designed to establish new cultural, political and institutional links between Kosovo and Serbia after the violent relations from the recent past, especially targeting the current issues between Albanian and Serbian population.

The inspiration for this project is BekimFehmiu, who was one of the famous Yugoslavian actors. Born in Sarajevo, grew up in Kosovo and spent professional life in Belgrade and abroad, Fehmiu is a symbol of synergy of cultures in this region. His name is a symbolic bridge between different cultures, not only Serbian and Albanian, but also between all peoples of former Yugoslavia. Through the project we aim to contribute to the dealing with the past process in Kosovo and Serbia, and support Prishtina-Belgrade cooperation, both in benefit of regional and EU integration of Serbia and Kosovo as a guarantee of sustainable peace

The project’s overall objective is to establish new ties between Serbia and Kosovo by persons active in culture, media, civil society, through critical presentations and dialogue on contemporary issues facing the region and promote culture as a way of cooperation and learning about each other.

Visitors of the public events of Festival will have the opportunity to become introduced to the cultural scene of both countries; theatre, film, music, and visual artwork. Besides the above-mentioned, the Festival is organizing public debates which will critically examine relationships between Belgrade and Pristina from the standpoint of inheritance from the past, as well as perspective for cooperation in the area of economy, trade, education, sport, civil sector and all segments of the society. The web page of the project is

Miredita Dobordan

- TECH and Democracy

Integra has coherently developed and is a radical supporter of technologies that give people access to credible information about government actions and influence in Kosovo and other countries. We aim to build and invest time in the technology platforms that track government activities and money flows, provide citizens with the opportunity to engage on specific issues, and establish the public orders and balances that can help people hold government leaders more accountable.

It is proved that technology in transparency and accountability initiatives have led to reduction of the corruption, crime, unemployment, fraud, improvement of the city and national infrastructure, greater flows of foreign direct investment, more efficient financial markets etc.

Considering the enormous success of technology in regard of social changes, Integra has been paying special focus to technology, transparency and accountability projects that aim to improve understanding of the current state of online technology to increase transparency and accountability in Kosovo and the Region of Balkans. Using the highly developed means of information and technology, we want to strengthen accountability and increase transparency of the work of central and local governments, and broader public and private sectors.

We believe that open access to information and transparent systems will increase the public's knowledge of government activities and lead to a more informed and engaged citizenry that holds its officials accountable.

- KOMRA – RECOM

The Coalition for RECOM is a non-political regional gathering of civil society organizations. It consists of a network of more than 1900 non-governmental organizations, associations, and individuals who represent and promote the Initiative for RECOM towards the establishment of a Regional Commission Tasked with Establishing the Facts about All Victims of War Crimes and Other Serious Human Rights Violations Committed on the Territory of the Former Yugoslavia in the period from 1991-2001 (RECOM).

From 2008 Integra is actively involved in the in Initiative for RECOM. Except regular activities, meetings, conferences, forum in local and regional level, Integra was responsible to organize several national based consultations with civil society stakeholders, victim, youth and students.

Also, Integra was in charge of signature collection campaign in Kosovo, a public campaign to collect signatures from citizens in ex-Yugoslavia countries to support the Initiative for RECOM.

The campaign in Kosovo has resulted very successful due to Integra’s commitment. Our involvement with RECOM ensures our engagement to establishing facts about the past events and strengthens individual and collective memories through recognition of the universal nature of human suffering and solidarity. The web page of the project is

Zarekom

- Silent Wall

A caricature/cartoon is either a portrait or comic story that exaggerates or distorts the essence of a person, occurrence, problem or phenomenon to create an easily identifiable visual likeness, or in literature, a description of specific person/phenomenon using exaggeration of some characteristics and over oversimplification of others. Caricatures can be insulting or complimentary and can serve as a political, social purpose or be drawn solely for entertainment.

The current situation in Kosovo in the political, social and economical aspects has charged an enormous emotional burden to the citizens.The purpose of the project is to promote Critical Approach among active citizens, aiming to strengthen the freedom of expression and reaction. Engaging active participation on treatment of daily political, economic and social problems, we intend to create critical channels of reaction between society and decision makers for specific concerns.

- Truth Telling in Kosovo ‘Which Way Now’!

Lack of information and data‘s for situation in the ground has pushed Integra for development of an empirical research towards Truth Finding/Telling issues. With constant advises and a consultation with our partners, Integra during the period 2007/2008 has implemented the project ?Attitudes towards inter-ethnic relations and truth telling in Kosovo: An Empirical Research”.

For further and deeper information, on September 2008, Integra has organized a round table “Truth Telling in Kosovo; Which Way Now?” with participation of members from different institutions with intention on discussion and compiling concrete recommendations on Truth Finding for Kosovo circumstances.

The aims of the study were to collect baseline data in order to analyze the opinions and attitudes of people living in Kosovo towards their past and their experiences; to measure their willingness to communicate their past to each other; to undertake a thorough analysis of the need for implementation of official processes of Truth Finding in Kosovo, and in particular, the implementation of a Truth Commission; and to provide initial recommendations on how Truth Finding projects and activities in Kosovo could be encouraged and supported by governmental structures and civil society.

- Simulate your Negotiations

Two major parties directly involved in disputed area – Kosovo Albanians and Serbs and the lack of overlap and compromise between their stated goals at one side, therefore the inability of the international community to decide upon preferred outcomes, are both pre-conditions of prolonged peace building. The never ending struggles of both nations to achieve their own interests and goals are leading to different kind of riots and other civil society conflicts. Undoubtedly, there is still present the “ancient ethnic animosities” serving as a hindrance and an excuse towards diplomatic inaction between Kosovo and Serbia.

The project objective is introduction of the experiential learning, as a pedagogical tool which can be used in intercultural communication, into local and region universities. Negotiation simulations are tested and proved tools, anticipated for students use in obtaining experience by viewing things through different roles and participation in the dialogues related to real life situations. They also provide safe environment for conversing on sensitive issues.

These processes are more efficient when students themselves create and apply these simulations. In the course of this process, the participants had to start developing their own necessary skills so then they can contribute to the dialogue on sensitive issues for the region of southeast Europe. The specific objectives of the international negotiation simulations are: presenting dialogue as a way of problem solving method, intercultural dialogue between students, development of the informal education, process of learning from the peers, strengthening the role of students in the university education process.