Media Literacy Workshop for YEAs

Ilir Gashi works in the intersection of activism, art, media, and technology, and comes from a background in journalism, human rights and social advertising. Until recently he served as the executive director of Slavko Curuvija Foundation, a prominent Serbian media development organization, where he conceived the School of Digital Journalism for young local media journalists, and Cenzolovka, a popular online media writing exclusively about issues related to press freedom. He is also one of the founders of the Group for Freedom of Media, a unique movement that brought together hundreds of media organizations, NGOs, journalists and activists to fight for the freedom of media in Serbia.

Today Ilir works as a creative consultant, mentor and trainer with many media outlets and NGOs in the WB region. He developed tens of creative campaigns and products, including Dr. Spin – the Guide through Control of Media for Dictators (and everyone who wants to be one). The ten-episode animated series tells a story of pressures exerted on media and journalists and ways of shaping public opinion to best fit the needs of authoritarian rulers.

Branko Čečen is a Director of Center for Investigative Journalism of Serbia (CINS), the winner of European Press Prize for Investigative Journalism (2017.). After 12 years of editing and reporting for Serbian print media (since 1992), as well as work with foreign media organizations, he continued professional education in United States and returned to be a trainer and faculty teacher, before taking over the position in CINS in 2010. He served on Board of Directors of the Organized Crime and Corruption reporting project, an international network of investigative journalism centres and reporters. He worked for a score of independent media as an Editor and a reporter, covering topics like Balkan wars, crime, corruption and others.

Mr Čečen is a very experienced trainer in journalism, media literacy and other areas connected to media and media management. Mr Cecen is an author of thousands of media stories, has authored or co-authored tens of educative articles, guides, books and written learning tools. He is often invited to speak for media, at local, regional and international conferences and to take part in round tables and other public events, on topics related to media, media freedoms and rights and journalism. He is engaged as a consultant and trainer for trainers in the area of media literacy in Serbia and abroad.