Human Rights, Social Justice & Law Intern in Kosovo
Intern abroad in Human Rights in Kosovo!
Isla offers the following internship opportunities in Kosovo:
Social Justice, Gender Equality, and Peace Building
Intern with an organization that is committed to bringing new approaches for effective and meaningful engagement and representation of marginalized groups with particular interest in women and youth in Kosovo, founded by Kosovo's first female president. The general goal of this foundation is the democratic development of Kosovo and the Balkans, through social inclusion and support for marginalized groups, as a precondition for peacebuilding in the region. Three causes are at the heart of the foundation, and they include: social inclusiveness, interethnic and regional reconciliation, and security.
The Isla Intern will provide support to one or more of the main following projects:
1. Benefits of Gender Diversity in Politics is working to promote gender diversity in politics, at both the local and central level. This project has two main components – capacity building for women and youth within political parties and promoting gender diversity in politics as an asset for all stakeholders. Within the first component, e-learning courses are being developed in order to enable members of all political parties to learn about strategies of election campaigns, fundraising, utilizing social media for political gain, public speaking, and more. The second component will focus on promoting the benefits of gender diversity and highlighting the impact of women in local politics.
2. Economic Empowerment of Survivors of Gender-based Violence and women of Marginalized Groups is a project that will help identify employment opportunities for women who are currently in safe houses, as well as other women from marginalized groups. The foundation is also working with the private sector to match their needs with the skill sets of women who are interested in other fields, and thus secure them employment in other sectors.
3. ZA Magazine shares powerful stories of resilience in an effort to change the narrative about gender equality. In 2020, the foundation launched the magazine, which is named ZA. The meaning of this is twofold – in Albanian it means “voice” and as such it refers to the voice of women and advocates of gender equality, whereas in Serbian it means “for” which is a dedication to all the strong and resilient women and men who push through challenges in order to create a level playing field.
4. MotherSchools Kosovo: Parenting for Peace! program aims to empower women to have an active role in their communities and equip them with skills to manage different challenges in relation to their children. One key takeaway of the program is the ability to detect signs of extremist and out of ordinary behavior among in their children, and intervene accordingly. MotherSchools is a program developed by Women without Borders, and brought to Kosovo for the first time through the cooperation with the foundation.
5. Empowerment of Women and Youth among the IDPs, Minority Returnees and Host Communities is a program that aims to empower women of five non-majority communities in five municipalities of Kosovo. Through a range of advocacy activities with the local authorities, as well as grassroots activities directly held with women and youth, the foundation works to address some of the issues identified by our persons of concern, including access to professional opportunities and municipal services. Through this project we also promote diversity by publishing success stories of women from minority communities.
6. Creating a Safe and Engaging Space for the Youth of Kamenica is a project of the foundation in cooperation with the Municipality of Kamenica to implement the project in creating a space for youth. The foundation is designing a comprehensive program for youth of all communities, with diverse activities that are both educational and extra-curricular. Among others, the program will include: tutoring, training and mentoring activities, guest speakers from diverse fields, competitions, music festivals and other performances, community mobilization for different causes, sports and other recreational activities, and many more opportunities.
Youth Human Rights Advocacy
Intern at a local non-governmental and non-profit organization, convinced that human rights and civic values are the basis of every open and progressive society. In its work, this organization is dedicated to dealing with the past, protecting victims of human rights abuse, promoting the rule of law, and strengthening the role of young people in the societies of the Western Balkans, located in Prishtina, Kosovo in one of six countries in the Western Balkans.
The Isla Intern will provide support to one or more of the following programs:
1. Human Rights and Rule of Law Program: Since its founding in 2004, this organization continues to be one of the most active human rights organizations in Kosovo. Through the Human Rights and Rule of Law Program, they work to monitor, document, and report on human rights violations, law enforcement, and functioning of human rights protection mechanisms. The organization aims to continue to be an active defender and promoter of human rights in Kosovo as well as in the region. This program is supported by the U.S. Department of State/ INL and Kosovo Specialist Chambers.
2. Dealing with the Past Program: The organization contributes to the creation of platforms for dealing with the past and building peace in Kosovo and the region. This program focuses on supporting initiatives and raising awareness among people in Kosovo about the facts of the recent wars in the Balkans in order to build a collective memory and contribute to peacebuilding processes in Kosovo and the region.
3. Youth Empowerment Program: The organization believes in the power of young people as responsible and active citizens in building a responsible and progressive society. Therefore, the main focus of this program is to empower young people to become active participants in social and political life at the local, national, regional and global level. We aim to achieve this through educating and developing the capacity of the youth to engage in the protection and advocacy of human rights. Furthermore, in order to reduce the possibility of prejudice and stereotypes through this program we aim to connect young people from the region and the world. This program is supported by: NED, Erasmus + and Netherlands Enterprise Agency.
This organization is committed to empowering and educating youth to become activists and leaders in the fields of policymaking and advocacy in order to recognize victims of war, find truth and establish justice for all victims. This commitment has built youth connections in the region through collaboration with organizations from different countries in the region. They are also a member of a large number of different organizations and networks at the regional and global level. This program is supported by: U.S. Agency for International Development (US-AID), Robert Bosch Stiftung – PAX, RYCO – OFAJ, Swiss Embassy and ZFD Forum.
Women in Politics and Decision-making
Intern with an organization that is a key player in advocating for women’s rights in Kosovo. Their mission is to support, protect, and promote the rights and the interests of women and girls throughout Kosovo, regardless of their political beliefs, religion, age, level of education, sexual orientation and abilities. This organization fulfills its mission through the exchange of experience and information, partnership and networking, research, advocacy, and service. They have a vision of a Kosovo in which women and men are equal and have equal opportunities for education, employment, political participation, health care and a life without violence. The organization's strategy includes six program areas, and implements its strategy in close cooperation with its 180 member organizations and partners.
Summary of the Projects and Internship
Depending on the Intern’s skill set, the Intern will be assigned one or more of the following tasks or activities associated with the advancement of women in politics and decision making in Kosovo:
- Research on a relevant topic, conduct surveys, data collection and analysis
- Project implementation
- Events and activities planning and participation
The aim of the Women in Politics and Decision-making project is to ensure that several laws and institutional mechanisms to increase women's participation in politics and decision-making are being implemented in Kosovo. The long-term goal of this program is for women to participate actively in politics and decision-making at the local and central level.
Objectives of the program include:
- Increase and improve women’s participation in politics and decision-making at local and central levels, in accordance with the Law on Gender Equality.
- Improve the institutionalization of gender responsive budgeting in Kosovo.
- Improve and increase the participation of women’s rights organizations in the EU Accession process.
- Improve gender mainstreaming in documents affiliated with Kosovo’s EU Accession and their implementation.
- Improve implementation of the EU Gender Action Plan (GAP) II.
- Improve the design of GAP III, based on lessons learned from GAP II.
- Improve the transposition of the EU Gender Equality Acquis into Kosovo Law.
Isla is looking for an intern who is pursuing or has received a university degree in gender studies, international studies, diplomacy, political sciences, social studies, communications, public relations, English, creative writing, or other-related fields. In terms of skills and abilities, the Intern should have the ability to take initiative, work under minimal guidance in both office and field settings. Motivation and commitment to work effectively as part of an inter-cultural team. Excellent interpersonal skills. Willingness to learn, be flexible, and understand cross-cultural differences, Kosovo's culture, history, and current events.
Democracy & Governance
Intern with an institute that began supporting democracy in Kosovo in the immediate aftermath of its liberation in 1999, helping Kosovars carry out citizen-based election monitoring and assisting with the creation and development of a national legislature, the establishment of a political party system, and the building of a foundation of civic activism that is opening doors to public engagement with government.
Isla Intern will provide support to one or more of the following project areas:
The host organization's programming in Kosovo seeks to improve legislative and political responsiveness to citizens’ needs by assisting political parties with:
- policy development, constituent outreach and caucus coordination;
- promoting openness and transparency in parliament;
- strengthening parliamentary capacity and resources for effective oversight and legislative action;
- supporting the political participation of women, youth, and ethnic minorities.
The institute is also focused on ensuring that all citizens can fully exercise their political rights. Examples of this include technical support and training for Kosovar Serb politicians seeking to integrate their communities into Kosovo’s governance system (particularly in northern municipalities adjacent to Serbia), and a conflict mitigation program that explores communal relations among Albanians, Serbs and other ethnic groups through religious, artistic, media and community exchange.