Kosovar Youth Doing Tikkun Insights from a Research-Based Action Project for Social Justice and Reconciliation

Abstract

Drawing on peer-to-peer interviews conducted by/with highly-engaged Kosovar youth, this chapter considers how they make sense of their social activism within the context of a post-war Kosovar society. In particular, we identify how they learn about issues of social concern and take an active role in addressing these concerns. Analysis demonstrates that traditional institutions of socialization, personal experiences, and a strong sense of attachment to local place are important factors motivating their social change efforts. Furthermore, their social change efforts most often take place in non-governmental and youth-focused organizations, which enable but also shape the topics and nature of their social change agenda. Although highly-engaged Kosovar youth view their social engagement as important to building a better society, they also understood it as a means of gaining skills and experiences advantageous in a society which is attempting to integrate into the European Union. Finally, social change activities have important and positive benefits on young people’s sense of self and often result in important practical changes to their local communities.