Dion Istrefi
May 2026
According to a 2024 study published in the Journal of Peace Research, Mitrovica remains one of the most sensitive postwar cities in Kosovo, especially around the Main Bridge over the Ibar River, which has become both a physical and symbolic division between the Albanian-majority south and the Serb-majority north. Even though tensions have often been connected to this area, the study also points out that Mitrovica is one of the few places in Kosovo where Albanians and Serbs still interact regularly in everyday life. However, discussions about the city usually focus more on politics and division, while efforts that promote communication and cooperation between communities receive far less attention.
One organization that focuses on these efforts is CBM (Community Building Mitrovica). Through youth activities, workshops, cultural events, and volunteer projects, CBM creates opportunities for people from different communities to meet, communicate, and work together. While these activities may not solve political problems directly, they help build understanding and interaction between people who are often separated by social and ethnic divisions.
Researchers as Emma Elfversson, Ivan Gusic affiliated with the Uppsala University, and Marie Therese Meye connected with the University of Mannheim, argue that cities like Mitrovica are shaped not only by politics, but also by everyday interaction between people. This idea connects closely with CBM’s work, which focuses on creating spaces where young people from different backgrounds can cooperate and communicate.
CBM organizes workshops, discussions, volunteer activities, cultural exchanges, and educational programs that bring together Albanian and Serbian youth. Instead of focusing on political disagreements, these activities encourage participants to work together on shared interests such as education, art, culture, public spaces, and youth opportunities.
For many participants, these activities are one of the few chances they have to directly interact with people from other communities. One clear example of CBM’s peacebuilding work is the project Fostering Interethnic Cooperation and Civic Engagement Among Youth, supported by NED. Through this initiative, CBM organized Civic Education School sessions that brought together 34 young people from North and South Mitrovica, Zubin Potok, Zvečan, and Leposaviq/Leposavić. Over the course of 32 sessions held twice a week, participants discussed topics such as human rights, nonviolent communication, media literacy, gender equality, critical thinking, and intercultural dialogue. Beyond education, the program created a safe space where young people from different ethnic backgrounds could interact directly, build trust, and develop mutual understanding through continuous cooperation and discussion.
An important part of CBM’s work is creating spaces where people feel comfortable communicating openly. In Mitrovica, discussions about identity and history can easily become sensitive, so many activities are designed to encourage respectful conversation and cooperation. CBM often uses creative activities such as art, music, photography, filmmaking, and teamwork to help participants interact in a more natural way. These environments are different from the political atmosphere that many young people are used to seeing in public discussions and media coverage. Instead of focusing on division, the activities encourage listening, cooperation, and shared experiences.
However, maintaining these spaces is not always easy. Language barriers, political tensions, public skepticism, and limited participation can all create challenges. Some young people may also hesitate to join because of family pressure or fear of criticism. Despite this, CBM continues its work because many organizers and participants believe communication between communities remains important for the future of the city.
Mitrovica is often presented in the media mainly through incidents, political tensions, and conflict-related stories. While these issues are important, this type of coverage can sometimes overshadow examples of cooperation between communities. Organizations like CBM usually receive less attention because their work is based on slow and continuous interaction rather than dramatic events. However, many participants believe that long-term peacebuilding depends on everyday communication between people, not only on political agreements.
People involved in community initiatives believe that difficult topics should be discussed carefully and respectfully in order to encourage dialogue without increasing tensions. Despite these efforts, Mitrovica still faces challenges related to political division, lack of trust, economic difficulties and social separation between communities. Limited funding and migration also affect the sustainability of local initiatives such as CBM. In addition, media and public discussions about the city often focus more on conflict than cooperation, making community-building efforts less visible even though they continue to play an important role in improving communication and interaction between young people. At the same time, many people involved in peacebuilding believe progress should not only be measured through major political developments. Changes in attitudes, communication, and personal interaction are also important, even if they are less visible.
CBM’s work in Mitrovica shows how peacebuilding can grow through everyday interaction between people. By organizing workshops, youth activities, cultural events, and volunteer projects, the organization creates opportunities for communication between communities that are often separated by politics and history. In a city where the Main Bridge still represents division for many people, even small forms of cooperation and dialogue can have importance. Although challenges remain, CBM’s activities demonstrate that community building is still possible through consistent communication, shared experiences, and the involvement of young people.
Works Cited
Elfeversson, Emma., et al. “The Bridge to Violence – Mapping and Understanding Conflict-related Violence in Postwar Mitrovica,” Journal of Peace Research, 11 April 2023, https://academic.oup.com/jpr/article/61/4/576/8364887