Metamorphosis Foundation implemented the Digital Activism Accelerator in Kosovo, where five civic society organizations were supported with small scale grants, collaborative grants, capacity building trainings and tailored mentoring program. The activities were realized in 2024 and 2025, as part of TechSoup’s Digital Activism Program.
Open Data Kosovo, Sbunker and Hibrid were supported with small action grants. BIRN Kosovo and Kosovar Center for Security Studies (KCSS), were awarded with collaborative grant.
Open Data Kosovo
Tittle: Promoting Disinformation and Digital Transformation among Local High Schools
Implementing period: 01/03/2024 – 30/04/2024
Description:
This Local Action Plan engaged approximately 60 high-school students through each of the three lectures on disinformation in Prishtina and in Podujeva. These sessions resulted in students gaining enhanced critical thinking skills and a deeper understanding of the causes and consequences of disinformation. As a result of the lectures, there was a noticeable increase in students’ ability to identify false information online and a heightened awareness of the importance of verifying sources. This change not only empowered the students to make more informed decisions but also fostered a culture of digital literacy and responsible online behavior within the targeted schools, contributing to a more resilient and trustworthy digital environment.
Sbunker
Tittle: Strengthening Community Resilience Against Disinformation
Implementing period: 01/03/2024 – 31/08/2024
Description:
Sbunker has carried out a numerous of activities in different formats, where the aim was to influence the audience emphasizing the need to increase knowledge about disinformation, in an era of technological development. Based on this goal, Sbunker monitored Kosovar media on a daily basis to identify content that is misleading and spreads disinformation. Sbunker exposed them through fact-checking process and debunking stories, as a final product. Sbunker used daily media monitoring and stories to create a database, which in the shape of an index was generated on a monthly basis. Sbunker prepared a total of 6 Disinformation Indexes from March to August, 2024. Index helped us to deepen into the disinformation topics, narratives, key words, and sources of disinformation. Finally, throughout Index we visualized the data and expose the most important narratives.
Hibrid
Tittle: Truth Talks Kosovo: Strengthening Media Literacy Together
Implementing period: 01/03/2024 – 15/09/2024
Description:
The project began with a two-week research phase in early March 2024, focusing on disinformation trends in Kosovo and identifying key topics for a four-part podcast series. Over the following month, the team collaborated with experts to develop detailed scripts that aligned with the project’s objectives. Agreements with the experts were finalized, and coordination with a radio station and a production company was arranged for the recordings. In late May, a one-week preparation phase involved briefing the podcast guests and confirming their participation. Recording sessions were carried out over four weeks from the end of May to mid-June, with close collaboration to ensure high-quality audio and video. Post-production took place from mid-June through July, involving editing, adding visuals, and integrating English subtitles. The subtitles helped broaden the audience by making the content accessible to non-Albanian speakers, despite the extra effort and resources required.
The podcasts were published and promoted from August through mid-September 2024. A comprehensive social media strategy included teaser clips, cross-platform promotion, and boosted posts on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Spotify. These efforts resulted in over 1 million views and more than 586,660 impressions, reflecting strong engagement and public interest. The series „Truth Talks“ successfully raised awareness and stimulated discussion on disinformation, media literacy, and the impact of technology.
BIRN Kosovo and Kosovar Center for Security Studies implemented collaborative grant.
Tittle: Increasing Public Awareness оn Disinformation and Equipping Media Students and Journalists with the Necessary Tools to Identify, Analyze, and Combat Disinformation
Implementing period: 01/03/2024 – 30/09/2024
Description:
The project conducted pre- and post-evaluation assessments to measure participants’ knowledge before and after two key activities: a two-day training and a series of lectures. The evaluations, consisting of five questions with a five-point scale (from “Basic” to “Excellent”), revealed a significant improvement in participants’ self-assessed understanding of disinformation and related topics. Initially, most participants rated their knowledge as “Basic” or “Emerging,” but post-activity results showed a shift towards “Good” and “Excellent.”
These findings demonstrate the effectiveness of the two-day training for journalists and journalism students, and the lectures held for students in Prizren, South Mitrovica, and Gjilan. Participants not only acquired theoretical knowledge but also developed practical skills to detect and counter disinformation—particularly that stemming from foreign influence and religious-based misinformation. This equips them to promote fact-based journalism and strengthen media literacy in their communities.
A total of 76 individuals directly benefited from the trainings and lectures. Indirect beneficiaries included those reached through a TV debate, promotional content, and short videos disseminated via digital platforms. The total viewership for this multimedia content reached 178,215, significantly extending the project’s impact and raising broader public awareness about disinformation.
The above work in CEE is supported by Google.org and led by TechSoup in close collaboration with TechSoup Network’s partners.
