International Journalism Festival 2026 | Perugia – Side event
MDI Global is heading to Perugia for the International Journalism Festival 2026, bringing together journalists, civil society actors and youth-led initiatives to unpack a question that feels increasingly urgent:
What happens when local independent media and youth movements find each other and what is at stake when they do not?
Across Europe and beyond, young people are not just consuming media differently. They are shaping it, challenging it and, in many cases, stepping in where traditional structures fall short. At the same time, independent media outlets are under pressure, navigating shrinking resources, political constraints and changing audience expectations.
This session explores what meaningful collaboration between these spaces actually looks like in practice.
What to expect
From grassroots organisations to established newsrooms, speakers will share first-hand experiences of:
- Building trust with younger audiences
- Rethinking how stories are produced and distributed
- Bridging the gap between activism and journalism
- What is lost when these connections do not happen
This is not a theoretical conversation. It is grounded in lived experience, experimentation and the realities of working in fast-changing media environments.
Programme:
Welcome and introductory remarks by Luc Steinberg, MDI Global
Panellists include:
- Lamiae Ben Ayad, youth content editor, StampMedia, Belgium
- Karl van den Broeck, Editor-in-Chief and lead of “University Challenge”, Apache, Belgium
- Ivana Jelaca, Director MDI West Balkans, Serbia
- Maryia Sadouskaya-Komlach, Global Engagement Strategist, Free Press Unlimited
- Savannah van Woudenberg, Video Editor/youth engagement, StampMedia, Belgium
Moderated by Anna Alboth, Global Media Officer, Minority Rights Group.
Event details
Date: 16 April 2026
Time: 18:00 – 20:00
Location: Umbrò, Via Sant’Ercolano 4, Perugia
The event is free to attend, but registration is required. Places are limited.
