In a creative twist to journalism training, journalists and editors in Serbia swapped keyboards for clay as they shaped not just art, but narratives of inclusion at a unique workshop.

Held at the Center for Fine and Applied Arts Terra in Kikinda to mark the European Day of Languages, the workshop invited journalists from local and media in minority langauges to reflect on diversity, communication, and the power of language—one mold at a time.

For Ana Adžić, journalist from Zoomer web portal, shaping clay reminded was like a process of shaping tolerance in the region – “just as clay requires attention, patience and new techniques for creating unique forms, so interpersonal relationships require openness to new ideas and perspectives”. “The techniques I learned to work with clay have, in a way, become new expressions through which I can think about creativity and coexistence,” Ana added.

Organized as part of the "Training for media representatives on human rights, discrimination, and hate speech," the event focused on the portrayal of gender, gender identity, and sexual orientation in the media. Journalists and editors from across Serbia got their hands dirty, literally, while exploring the European Day of Languages’ message of cultural and linguistic diversity.

Aleksandar Lipovan, director of Center Terra, believes that these kinds of workshops are developing awareness of the significance of active participation in cultural content as an important tool in understanding, tolerance, and togetherness as a mirror of this region. “We believe that humanity has and does not need borders, and that such activities can only contribute to the importance of empathy, emotional intelligence, individual and collective creativity to achieve the common mission of harmonious coexistence in this shared cultural space,” said Lipovan.

He also added that in order to obtain further visibility and dissemination of the project activity, Center Terra will maintain the sculpted artworks (reliefs), prepare the pieces for clay baking, and bake them in their professional kiln. After baking, the individual works will be assembled as a mosaic composition and publicly presented.  

Participants molded clay into symbolic forms, encouraging deeper reflection on the role of the media in shaping inclusive narratives. Through this creative, tactile approach, they gained new perspectives on how the language of media can influence perceptions of discrimination and human rights. This way, the workshop provided a break from traditional sessions, offering a fresh, engaging way to challenge stereotypes and tackling hate speech.

According to Afflerbach Thorsten, Head of Inclusion and Anti-Discrimination Programmes Division, Council of Europe in Strasbourg, combating hate speech has always been one of the priorities of the Council of Europe, and it’s even more important these days with populism on the rise. “Media, journalists and other types of public watchdog play crucial role in democratic societies and they can make an important contribution to combating hate speech by exposing, reporting on, criticising and condemning hate speech, as well as by providing channels and forums for counter-speech and contributing more broadly to pluralism and societal cohesion,” said Thorsten.

The training was organized by: Reporting Diversity Network, supported by the European Union, and SMART Balkans - Civil Society for Shared Society in the Western Balkans, a regional project implemented by the Center for Civil Society Promotion (CPCD), the Center for Research and Policy Making (CRPM), and the Institute for Democracy and Mediation (IDM), and financially supported by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as the action "Combating Discrimination and Promoting Diversity in Serbia" which is part of the joint program of the European Union and the Council of Europe “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye” in cooperation with the Commissioner for the Protection of Equality.