The ENIL Youth Network is at the start of an exciting new year-long project, funded by the European Youth Foundation and aimed at young disabled people.
The Independent (Living) Media project focuses on representation and narratives around young disabled people in the media. Its vision is to shape media spaces where disabled youth voices are present with dignity and authenticity.
I’m Nina Portolan, and I am responsible for the coordination of this project.
Let me tell you what’s coming!
First, keep an eye out for our survey on young disabled people’s experiences with media, especially digital platforms. We’ll also interview disabled influencers and content creators who run social media channels, create podcasts, and more!
Then, we’ll host online workshops open to young people within and beyond the ENIL Youth Network, particularly those interested in media. These workshops will set the scene for an international summer school in 2025.
The summer school will bring together young people with and without disabilities to learn about human rights and media and communications, all through non-formal education. Participants will develop their own media campaigns during the program, which they’ll implement with our team’s support.
Last but not least, we will create a resource pack with guidelines, tips, and recommendations on the inclusive portrayal of persons with disabilities in the media.
Meet the team behind the project:
- I, Nina, am a disability and human rights advocate, trainer, and para karate athlete from Serbia. My path in activism, focusing on independent living, education, sports, culture, and media representation, began in 2018 and solidified in 2020 when I was an ESC volunteer at ENIL.
I’m thrilled to lead this project alongside these fantastic people:
- Laura Alčiauskaitė, a disabled woman from Lithuania, who is a psychologist, trainer for the ENIL Youth Network, and director of the local youth NGO “The Fifth Corner.” With over eight years of experience in Human Rights Education, social inclusion, mental health, and youth empowerment, Laura is also skilled in project writing and management.
- Catarina Vitorino, a disabled woman, psychologist, and PhD student from Portugal, who uses her experiences as a disabled woman as a political instrument to carry a powerful message of liberation.
- Spyros Dadanides, a graduate from the Kingston School of Arts with a degree in film. He took a step away from art and turned to advocacy when he formed Cool Crips. Among other initiatives, he is currently working with “Onassis” as an Expert Collaborator in the Europe Beyond Access programme.
We are excited to see what we can create in 2025 and how we can change things in the media, rethink representation, and create empowered narratives!
Follow us on our Instagram profile that will be up soon, or on ENIL’s social media, and share the fun with the hashtags #ILMedia2025, #RethinkRepresentation, #EmpoweredNarratives.
Written by Nina Portolan,
ENIL Youth Network Board Member
