Change rarely starts with strategies. It starts with people and with the belief that they matter.

At MasterPeace, we witness the power of youth empowerment across our global network every day. When young people are trusted, supported, and given the space to explore their ideas, empowerment turns creativity into action, challenges into opportunities, and vision into possibility.

This story comes from Kosova, a place where young people face high unemployment and limited opportunities, yet carry extraordinary resilience, imagination, and drive.

In 2024, our local partner SIT, the MasterPeace Kosova club, introduced young people to the Doughnut Economics methodology. Not as a theory, but as a way to rethink the future. Through workshops and camps, participants explored how their creativity could become concrete start-up ideas — ventures designed to serve people, strengthen communities, and respect the planet.

These weren’t just business plans but they were more as acts of hope. The real impact shows itself in small moments. After one of the camps, a participant shared:

“These activities don’t just help me, they help my whole community.”

That sentence captures the heart of this work. Empower one young person, and the effect spreads outward, to families, peers, and neighborhoods. Skills grow into confidence, and ideas become shared responsibility.

While this story is rooted in Kosova, it is part of something larger. Being part of the MasterPeace network means no club works alone. Each local step forward connects to a global movement grounded in creativity, peace, and sustainability.

Looking ahead, our vision is simple and ambitious: a generation of young Kosovars who are confident enough to design their own future. A society where ideas are nurtured, collaboration is natural, and every voice has space.

Because when young people rise, they don’t rise alone. They lift their communities and, quietly, the world with them.

This story is part of the MasterPeace Impact Series. Each week, we share another to remind ourselves, our partners, and our funders why this work matters, and who it is really for.

At MasterPeace NL, creativity is not an extra. It is the starting point.

Across our projects in the Netherlands, we work with young people who are often overlooked or underestimated. Through photography, graffiti, art, music, and sports, we give them space to explore their talents, build confidence, and take action for others. What begins as creativity often becomes something deeper: a sense of belonging and belief.

Our approach is simple, and intentional.
Engage. Connect. Empower.

We engage young people through creative expression. Art allows them to speak without needing the right words. Confidence grows as they discover their strengths and develop leadership, curiosity, and a growth mindset.

We connect them with peers, communities, and policymakers, creating conversations around themes like freedom, identity, and wellbeing — not as abstract ideas, but as lived experiences.

We empower them to act. Young people present their ideas, create initiatives, and step into spaces where their voices are heard and taken seriously.

At MasterPeace NL, creativity is not an extra. It is the starting point.

Across our projects in the Netherlands, we work with young people who are often overlooked or underestimated. Through photography, graffiti, art, music, and sports, we give them space to explore their talents, build confidence, and take action for others. What begins as creativity often becomes something deeper: a sense of belonging and belief.

Our approach is simple, and intentional.
Engage. Connect. Empower.

We engage young people through creative expression. Art allows them to speak without needing the right words. Confidence grows as they discover their strengths and develop leadership, curiosity, and a growth mindset.

We connect them with peers, communities, and policymakers, creating conversations around themes like freedom, identity, and wellbeing — not as abstract ideas, but as lived experiences.

We empower them to act. Young people present their ideas, create initiatives, and step into spaces where their voices are heard and taken seriously.

At St. Bonifatius College, these three steps came together powerfully. A group of students who barely knew each other — many struggling with low self-esteem — created an exhibition of self-portraits. Each image told a story of identity, happiness, and their vision of a better world. What started as a creative exercise became visible confidence.

Another moment stays with us.

In The Hague, we worked with ISK students — newly arrived young people, some of them refugees — on a project about health. As part of the process, they connected with elderly residents from a local care home. In the final step, the students created something for them: portraits presented in handmade frames.

The room was quiet. Emotional. Human.

Young people carrying experiences of displacement met seniors with a lifetime of memories. Through creativity, they saw each other — not as labels or generations, but as people. For us as project managers, it was a reminder that connection can happen when space is created for it.

Our work in the Netherlands is local, but it is part of something bigger. Together with MasterPeace Global, we believe everyone has a talent — and that talent can contribute to a more peaceful, inclusive, and sustainable society. This is why we focus on young people with fewer opportunities. Not because they need fixing, but because the world needs their creativity.

Looking ahead, our ambition is clear: more projects led by young people, for young people. In close collaboration with youth workers, we want to design initiatives that respond to real needs and create real agency.

Because when a young person realizes “I matter, and I can contribute,”
change has already begun.

This is part of the MasterPeace Impact Series —
where we share the stories behind the impact, and why this work matters.

For two days in Utrecht at the end of the summer days, something rare happened.

At the Van der Valk Hotel Utrecht, 63 people from more than 30 organizations and over 20 countries gathered not to rush through agendas, but to think, listen, and reconnect. The occasion was PWR Up 2025, convened by MasterPeace—and its quiet ambition was simple: strengthen the people behind the work.

The structure was simple. One day for practice. One day for people.

On the first day, participants worked hands-on with tools they can immediately use: sustainability made practical through eco-labelling, social entrepreneurship as a path to resilience, learning design that actually leads to change, and honest conversations about ethical and inclusive AI. This wasn't a theory but it was capacity building shaped by real-world pressure.

On the International Day of Peace, participants shared messages in their own languages and walked together in a quiet procession. No branding. No speeches. Just a shared reminder of why this work exists.

Day two went deeper. Trust replaced hierarchy. Youth perspectives on climate anxiety met Doughnut Economics. Artivism opened conversations that policy language cannot. Fundraising was addressed plainly —  as a skill that can be learned, planned, and sustained.

The summit closed with something rare: networking without performance. Participants gathered around ideas they genuinely care about — youth inclusion, wellbeing, innovation, AI, storytelling — and small circles formed naturally. Several collaborations began there, without a single pitch deck.

PWR Up 2025 did not promise solutions to the world’s problems. It offered something quieter, and perhaps more necessary: a reminder that lasting change depends on people who are supported, connected, and allowed to be human.

This is the first story in the MasterPeace Impact Series. Each week, we’ll share another — showing how investing in people builds stronger organizations, smarter programs, and change that lasts.

MasterPeace is Hiring Senior Project Cordinator

Job Title: Senior Project Coordinator (3 days a week)

Location: Utrecht (Remote) 

Organisation: MasterPeace

About Us:

MasterPeace is a global, multi-award-winning grassroots network that brings together NGOs, social enterprises, partner organizations, active citizens, and artists to create local impact. Currently active in over 45 countries. Our mission is to connect, support, and amplify the work of civil society organizations (CSOs) to drive greater social impact and scale best practices for engaging, connecting, and empowering young people to use their talents for a peaceful, inclusive, and sustainable future. 

In the Netherlands we run the headquarters and we implement local and international projects for youth empowerment in the cities of Utrecht, The Hague and Rotterdam. The projects usually consist of a series of workshops around talent development, training on personal leadership in all of which we use the power of arts.

Job Purpose:

We are seeking an experienced and autonomous Senior Project Coordinator to lead the planning, execution, and strategic coordination of our key youth projects, with a primary and deep focus on the Dutch landscape. The ideal candidate possesses in-depth knowledge of the youth and non-profit sectors in the Netherlands, strong leadership skills, and a proven ability to manage complex projects from inception to evaluation. You will be instrumental in driving impact, building strategic partnerships for implementation, and ensuring project success is aligned with our long-term vision.

Key Responsibilities:

• Project Leadership & Execution: Take full ownership and directly execute the project plan, managing the schedule, budget, and implementation of multiple youth mobilization projects focused on a sustainable future within the Netherlands.
• Local Partner Engagement: Maintain and develop  strategic, long-term collaboration with local implementation partners (e.g., educational institutions, artists, youth organizations) to ensure optimal resource mobilization and project reach.
• Operational Management: Develop and manage all project logistics, including booking venues, arranging necessary materials, and overseeing all day-to-day operational details.
• Content Development: Design, write, and adapt high-quality training and workshop materials specifically tailored to young people (aged 14-24) and the nuances of the local Dutch context.
• Mobilization & Outreach: Work shoulder-to-shoulder with local partners to implement youth mobilization efforts, actively participate in outreach to engage youngsters from diverse backgrounds.
• Reporting and Evaluation: Collect, analyze, and write up comprehensive project evaluation and financial reports, providing detailed updates and strategic recommendations to senior management.
• International Contribution: Act as the hands-on Dutch project lead within international teams, actively contributing local data, insights, and lessons learned to global program design.
• Communication & Visibility: Create and schedule content for our local social media channels and external communications, ensuring high visibility and consistent messaging, in close collaboration with the Communication Team.
• Workshop Delivery: Lead and personally facilitate high-impact workshops and events with youth and partners, demonstrating excellent group management and engagement skills.
• Team Management: Direct and support junior staff members, external collaborators and volunteers where appropriate.

Who You Are:

We are looking for a colleague with:

• Educational Background: Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Social Sciences, Cultural/Arts Science, Project Management, or a related field.
• Experience & Autonomy: Minimum of 5 years of proven experience in project management/coordination, ideally leading significant projects within the non-profit or youth development sector. Experience leading international projects is a strong advantage.
• Essential Language & Local Knowledge:
  • Dutch, native speaker.
  • Fluent in English (written and spoken high level command).
  • Demonstrated, in-depth knowledge of the Dutch educational system, youth cultural landscape, and social/non-profit funding environment.
• Skills: Exceptional organizational, planning, and time-management skills with the ability to manage multiple complex streams of work simultaneously.
• Proactive Networker: Proven ability to build and maintain professional relationships, with a demonstrable track record of successfully reaching out to and engaging senior stakeholders and local partners.
• Adaptability: Highly flexible, comfortable in a fast-paced, multicultural setting, and willing to travel frequently to project locations (The Hague, Utrecht, Rotterdam). Availability for evening and occasional weekend work is required.
• Target Group Expertise: Extensive, hands-on experience working directly with and facilitating workshops for young people aged 14 to 24 years.

What We Offer:

• Impactful Role: A leadership role with direct responsibility for high-impact international and local youth projects that shape a sustainable future.
• Environment: A highly collaborative, supportive, and international team environment with significant professional development and networking opportunities.
• Flexibility: Excellent flexibility with remote work options.
• Compensation: A competitive salary and benefits package commensurate with the seniority and local expertise required for this position.
• Contract: A flexible, part-time position requiring 3 days (24 hours) of work per week for an initial 12-month period, with a strong view to a long-term extension and/or increase in working hours.

How to Apply:
Interested candidates should submit their CV and a motivation letter, both in English, to Lucija Popovska at Lucija@masterpeace.org by December 15, 2025.

Note: The post is open to people who already have the right to live and work in the Netherlands.

Join us in empowering youth and creating meaningful change across communities!

Creating. Peace. TOGETHER!