What happens when local media professionals from across Europe – from Hungary to Lithuania – gather in one place with a shared mission: to strengthen media resilience and explore new paths to sustainability?

Irma Bagūnė, editor-in-chief of Etaplius, knows the answer. She represented Lithuania at the LIMENet Innovation Fair in Budapest, as part of the Media4Change delegation.

“I found not only new ideas but also meaningful collaboration and learning opportunities,” says Irma.

She was especially inspired by success stories about working with youth in media. The philosophy of Mill Media – “Interesting before important” – and Quindo’s experience of involving young people in content creation deeply resonated with her:

“People are ready to support the media – you just need to offer them something truly relevant and close to their lives.”

What did Irma bring back to her newsroom?

Concrete insights:

• how to make a news portal more attractive to younger audiences;
  
• how to produce more compelling stories rather than just short news items;
  
• how to use planning and digital tools to work more efficiently and achieve better quality.

“I heard success stories on sensitive topics we haven’t even dared to touch yet – not believing change was possible there.”

Now It’s Your Turn

LIMENet is more than a single conference – it’s a system of opportunities for newsrooms ready to make a difference.

We’re opening the call for LIMENet grants aimed at supporting local media initiatives that strive to:

• strengthen audience engagement;
  
• create inclusive, community-focused content;
  
• experiment with new collaboration and business models;
  
• receive professional mentorship.
  

Not sure where to start?
Register for our online info session by July 18. The session will be held on July 23.
During the session, we will:

• explain how to complete your application;
  
• discuss suitable project ideas;
  
• answer your questions live.
  

🔗 Register here (by July 18):
How to apply for a LIMENet Grant – Online Info Session
🔗 More about the grant system:
A new sub-granting scheme to empower journalism where it’s needed most

Change doesn’t require perfection – just readiness

As Irma’s story shows – inspiration is born from connection, and change starts with the first step.

Have questions? The Media4Change team is here to help.
Not part of our virtual community yet? It’s time to join.

LIMENet is implemented by a consortium led by the Media Diversity Institute Global (Brussels), in cooperation with the Media Diversity Institute Western Balkans (Serbia), Media4Change (Lithuania), and SDRP.EU (Poland).

The LIMENet project is co-funded by the European Union’s Creative Europe programme.