Vilija is an editor and journalist with over 20 years experience.
She covers politics, EU affairs, social affairs, and regional policies. She started as a radio journalist, but now creating podcasts and writing articles.
ALYTUS / WEINSTADT – This project explores inclusion as far more than mere accessibility, focusing on participation, equality, and career opportunities for individuals with disabilities. While public discourse often limits the subject to special schools and sheltered workshops, compelling models exist that demonstrate how genuine inclusion in the workforce can be achieved through creativity, courage, and professionalism.
WEINSTADT / PRAGUE / TORINO / ALYTUS - Loneliness in old age is a growing but often invisible crisis across Europe. Millions of older people live in isolation, cut off from family ties and community life. The consequences go far beyond sadness: social isolation is linked to depression, dementia, cardiovascular disease, and higher mortality rates, including suicide.
CLUJ-NAPOCA / LISBON / ALYTUS / PRAGUE – Cities are not very pedestrian-friendly, and small children are among the most vulnerable groups. One solution is tactical urbanism, a method that opens a discussion about the design of a specific area, making it possible to convince all stakeholders of the need for permanent changes.
ROTTERDAM - In the late 1980s, an existing plans to convert Rotterdam The Hague Airport into a residential area was already underway. A team of investigative journalists aims to find out how closing down airports within close proximity to a city delivers a higher quality of life to the residents of the surrounding cities.
MILANO - The number of homeless people in Europe has doubled since 2009. A recent report from the Feantsa states that Europe has almost 895,000 homeless people.
Non-ratification of Istanbul Convention on Violence Against Women
PRAGUE - One in three women have experienced physical and/or sexual violence since the age of 15 – a total of 62 million women in Europe. The Istanbul Convention, a treaty aimed at preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence, should help with the situation.