As a journalist I have always seen myself as a member of the civil society—we both strive for a free society, where all its citizens would enjoy democratic values, and would have opportunities to fight for their rights while raising their voices. We are both watch—dogs. And we have an obligation to act for better. I was approached by KCSF to join their Grants and Awards Board as part of the Democratic Society Promotion scheme as a journalist who is specifically a member of the Serbian community and who is known by a more general public as a professional. I was honored to say yes. The Grants and Awards Board functions as a body, almost literally. It’s made of different parts—in our case five people—where everyone has a role and an opinion, but the idea is that we complement each other and are able to work in unity. It is a humbling lesson in how valuable hearing out other perspectives and opinions can be. Being part of the team with the responsibility to identify those who would then have responsibility for the democratic changes is an honor. I see that as a specific but essential role not just as a journalist and professional but as a citizen as well, who wants to see better days for this fragile and perspective society