PulseZ Festival – Narratives in Conflict: Youth, Media and Geopolitics

On 11 October 2025, the PulseZ Festival, within a re-granting collaboration between DYPALL Network and JA Europe, brought together young people from across France at Compagnie Résonances in Paris for a full day dedicated to media, journalism, geopolitics and European issues. The free event aimed to inspire young Europeans to engage with journalism and explore Europe’s role in the world.

The day began with introductions from DYPALL Network and PulseZ project, followed by a presentation from Naïma Taleb, President of Compagnie Résonances, about the association’s work in art and culture. PulseZ’s Editor-in-Chief, Bilal Ata Aktas, led team-building activities and created an interactive and lively start to the festival.

The first workshop, “Fact-check fake news”, by Mehmet Ruzgar Akgun (Journalist, BBC OSINT Team), focused on fact-checking and media literacy. It was followed by a roundtable on “Being a Young Journalist in Europe: Challenges, Realities, and Perspectives“ in conversation with Memet Chenal (TV Journalist for the popular French TV programme C ce soir) and Alara Koknar (Journalist with experience with France 24, Le Parisien), who shared insights from their professional journeys.

After a networking lunch, a second roundtable explored What Role for Europe in Today’s Geopolitical Arena? with contributions from Julian Blum (Associate Expert at the Jean Jaurès Foundation) and Mathieu Solal (Editor-in-Chief of BLOCS, the International Trade Newsletter).

During the final workshop, ”MoJo Express: Create your video for social media”, led by Philippine Masson (Journalist, Magnum Photos), participants had the opportunity to create their own videos in an interactive session designed to boost confidence and hands-on skills.

The festival closed with a DJ set and dinner. The PulseZ Festival Paris proved to be a success in celebrating youth engagement, creativity, and European dialogue through media.