Martin Naughton Youth Memorial Stipend
The Martin Naughton Youth Memorial Stipend is awarded to young activists for independent living in honour of the late Martin Naughton (1954 - 2016), the founder of the Freedom Drive. The stipend allows two young disabled persons from Europe to take part in the Freedom Drive, by funding their travel, accommodation and accessibility costs. In exchange, they share their experiences from the Freedom Drive with other young people and continue as activists for Independent Living in their countries.
The two recipients are chosen by a jury, composed of ENIL Board and Youth Board members, after an open call. The stipend, first awarded in 2026, is funded from a bequest left to ENIL by Martin Naughton in his will.
Meet the 2026 Martin Naughton Youth Memorial Stipend recipients - Katerina Jaupaj, from Albania and Ervin Ćosić, from Bosnia and Herzegovina - below.
To learn more about Martin's life, we recommend you read his biography 'Never Know Your Place - Memoir of a Rulebreaker', published in 2024 by the O'Brien Press.
Martin Naughton at the Freedom Drive in Strasbourg, 2009
Katerina Jaupaj, Albania
I am 23 years old. I have a degree in Social Work and I am doing my Master degree in Social Services Administration. I live in Tirana, Albania. For the moment I am jobless, but I volunteer in “Se Bashku” foundation. I am passionate about helping others, eager to learn, and committed to making a positive impact through my future career in social services.
I’m excited to connect with passionate people from across Europe, learn from their experiences, and bring that knowledge back to my community.
Ervin Ćosić, Bosnia and Herzegovina
My name is Ervin Ćosić, I am 35 years old and I live in Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina. By profession, I am a physiotherapist technician, and I am currently a second-year student of Sociology at the Faculty of Political Sciences.
I work as a Project Officer at the Information Centre for Persons with Disabilities "Lotos" Tuzla. In my role, I mostly write projects of great importance for persons with disabilities and work extensively with youth. Through educational workshops, we focus on empowering young people with disabilities and strengthening their skills for advocacy and human rights activities.
I am incredibly excited to participate in this year's Freedom Drive! This is a unique opportunity for me to share my personal and professional experience at such a massive and significant event, but also to hear and learn from the experiences of other participants from around the world.
I am deeply grateful and happy to be one of the recipients of the Martin Naughton Youth Memorial Stipend. I look forward to bringing the acquired knowledge, experiences, and examples of good practice back home to share them within my local community and with other groups of young people with disabilities.
