TIRANA – Head of the RYCO Local Branch Office in Albania Mr Kreshnik Loka took part in the thematic webinar YOU(th) talk #2: Youth perspectives on Europe: Empowerment and Participation, which took place online on Wednesday, 24 March.
The webinar gathered a panel of diplomats, experts and civil society representatives to discuss on various issues related to youth, such as: empowering young voices and their participation in professional and social settings, the effects of the pandemic in the education system, the labor market, civil society organizations and mobility programs, and the role of the Council of Europe in shaping and integrating youth perspectives in Europe.
The event was opened by the German Ambassador to Albania H.E.M Peter Zingraf who expressed his support on the importance of consultations with youth and those working with youth for empowering their voices and active participation.
Mr Loka took this opportunity to share the work of RYCO and the ongoing initiatives for youth in the Western Balkans.
“I am very proud to say that even though most of the activities are now organized online, youth are still very committed to take part in our projects and meet their peers in the region. Therefore, to make the transition to the online world easier, we supported civil society organizations, high schools and young people with training on digital tools as well,” Mr Loka emphasized.
The event continued with further discussions where panelists shared their perceptions on the current state of art of youth activism in Albania and updated the participants on the main initiatives and projects of their respective organizations. One of the key messages and conclusions shared by all participants of the event was the importance of working closely with youth as well as the need to implement more work in creating programs for marginalized youth.
This event is part of a series of thematic webinars named You(th) Talk, organized by the Council of Europe Office and the German Embassy in Tirana, in partnership with the National Youth Congress, within the framework of the German Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe (November 2020 – May 2021).