Ms Bojana Zimonjić holds an M.A. in European Integration from the Faculty of Political Science, the University of Belgrade, where she also obtained her B.A. in International Politics.
Her engagement in the fields of youth work, mobility and higher education sectors in Serbia and Europe started in 2013. Since then, she was working with two organizations with a strong impact on young people, the Erasmus Student Network (ESN), which supports and develops international student mobility and intercultural learning, and the Western Balkans Alumni Association (WBAA), a regional initiative that promotes regional cooperation and contributes to the modernization of higher education in the region.
Ms Zimonjić has been professionally engaged as a project manager in two youth NGOs in Serbia, working on the topics of digital and media literacy as well as the educational and professional development of young people.
As part of her master's studies, she participated in the Erasmus+ exchange program and spent a semester studying at the University of Konstanz in Germany.
Mr. Rizinski’s engagement in the youth sector began in 2010, as youth activist and debate trainer. Throughout his career he developed strong professional and interpersonal communication skills and extensive experience in multicultural environments and diverse teams. More than 8 years of experience working with various stakeholders in introducing educational interventions and system changes on national, local and school level. Evident from implementation of USAID Youth Ethnic Integration Project as Project coordinator and performing as Quality Assurance Officer for supervising the implementation of youth-led capacity building activities for various projects funded by UNICEF and UNHCR in North Macedonia.
His hobbies and interests include international politics, digital tools and AI, as well as music and nature.
Ms.Bebekovska holds a BA in Law from Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje, North Macedonia.
Her engagement started in 2015, joining the student movement in North Macedonia and later starting her professional and volunteering experience in the CSO sector, where she was part of the political youth organization- Young European Federalists (JEF).
Following her activities in the non-governmental sector, she continued working as a contractor for USAID based projects in North Macedonia. As a contractor she held the position as Grant Assistant, working on projects that support the government institutions, media and CSO sector. Prior to joining RYCO, she worked consultancy on topics such as CVE and capacity building for NGOs and private sector. Her main focus is international development, mainly EU integration, youth policies and civic engagement.
She speaks English and Spanish language.
Her professional background includes roles within the official EU Regional Communication Programme for the Western Balkans, the Council of Europe project-Horizontal Facility for WB and Turkey no-hate speech campaigns, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Montenegro - Operational Communication Center, The Balkan Forum, and other civic organizations focused on EU integration in the Western Balkans. Bojana's academic excellence has been recognized with prestigious scholarships like the KAS Rule of Law Program South East Europe scholarship, etc.
Dardana Fetahu holds an MA in Clinical and Health Psychology from ELTE University in Budapest, as well as a BA in Psychology from the University of Pristina.
She has previous management experience, having worked as the Executive Director of the Center for Psycho-Social and Medical Research and as the coordinator of the Psychological Helpline in Kosovo for the public during the early stages of the COVID-19 outbreak. She also has experience as a university teaching assistant, high school psychology teacher, and trainer. She was engaged as a psychological counselor at the Center for Social Work, and voluntarily facilitates the managing emotions workshop for the University of Pristina psychology students.
All in all, her experiences and conducted research and manuals for various institutions and civil society, are mainly related to mental health, education and youth participation.
Mr Ramadan Sokoli holds a B.A. in Sociology from the University of Pristina, where he was awarded a scholarship. His human rights activism started at the age of 17 when he was elected as the Chairman of the Youth Forum of his hometown Rahovec where he led numerous activities on youth empowerment. During his studies, he was engaged in programs and working groups of the University of Pristina and various non-governmental organizations on promoting social equality.
Mr Sokoli worked as a researcher for Kosovo Women’s Network on topics related to gender equality. For more than two years, Ramadan worked as the Project Manager at the regional organization Youth Initiative for Human Rights, where his main focus was on inclusive education, transitional justice and dealing with the past. He was also organizing intercultural youth exchanges around the Western Balkans which motivated him to join RYCO.
He believes the future is here, and it’s queer.
Ms Ćurulija has been engaged in the civil sector since 2018. She has started by volunteering in the Youth initiative for Human Rights in Bosnia and Herzegovina (YIHR BiH) where in 2019 she became a Program and Administration Assistant and held that position until 2022. Her main focus was organizing projects and working directly with youth on topics of human rights and dealing with the past. She has worked with various CSO’s in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the region as a youth worker and content creator.
As her main interest she highlights human rights and peace studies as her primary goal of practical and theoretical experience and research.
Ms Ćurulija holds a BA degree in International Relations and Diplomacy from the Faculty of Political Sciences of the University of Sarajevo. Within her studies she has also been an Erasmus exchange student at the Paris Lodron University Salzburg and Comenius University Bratislava. At the end of her studies she has been awarded a golden badge for being one of the top students. Beside her knowledge of Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian, she speaks fluent English and has a good understanding of German.
Ms. Flutura Brakaj is a dedicated and humble professional passionate about promoting youth empowerment and advocating for marginalized communities. She holds a B.A. in German language and Communication from the Faculty of Foreign Languages at the University of Tirana and an M.A. in Social Policy studies.
Flutura has over seven years of experience in the civil society sector and has been involved in various international organizations' projects, coalitions, and advocacy campaigns, including SOS Children's Villages International, UNFPA, and Y-Peer Network. She has a background in non-formal education training and capacity-building, which has equipped her with the skills and knowledge to prioritize facilitating social inclusion and cohesion in areas such as democracy, human rights, intercultural learning, and civic engagement.
Her commitment to her work has earned her several awards, including the Agent of Change 2016 Award in advocating for youth development topics. In 2018, Flutura participated in a program that gave her a valuable opportunity to gain experience in German civil society organizations. She served as the Coordinator for Youth Participation and Empowerment at the Schüler Helfen Leben Foundation.
Flutura's work is rooted in a deep conviction that young individuals, youth educators, and communities can play a vital and powerful force in creating more peaceful, resilient, and equitable societies. Her unwavering belief in this vision has driven her to return to her native Albania and the Western Balkans region.