TIRANA – RYCO Local Branch Office in Albania welcomed and hosted a group of ten young people from Thumanë, Municipality of Kruja, at the RYCO premises in Tirana, on Thursday, 15 July. The visit took place within the framework of a pilot project titled “Empowering Young People Professionally” and focused on youth cooperation and social empowerment as well as on opportunities that RYCO provides for youth of the region.
Young people were accompanied by Secretary-General of Young Professionals Network Ms Françeska Muço who is serving as Youth Representative of Albania in the RYCO Governing Board since 2020.
“We appreciate this visit not only because young people will learn about the opportunities that RYCO offers at a local and regional level, but also because today marks the World Youth Skills Day, which is a celebration of equipping all the young people with skills required for their future. RYCO exchanges are an open door to develop skills and strengthen the values of open-mindedness, democracy, understanding, cooperation and acceptance,” Ms Muço highlighted in her remarks.
RYCO Local Program Officer Ms Flutura Brakaj welcomed the young people and introduced them to RYCO’s work and mission in the Western Balkans.
“We at RYCO are very enthusiastic to see the interest that arouses from young people on youth participation, be that on volunteering, entrepreneurship, social work and different areas, and especially from those that live in hard to reach areas. In our mission we aim to support young people’s access to information, their social inclusion and empowerment,” Ms Brakaj emphasized.
During the interactive discussions held, young people expressed their willingness to engage in RYCO supported projects and activities and discussed possibilities for their contribution and engagement.
“I would encourage you to empower yourselves first by engaging in your community, at the local level, and the regional level, while on this way, to make sure that you are empowering your peers and others by ensuring that they participate and have the same access to information,” Ms Brakaj concluded.
The project “Empowering Young People Professionally” aims to strengthen capacities of youth living in rural areas in Albania both professionally and personally by empowering them to be part of the labor market, policy-making, and decision-making processes. After following a training program on soft skills, some of the young people will start internships at businesses and non-profit organizations in Tirana.
