TIRANA – Head of the RYCO Local Branch Office in Albania, Mr Kreshnik Loka, took part in the panel discussion “Youth Work in Albania – Developments, challenges and novelty”, which took place in Tirana on 18 June. In light of the adoption of the Law on Youth in 2019 and its mentioning for the first time of the concept of youth work, it was perceived as a good momentum to start a conversation on the topic and to share perspectives from various stakeholders working in the youth sector in Albania.
The panel discussion consisted of representatives from the Ministry of Education, Sport and Youth, the Council of Europe Office in Tirana, RYCO, Municipality of Tirana, and the Cooperation and Development Institute.
Deputy Minister in Charge of Youth Ms Bora Muzhaqi mentioned the importance of supporting the youth sector through open participation in policymaking and specifically in their upcoming contribution to the Youth Strategy 2022-2029.
Head of RYCO Local Branch Office in Albania shared with the participants the focus of RYCO in increasing the capacities of actors working with youth as a key point in standardizing the impact of youth work.
“RYCO has organized more than 40 capacity-building training sessions for civil society organizations and high schools in the region in topics such as intercultural dialogue and learning, youth participation and project cycle management,” Mr Loka highlighted.
He added that these trainings serve to strengthen the capacities of future applicants in RYCO’s open calls for project proposals as well as to increase the capacities for RYCO’s beneficiaries in implementing their projects.
“Albania has the opportunity to learn from the already existing practices in the region and RYCO can serve as a facilitator for it,” Mr Loka concluded.
The other panelists shared their own experience with youth work and presented to the participants some key important initiatives going on in Albania.
The event was organized by the Beyond Barriers Association and the National Youth Congress of Albania as a first step towards the institutionalization of youth work in Albania.
Photo: National Youth Congress of Albania