TIRANA – Head of the RYCO Local Branch Office in Albania Mr Kreshnik Loka participated in the second day of the “Youth Peace Forum” organized by Woman Center for Development and Culture Albania (WCDCA) on 1 and 2 July, in Elbasan, Albania.
The forum gathered young people from 11 municipalities in Albania to increase their level of awareness and responsibility towards their communities. In the first part of the forum, the young participants had the chance to follow welcoming remarks from the Executive Director of WCDCA, Deputy Mayor of Elbasan and the Chairman of the Municipality Council. The distinguished guests shared their point of view on peacebuilding and the important role that youth play in it.
The second part was dedicated to the contribution of civil society to peacebuilding. The panellists brought to the attention of the audience the fact that security and peace is not only related to conflict, war or military, whereas security is a broader concept that needs constant attention and contribution.
On the third part of the event, youth had the chance to hear more about the work of international organizations operating in Albania and their role in maintaining stability and security.
Representatives of the OSCE Presence in Albania and of the Regional Youth Cooperation Office in Albania made their intervention and shared the work of their respective organizations in the field of peacebuilding.
“RYCO is established with the aim to change the narrative of the past and to create a safe space for young people to develop their potential and capacities towards a stronger region,” Mr Loka mentioned.
Furthermore, he added that RYCO is working in the fields of intercultural learning and dialogue, regional reconciliation and peacebuilding, social entrepreneurship, volunteering, and shared the ongoing open calls for the young participants by encouraging them to apply.
In the last part of the forum, the young participants presented their projects on topics of peacebuilding and how they perceive their contribution to their communities.
WCDCA is a non-profit organization established in Elbasan working on a national scale. Since 2010, they have implemented several projects on sustainable development and on strengthening communities. This forum was organized under the framework of the project “An integrated approach to promote youth and women peacebuilders in Albania”.
Photos: Woman Center for Development and Culture Albania (WCDCA)