Civic Engagement and Advocacy for Democracy

“Shaping Albania’s future through young professionals’ engagement”

ICEDA

This project has been lunched at a period where the “Cross Cutting Strategy – Digital Agenda of Albania 2015-2020” has over and most likely the drafting of the new strategy will start. With this project YPN aims to increase youth engagement to the Albanian Digital Agenda through: Mobilizing young people to advocate to boost digital competencies and digital literacy in the future youth policies/strategies and developing concrete recommendations for the “Albanian Youth Strategy 2022-2029” about the needed digital skills for young people to be part of the workforce and education offer.

TiRana ACTIve yOuth citizeNship HUB (TRACTION HUB)

Robert Bosch Stiftung

The Young Professionals Network (YPN) on this initiative aimed to provide opportunities for professional and personal development of all young people and with a special focus on young people living in small municipalities and rural areas. This space served as a start for 20 young people for personal training and development of active citizenship concepts to be more engaged in the communities where they live. Influencing in this way the development of equal opportunities for young people in rural and urban areas in line with the motto of the UN Development Goals “Let us not leave anyone behind” and some of the goals of the European Youth Strategy (2019-2027) “Rural Youth Movement Forward” and “EU Connection with Youth”. Young people were introduced to European values, democratic processes, active citizenship and how they can finance their ideas; During these moments we are talking they are implementing activities at the local level for the benefit of the community, under the mentorship of YPN; They are also creating active youth groups in selected rural areas by involving them in local decision-making and advocacy processes.

Extension of the online Instrument of civic participation buxhetim.al in all municipalities of the country

Agenda Institute/ Leviz Albania

The created platform www.buxhetim.al aims to involve citizens in drafting the municipal budget, in a simple, transparent and effective way. Every citizen can express his / her priorities on budget items, directly by phone or computer. The staff ensures that all collected data are reported and published in an accurate and transparent manner in the media, in municipal councils, as well as at various interest groups. This way everyone’s voice will have weight and more opportunities to be heard. This initiative is supported by Leviz Albania, a project of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation SDC.

Civic Education for Youth in Albania and the Western Balkans

Election-Watch.Eu/ Robert Bosch Stiftung

Young Professionals Network and its strategic partner Election-Watch.EU with the support of Robert Bosch Stiftung implemented the project “Civic Education for Youth in Albania and the Western Balkans”. One of the most project activities were the workshop “Active Youth in the Electoral Process” which familiarized young men and women from across Albania who usually do not get such opportunities with possibilities of citizen participation in the electoral process. The workshop raised their awareness and knowledge of European electoral standards, the process of European integration, international obligations and regional commitments for democratic elections; electoral cycle and electoral stakeholders; experiences with citizen election observation; youth electoral participation in the Western Balkans; the electoral campaign and social media monitoring; an election day simulation; the ongoing national electoral reform process; and how young citizens can contribute to such developments. Furthermore, the participants had the opportunity to exchange with guest speakers from national and international stakeholders in Albania, such as the OSCE, the Council of Europe, or the European Union. The participants had the opportunity to develop ideas for follow-up activities, which were supported with micro-grants, under the supervision of YPN ahead of the next parliamentary elections scheduled for 25 April 2021.They implemented their ideas by using social media tools, by creating videos and analysis about Covid -19 and elections from a youth perspective

CREATIVE YOUTH – ACTIVISM – ENVIRONMENT – CREATIVITY

Youth Alliance – Krusevo

The project proposal aims to empower and raise awareness among young people aged 13 to 18, to mobilize to influence the provision of better local services, through the promotion of active citizenship values. After identifying the situation through the development of a study and field research, young people will be trained and facilitated to replicate the knowledge gained to their peers and to develop activities to address the problems they find in the community where they live. On this way the initiative will involve young people in theoretical and practical activities that will be led and developed by young people themselves with ongoing assistance from the project. This initiative aimed to empower young people in seven municipalities of Elbasan Region to promote active citizenship and increase transparency in municipalities by strengthening inclusion in decision-making processes; to increase the capacity of young people from the district of Elbasan through innovative and traditional methods for active citizenship, advocacy and transparency in local government; engage young people and local organizations to promote civic engagement and strengthen local government accountability and transparency.

“Move for Gjergjani, Move for your Community”

Lëviz Albania

“Move for your community, move for Gjergjani” is an initiative supported by Lëviz Albania and the Network of Young Professionals, which aims to activate the youth of Gjergjan village to make positive changes in the community where they live. As a continuation, the project has created an advocacy youth group to convey the problems of their community to the Municipality of Elbasan and to put pressure on the local government to solve them. In this context, young people are trained on important concepts of local government, advocacy and legal instruments at their disposal as citizens. The petition, participation in the meetings of the Municipal Council, meetings in the community as well as a campaign dedicated to social networks will be undertaken to place the baskets in the village Gjergjan on the street and in the school “Xhemal Jança”, the school that in the spring and summer season is filled with water as well as the development of an investment in the existing sports environment for the youth of this village which is attended by young people from other villages.

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