US Embassy Youth Council Albania
About Us Who we are? The U.S. Embassy Youth Council Albania was founded by H.E. U.S. Ambassador in Tirana, Mr. Donald Lu. It brings together a cross-section of young, dynamic Albanians and has three primary goals: i)To advise the U.S. Embassy and the U.S. Ambassador on how to better understand the issues facing and motivating young Albanians, and to improve the U.S. Embassy’s outreach efforts to youth; ii) To engage Albanian youth in outreach and civic engagement activities that support mutual Albanian and U.S. priorities and interest; iii)To empower Albanian youth through awareness, education, and outreach new initiatives; to create opportunities for innovative young leaders to meet with and exchange ideas with U.S., Albanian and international experts in business, politics, sciences and other similar topics. The U.S. Embassy Youth Council connects and empowers youth as the new agent of change in their own communities by raising awareness on different issues, address this concerns, discuss and find possible platforms to implement solutions through volunteer work.
How we are organized? The U.S. Embassy Youth Council Albania has a unique form of organizing. It is composed of six different departments and a Board of governance. This form is a mixture of centralized and decentralized decision-making , in order to accommodate the specific characteristics of each member to broaden and represent our mission and vision. The board is composed by the President, Vice-President, and other members of the organization. The first Board was composed by Albanian youngsters who were part of different U.S. Educational programs such as Fulbright, YES and Benjamin Franklin.
Our Structure We have 6 dierent departments, with a rotating presidency cycle of 6 months. Each depar ment is composed of their own members based on their interests and contribution towards the department. We also operate on volunteer basis where the young generation can contribute in each project they are interested in.
Community Service and Social Department
PR, Media and Communication Department
Civic Engagements Department
Youth Empowerment Department
Research Opportunities Department
Culture & Entertainment Department
Our Projects Fighting corruption in higher education system Even though corruption requires a multi-institutional cooperation we decided to take a ste- with a rather different approach. Universities, as the institution of knowledge and freedom of expression, should represent the needs of the students. That’s why we focused on the students and their voice, their perception towards fighting corruption and breaking the circle. Also, students as the future of our country, should be the first t represent the Albanian society by taking the first steps of change. This project started in January 2016 and will be finalized in the international day of anti-corruption on the 9th of December. During this period we were focused on the voice of the students from each faculty and together we worked to build strategies on how they can resist the phenomena of corruption in their own school. Also, we have been supporting them by mediating with the administration of the University of Tirana by observing the university elections, building a new Code of Ethics and incentives for re-elections in the Senate of Students. To sum up our activities in the framework of this project supported by the Democracy Commission Small Grant Program and implemented by the Center for Legal and Civic Initiative, we have: •Organized an anti-corruption academy with youngsters from 5 Faculties: Law, Economics, Social Science, Journalism and Arts. •Organized the first public poll for the best professors: “Naming and Faming”. •Organized different focus groups to discuss peer to peer about specific problems of corruption and possible solutions at four Faculties. In some of this meeting we have the courtesy to have as guest speakers the best professors from “Naming and Faming” Campaign. •Organized open meetings with experts of Anti-Corruption, as professor Speedy Rice from Washington and Lee University and Kim Bettcher from Center for International Private Enterprise. •We were the first independent observers in the University Elections 2016. •In the ambit where Student’s government are not functional and merely inexistent at all the Faculties, we officially asked the Rector of the University of Tirana to organize elections for the establishment of Student’s Governance in each Faculty. •Working on a Code of Ethics for the Faculties and propose it as a student’s initiative at the Senate of the Faculty.
“Youth Talk” The whole series of Youth Talks sessions aims not only to engage and inspire youth, but it is an initiative that makes us talk about topics that matter for our future and that we can act upon. We find it essential nurturing and developing leaders of tomorrow with primary focus on life skills. Youth Talks events are built around the fireside chat concept in which the event coordinator, Mateo Prifti has an informal conversation in form of an interview in front of a live audience.
Bookworm Bookworm served as an outdoor mini library. Located in the park of the Artificial Lake of Tirana, this project aimed to bring booklovers closer to the nature and also create a welcoming space for every visitor of the park by inviting them to share time with a book. This corner was build mostly of recycled and eco-friendly materials. The book shelves were build between the trees in the form of small house of books where everyone could leave and take a book to read. #LeaveOneTakeOne (#Lernjeliber #merrnjeliber) was the motto that we used in
Our aims are : Lead and implement projects by the Youngsters. Engage and promote social responsiveness of youngsters. Closer approach towards their communities. Empower youths voice.
order to encourage people to recycle their books by sharing it with other visitors of this library.
Identity and Restoration This summer U.S. Embassy Youth Council started a project in its social media profile, Facebook, by promoting different objects of the Albanian culture heritage. USEYCA encouraged youngsters in Albania to visit at least one object of culture heritage during their summer holidays and publish it in the social media. The aim of this project was two fold: on one had to promote Albanian identity and culture and on the other to raise awareness for those projects that risk to be damaged and need to be restored. In cooperation with Culture Heritage Without Borders we aim to bring the project further and make youngsters experience themselves the process of restoration of culture heritage.
Our cooperations New Vision A servant leadership is one of our main principles in the Code of Conduct. We want our youngsters to be responsible for the community they live in and sensitive towards the vulnerable people. The Community Service and Social Activity Department has worked with the visually impaired and blind children of the Institute “Ramazan Kabashi” and helped them to do handcrafts with recycled materials, not only to promote the special gifts of this special children, but also to raise awareness for the need to protect the environment. Furthermore the USEYCA has also donated school bags and school items to Roma kids in the beginning of this academic year. We had the pleasure to listen to their concert prepared exclusive for our visit and also play little games with the kids and wishing them a successful academic year. Currently we are working on audio books for children with impaired sight and free English classes through interaction and games.
Vlora Youth Center Currently we are working on a project on youth initiatives and youth in local decision-making. This will be organized through different activities aiming youth participating in decision making, technology as a way of monitoring local decision making and youth leadership. This initiative proposes a series of actions with the American Corner and Peace Corps Volunteers in Vlora and with U.S. Embassy Youth Council and American Corner in Tirana. The project will increase the capacities of the youth in community development and have an impact on the development of their community's shared values.
YouthAct In cooperation with YouthAct, U.S. Embassy Youth Council organized an informative session presenting the Youth Card and European Volunteer Service as an opportunity for the students.
For more info contact us: Web page: useycalbania.org Email: sta@useycalbania.org Facebook: facebook.com/youthcouncilalbania