YMCA in Kosovo Blog

By being part of GWY staff I am having the chance to develop others but my organization is taking care of my development also. Since September I had to skip some of staff meetings because I had to travel in Prishtina for a specialized course called "Basics of community Youth Work" organized from Forum SYD. Martin top right with other participants The course is very interactive and applying effective learning methods. Me and Shqiprim who is from GWY too, are really enjoying this opportunity given us by Forum SYD through George Williams Youth Association. In this training except personal development, I had the chance to meet some people from Local youth councils and other organizations all over Kosovo which is good for the future collaborations. There are some modules part of this course plus one practical placement. The 5th module was held in Albania's capital city, Tirana. We really had fun there and I was part of some powerful sessions for Conflict solving i

Through the YMCA i applied and got an scholarship with Forum Syd to study "Basics of youth work". Since the beginning when I started this training it had a great atmosphere. Together with another member from our organization, Martin Berisha we gained  a lot from this opportunity and learned with other participants from all across Kosovo, creating friendly relationships with them. I realized that at the beginning of this journey  we didn't know each other but now i have made friends and contacts for many years to come Shiqiprim top left with other learners . The training started from the middle of September and ended at the start of December, the sweetest moment of this training was the time we spent in Albania where we had a weekend residential and I had an unforgettable time! Modules passed and now just the last one, i feel we have gained so much new knowledge which will help me in my youth work. I have gained some great friends considering i only knew one p

NGS FORUM, November 18-20 2013 LE ROCHETON, YMCA FRANCE   The NGS Forum is a meeting organised by YMCA Europe and lead by its Secretary General Juan Simoes Iglesias. All the National General Secretaries from the European movements are invited for 2-3 days to come and work together on different YMCA topics. This was the second time I have been involved in this meeting and after this meeting I felt more connected to others and that all the National secretaries were coming closer as a team. We should give some credit here to Juan Simoes Iglesias for initiating something like this which I believe will last for a long time and get better  and better.   Dorina with Viktor (Macedonia) and Paola (Italy) Some of the issues we spoke about during the week were working in more collaboration with our EU institution and what the YMCA movement can give to help this. There was also time to discuss the Love 2 live festival and we looked at the evaluation surveys for the event. T

I want to start this story saying that I AM SO LUCKY! Through GWY i was told about an opportunity with The Learning Institute to attend the 'Youth Leadership Summit' taking place from the 13 th to the 18 th of October in England. However I wasnt the only one from our organization as there were also three others; Elda, Anda and Natyra. All friends and amazing peer to peer leaders in our movement. It was a cold and foggy the morning of the 13 th of October. I traveled to the International Airport of Pristina with my parents by car. I met the others at about 5:00 am There was also someone else: Lumi, he was a really amazing guy. Then together with our leader Gwyneth, we checked in and got ready for trip. Besnik (far left) with the Kosovo team It didn’t take that long to fly from Pristina to Frankfurt Airport (one of the largest in Europe). We all were amazed and having fun with each other. There we caug

I’m Anda from Gjakova. Through GWY i was told about an opportunity to attend a leadership summit in England with the Learning Institute Kosovo .  I feel that my outlook has changed, I’ve learned that leadership isn’t a role or task but it’s a lifestyle. Since the first day that i touched the Great Britain soil, it was magic! I really did feel so strong and so powerful, the knowledge I gained there  will be very useful for my future.  "No matter what happens in my life i get to choose the meaning!" I’ve learnt how to understand people from the inner side, I believe that every young person deserves this chance in exploring their full potential.    The week was a great, the activities were marvellous and each one of us really got was pushed hard and had to be strong, but none of us gave up! We kept trying and trying to and giving our best and together we reached the highest level.  I think that the best way to achieve great success is to wo