YMCA in Kosovo Blog

Being part of international training is something not everybody can be part of. I had the chance to participate in the YMCA Europe Leadership Academy. I’m always interested to know more about leadership so I was thrilled to get to be part of the Leadership Academy. The first session that was organized in Paris during April 2018 I learned a lot.  Ariana and her Leadership Academy friends It’s amazing how everything was prepared in the most perfect way possible, learning more about project management, about target groups, getting to know the different problems in different countries was a wonderful experience. It was one week that I meet different people with different jobs, different backgrounds that I couldn’t wait to meet again. Ariana during her training So before going back to meet these wonderful people again, it was time to do our homework, to share what we learned in the Academy with young people back home.  It was finally time for the second session. ...

A COUNTRY WITHOUT A CAMP Frost Valley partners to help open the first summer camp in Kosovo Typically, when a parent in the United States is deciding what their children should do for the summer, the question is: Which camp do we send them to? However, in some countries, parents don’t have a variety of wholesome, beneficial options at their disposal. Kosovo is one such country at risk of lacking those enriching opportunities for its youngsters. Despite its vibrant and enthusiastic citizens, years of political unrest and devastating war have severely reduced the number of youth development opportunities in Kosovo. Unfortunately, prior to 2003, Kosovo was not included in the nearly 120 countries that are home to YMCAs. Kosovo is a small, landlocked territory in the center of the Balkan Peninsula, where thousands of civilians were subjected to conflict of Serbian military forces, resulting in a long-standing war. The majority of the population in Kosovo today is under t...