YMCA in Kosovo Blog

Hi I am Zana, not such an ordinary 23 year-old from Peja, at least I’ve been told so! The thing about me is that I am an extrovert with a bit of extra energy and creativity that needs to be channelled, and I started noticing that after I was out of university. Day dreaming of social equality and looking for opportunities to make a change, and as most of the youth I was eager to find somewhere I belong a space I can be me. Now here is how my YMCA journey starts. So my friend invited me to this new training called I Am Whole in the YMCA in Peja, so it thought I would give it a try. Being a psychology student at the time I was amazed at the work I saw in those mental health sessions. Young people were learning about subjects we as a society never talked about; anxiety, phobias, mindfulness, body image all of these topics were and are considered taboo. I remember thinking at the time... now this is a platform where people should join. After we shared a lot of memories, fears, and happine...

I’m Valentina and I am a youth worker at the  YMCA in my city- Peja and this is my story… ValentinaMurati I was always a very hard-working person and very empathic I always loved helping people that is why I chose Social Work as my study field and from a very young age I got the chance to participate in different NGO’s as a volunteer so my love for being able to help people change started from a very young age and still grows. After being a semester abroad and then coming back here without any idea what to do after my graduation, and for me as an very active person it was really hard. I got stuck between a lot of applications, always searching for the right one. One of my friends who was a volunteer in this NGO called YMCA  shared some posts about what they do and I started thinking what would I do if I was there too?  And  there it was! A job application, while I was reading it, I thought  I would love to be part of this family so I’m really going t...

I'm Leon from Peja. I first heard about the YMCA at school when YMCA staff introduced the organization and from there I liked the idea of a new place to pass my free time and express my thoughts. Leon whith friends at Peja Y I started with the 'mYcommunity' program where we held 8 meetings. During these 8 weeks, we discussed various topics and one that I found interesting was Democracy because I never heard about it in school.  How people in ancient times in Greece have discussed in large groups and decided for their state/ cities. While nowadays, however, it is not as old as before, when poor people did not have the right to vote but now we are all equal in our cities regardless of gender, ethnicity, and age. Leon while playing the Leader Game In addition to the sessions, I also enjoyed the activities or games during the sessions and the opportunity to express my thoughts freely. Also, in the end, we as a group have prepared a video for ‘‘Violence against Chi...

My name is Rumejsa Zeka, and I am 15 years old. I go to Bedri Pejani Gymnasium in the Municipality of Peja. Rumejsa at Gjakova Y Lately I started to be part of this organisation, as every beginner I am attending Leadership training and Y Woman program. I feel great at the Y, the first thing to note is that I have to thank the people who recommended me to go there.Until now everything went really well and all the sessions for both programs were a success and I am more than pleased. I think going to different activities or training is very important for each individual. Rumejsa during Y Women training For myself, I really wanted to go to Y Woman because of seeing how it has affected my feelings and my self-esteem increases with more desire to get there. Every topic, every activity that has been discussed there affects the human being. Y Woman is a group or otherwise training that has influenced my mind development and my abilities. So from this gender equality training I h...

I’m Erblina, an 18 year old volunteer in the YMCA. I really wanted to be part of the organization ever since I heard of it. Erblina at her TenSing painting group I learned many things that I didn’t know before, things that aren’t discussed even in classrooms. YMCA is where I feel free to be myself and the people there make you feel like you’re part of a family. What I liked most about the sessions in the Ten Sing program is that besides drawing we have the chance to make friends, play a bit of music and discuss different topics each session. Erblina during her Leadership session drawing her perfect leader When I first became a trainer of the Arts group in the Ten Sing program, I and the participants found the space to express our creativity and try new things. I wasn’t sure I would be great at helping them learn more about art, but afterwards, I started feeling more comfortable and shared with them what I knew about drawing and painting. Being part of the ...

I’m Adea Pantinaj, 15 years old from Peja, Kosovo. I was the only girl in the group when I registered which is why I felt a little lonely. Through time, I realized that, no matter how or what, I have a right to express myself and I don’t have to feel lonely, and also that YMCA doesn’t differentiate between any age, gender, religion, race, etc.  Adea and her friends during their activities When I’m at the YMCA I feel like I’m home. I’ve had some very lovely experiences in the organization, including the chance to try different kinds of art.  I feel good every time I’m at the YMCA Peja center, and I always look forward to the next sessions as I have a lot of fun learning and hanging out with the friends I’ve made there. Everybody at the center is friendly which makes every session even more attractive. Right from the start, I learned a lot of things that nobody even mentioned in school, yet every individual should know. Besides this, I learned a lot of things ab...

I’m Natyra, a young fifteen years old volunteer in the YMCA community. First things first, I must say that I’ve never explored countries other than Kosovo and its neighbors so my story may not be as exciting as the others, but believe me when I say, YMCA is the best thing you can attend in your teen years. Natyra and her YMCA friend I joined the YMCA a year and a half ago as a fun activity with my friends. At the time, the only thing I knew about it was the song: It’s fun to stay at the YMCA. And it turned out to be true! I found out about our organization at school and it seemed like a cool activity I could do. Besides, I had a lot of free time so why not? Our first session was on a Sunday and I was very shy. I remember that the games we played that day were so fun, I didn’t even realise I was learning so much throughout them.  Most of the time when our sessions were done, me and my friends would hang out more at the center because we just couldn’t leave the good vibe...

Hi everyone, I am Elion Brada! A 16 year old youngster from Peja enrolled in the first year of high school, studying for natural sciences in “Bedri Pejani” Gymnasium. Today, I would like to share with you my journey within the YMCA, to be honest, it is not a long one, but truly saying it has been a wonderful experience for me and it still continues to be so. The first time I heard for the YMCA it was through my sister, when she was my age she joined YMCA as a volunteer too, recently, she become a board member. Within the YMCA she not only had the chance to learn new things, gain experience in leadership, but she also made new friends and visited places. Seeing her engagement within this organization, the things she and her peers were doing for the community, I decided to follow her path and join the YMCA.  Elion with his YMCA membership When I first started I have to say that I was a bit unsure if I really wanted to be part of this organization, moreover I was scared ...

International training's are always fun and interesting, which is why I said yes to going to the World YMCA Innovations Camp in Switzerland. Vesa I left home very early September 20 th , and somehow managed to spend the day on only 1.5 hrs of sleep. We arrived in Geneva, and it was lovely to look around. Geneva is quite pretty, I have to admit. We also visited the YMCA World Office. Being part and spending a lot of time in an organization and then getting the chance to visit its World office, is a great opportunity and a great feeling! That house is big and has a long history, the World Alliance has a small team working here and across the world.  Vesa at YMCA Wold Office The actual training took place in Leysin, in a lovely hotel in the Swiss Alps. Speaking of the Swiss Alps they’re extremely beautiful to have as a morning view, which added on to my lovely experience there. The training had four different innovation workshops including Mental Health, C...

I’m Lum Kuraja, and I’ve been participating in YMCA activities as a volunteer for several years now. I was part of the Kosovo team and went to represent my country in the Youth Engagement in Europe program held in France. Altogether, there were six teams from six countries, and we went there from August 22 nd to August 31 st .  I have been a part of YMCA from 2015 as an active volunteer. This organization has had a major impact of shaping my character and personality. I’ve had the chance to meet a lot of new people, make new friends, and learn new things each time. This has given me a chance to improve my English, my communication and interpersonal skills, and to grow a lot as a person. And finally, YMCA gave me the chance to go to France to represent my country. It has been a wonderful experience being a part of this organization, and I intend to continue committing to it in the future as well. Lum First off, the journey to France was very exciting because several forms ...

My name is Diellza Muriqi. I come from Peja and I am currently studying at UWC Adriatic in Italy. I joined the YMCA in 2015 when it came to my city and opened the leadership program. Teamwork, breaking stereotypes and prejudices, and critical thinking were among the things I learned throughout my experience at the YMCA, and from that point on, I created an inseparable link to this organisation. I finally had the chance to come back to this place, and along with 4 of my international friends who also study at UWC Adriatic, I led a session about gender equality.  The idea lead a gender equality session came as a result of the current situation in Kosovo and the lack of information about this issue. However, in Gjakova we encountered a different reality. It did not take long to notice that we were dealing with students who respect others’ opinions, have a great sense of critical thinking, and have indeed discussed about gender equality before. Stephanie (Canada) and Leone (Belgium)...