From 18 to 21 September 2023, the Public Seminar and Study-Visit foreseen by the European project Make it Grow!, promoted by the Erasmus+ – Capacity Building program in the Youth sector, which sees the Municipality of Cinisello Balsamo, took place in Scutari, Albania. in the role of leader.
20 people participated in the activity, including administrators and young social entrepreneurs, coming from the project partner countries (Italy, Albania, Bosnia Herzegovina, Montenegro and Turkey).
The first day, dedicated to the public seminar and the dissemination of the Policy Guidelines Paper, took place at the Arka Youth Association.
Together with the partners we discussed the state of the art of the project, adapted our objectives and defined the next project steps. The meeting was attended by two members of the youth council of the Arka Youth Center and Eltjana Shkreli, founder of the GO2 Albania association. The guests’ testimonies were the subject of curiosity and inspiration: the first in the field of youth activism and the second in the environmental and urban planning field.
The lunch took place at the Arti i Zanaves restaurant, born from the NGO “Light Steps”, which has been helping and supporting women victims of violence in this area for more than 20 years. The director, Denada Shpuza, told us the history of the association, and the actions undertaken to provide psychological, legal, economic and social support to women and girls victims of domestic violence. The revenues and donations of the Arti’Zanave restaurant are allocated to the anti-violence service for women.
In the second session of the day, participants continued to work on their design journey towards the Hackaton in Turkey. After having each analyzed their own reference context during the first workshop in Bosnia, in the workshop in Albania, however, they began to create and define their project ideas, through a project design workshop developed by the experts from Meraki – Desideri Culturali.
The second day, however, was entirely dedicated to discovering the entrepreneurial realities in the area. In the morning we visited the textile production laboratory of the social enterprise “Guri I Zi” which offers work and income opportunities to vulnerable women in the village of the same name in the north of Albania.
In the afternoon we visited “Drimi Times”, a rental center on Lake Scutari, created in collaboration with the Municipality of Scutari and the Well Point organization, with the aim of providing a sustainable, social and healthy environment, organizing sports activities aquatics and birdwatching. Aurora Piroviq, director of the association, presented us with the projects that have been carried out in the area.
If you are curious to follow the development of the participants’ projects and to know what will happen in the next mobility in Montenegro, continue to follow us!
● Arka Youth Center
https://www.instagram.com/qendrarinorearkashkoder/
https://www.facebook.com/qendrarinorearka/
● GO2 Albania
https://www.go2albania.org/
● Hapa te Lehte
https://hapatelehte.org/?lang=en
● Guri i Zi Albania
● Drini Times
https://drini-times-water-sport-point.business.site/
● Wellpoint Association