Celebrating Mediterranean Day: Sounds That Connect Across Borders

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November 28, 2024 – On this special day, we are proud to join communities across the Mediterranean to celebrate unity, diversity, and cultural harmony through the universal language of music.

Our participation in Mediterranean Day 2024, organized and supported by the Anna Lindh Foundation, will feature a free musical performance at [Location]. This event is part of a simultaneous celebration involving music groups from 24 Mediterranean countries, all performing together to convey a shared message of connection and togetherness.

One of the most inspiring aspects of this celebration is a heartfelt performance by children with hearing impairments, highlighting the values of inclusion and diversity. Their music reminds us that communication goes beyond words and that the Mediterranean is a tapestry of cultures woven together through mutual respect and understanding.

🎵 Event Details:

  • Date: November 28, 2024
  • Time: [Insert Time]
  • Location: [Insert Venue or Online Link]
  • Admission: Free and open to all

Join us in this extraordinary celebration as we honor the spirit of the Mediterranean and the connections that make our region unique. Bring your friends and family, and let’s create memories that resonate far beyond borders.

For more information, contact us at [Insert Contact Info].

#SoundsThatConnect #MediterraneanDay #UnityThroughMusic #CelebrateTogether

Knowledge Exchange for Impactful Activism and Strategic Communication with Key Stakeholders

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As part of the recent activities organized by AMAD in Albania, the focus has increasingly shifted toward developing active activism and effective communication with key societal stakeholders. One of the main activities was the knowledge exchange with a representative from the Al Michaal organization from Morocco, which was facilitated by the ALFinMOTION program of the Anna Lindh Foundation. This exchange was based on a “peer-to-peer” and “job shadowing” approach, aimed at building capacities for activism and enhancing skills to strategically address social challenges.

During this activity, in-depth discussions were held on the best ways to develop active activism and deliver powerful messages to key stakeholders, such as governments, educational institutions, and international organizations. These discussions focused on creating new strategies for stakeholder engagement and improving communication with them, including refining interpersonal approaches and using social media more effectively.

One of the most valuable experiences during this activity was the study visit to Krujë, which highlighted the importance of culture and traditions in building collaborative bridges. Through this visit, participants had the opportunity to explore how strong messages can be crafted to connect stakeholders with local communities, using shared cultural and historical values as a foundation for dialogue and cooperation.

In this context, a significant moment was the meeting with the head of the ALF network in Albania, where opportunities were discussed to further strengthen collaboration between Albanian and international organizations. This meeting underscored the importance of involving the ALF network in efforts to build communication bridges and develop projects with broad social impact.

The meeting with high-level institutional representatives, including the Commissioner for Protection from Discrimination, emphasized how organizations and institutional stakeholders can work together to create a more inclusive environment and improve communication for initiatives that support human rights and civic activism.

This activity reinforced the approach that activism should not simply be a voice against injustice, but a strategic movement that builds strong communication bridges with those who have the power to make lasting change.

Europe Day, 2024

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Vienna, Austria – AMAD participated for the third year in a row in the activities organized for Europe Day, invited by the Municipality of Vienna and partner organization Viego. The concerts and fair of institutions and organizations from all over Europe aimed to promote the values ​​of the European Union: unity in diversity and solidarity. In addition, the “Europe Day” activities fair takes place with the presence of various organizations and embassies to promote common national values ​​with those of the EU, both in terms of rights, freedoms, democracy, social and especially youth empowerment.

AMAD represented civil society and its objective in European integration through youth empowerment.

në Shqipëri e Diasporë.

Baseline Evaluation Report

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Evaluating the needs of young people in an urban, suburban or rural community requires, first of all, knowledge of the objectives and desires of the target group. Precisely for this reason, this study report implements an adapted research methodology based on specifics oriented by the target group for sampling.

From the analysis of the findings of the primary study, the areas of interest in youth activation were identified, as well as the problems that constitute barriers for these young people. Thus, this study report highlighted that the interest of young people to be active in the community is high. Among the areas of most interest in youth activism were sports, art and literature, while those of least interest were voluntary street cleaning activities in common spaces. Meanwhile, in terms of the barriers faced by young people, which were found to be relatively significant, they led the confrontation with mentality and stereotypes, especially in relation to gender issues.

This report also brought relevant recommendations for intervention opportunities and improvement of the problematic situation, further encouraging the growth of youth capacities, the empowerment of young people and their training with increased potential in employment and socio-financial well-being, as well as social intelligence.

 

*This evaluation report was compiled by the expert contracted by AMAD as part of the project “Power Zone: Increasing Youth Capacity”, supported by the National Youth Agency (AKR) and the Minister of State for Youth and Children.

Raporti_rritje kapacitetesh_Baseline

Call for participants in community meetings – “Colors of Humanity” project

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Public call for engagement against discrimination and hate speech through participation in focus group meetings, panel of discussions, round tables with stakeholders, online and offline awareness activities, as well as advocacy.

Teachers and parents are especially invited to apply and be part of our campaign, as shapers, educators and representatives of the two basic “cells” of the society’s organism: family and education.

The activities will take place for the remainder of 2023 and throughout 2024.

Apply now!

Youth Tea Talk and European Union Integration

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Meeting of AMAD’s youth workers and activists with Tirana Municipal Council member Klodiana Beshku, professor of Political Sciences lecturing Geopolitics and International Relations’ Theories. Discussions focused on youth empowerment, career, discrimination, EU integration and Albania’s path towards EU membership, freedom of movements in the Internal Market and opportunities for youth, national and local strategies for youth employment in Albania, etc.

“Youth Tea Talk and EU” gathered experts of politics, EU studies, youth workers and youth activists in a roundtable of discussions to talk about:
🔹 The empowerment of young people
🔹 Career orientation
🔹 Labor Market in Albania
🔹 National Youth Strategy and the local ones
🔹 Integration of Albania into the EU
🔹 EU policies for youth empowerment
🔹 Trend of internal and external migration (in EU countries) – barriers, the opportunities and challenges.

This activity was carried out as part of “Fuqizona” program in revitalizing the activism and also promoting EU values that stands also in our “Colors of humanity” projects, co-financed by the EU and “Growing youth capacities” supported by the Minister of State for Youth and Children and National Youth Agency in Albania.

@amad_center ⭐️@agjencia_kombetare_e_rinise ⭐️

🔛🔜Such activities will take place during the month of May (as the Month of Europe).

 

 

AMAD, member of Anna Lindh Foundation

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AMAD Center is now officially a member of the Anna Lindh Foundation network as part of the Anna Lindh Foundation – ALF – Albanian Network. This is another milestone in regard to the issues that affect human rights, respect for human dignity and freedoms, promoting social cohesion, solidarity and especially focusing on gender issues, etc.

 

See more at: www.annalindhfoundation.org/members/amad

#qendraamad #NukHeshtim #FuqiZona #women #womengirls #nushhtim #new member #AnnaLindhFoundation #human rights #solidarity #gender equality #non-discrimination #break the silence #Break the silence Against Domestic ViolenceEmotional Violence.

Increasing youth capacities in soft skills and digital skills

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This project responds both to the need of young people in finding themselves approaching the labour market, and the need to improve the capacities of youth workers, who must be professionally prepared in the treatment of young people, career counselling and assisting their need in developing digital skills and soft skills.

Through this project, AMAD aims to promote the education of young people, especially youngsters with fewer opportunities due to the socio-economic factor, with an approach focused on digital skills and the development of soft skills, interaction with other young people and more importantly, civic education and active involvement. A website, which will become a Virtual Youth Center, designed, and built by the targeted youngsters is brought as an innovative approach by this project after the trainings and mentorship in design, programming, Microsoft packages, content creator, etc., as well as those for training soft skills, such as: communication, critical thinking, etc.

The empowered group of youngsters in this project will bring a drafting of a project proposal by the youth themselves, on a specific chosen topic by them.

This project will have a duration of 10 months for the realization of the planned activities and will be realized with the support of the National Youth Agency (AKR) and the Minister of State for Youth and Children (MSHRF).

 

International Day of Human Rights 2022 and the 16 Days of Activation of the #NukHeshtim (#Break the Silence) campaign

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Today, on International Day of Human Rights, we conclude 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence. During this year, 25 November – 10 December 2022, the activism campaign focused on the inclusion through photo-messages of various representatives and stakeholders of our society. Conveying awareness messages against gender-based violence brought the spirit of inclusive activism and empowering of human potential in unfolding our values, in mutual respect, tolerance, understanding and kindness.

The people involved – in the 24 individual photo-messages published online – play an active role also in the community and reach a multitude of intellectual backgrounds from different areas, interests and group-age, such as: journalists, activists, public administration officers, teachers of different levels (from kindergarten ones up to the university professors), lawyers, youth workers, sociologists, students, musicians, politicians and experts in politics, health workers, tourism promotions, health care workers, educational management staff, etc. The messages came from women and girls as well as men and boys, conveying messages against gender-based violence, not just violence against women and girls.

Since the beginning in 2018, one of AMAD’s campaigns has been #NukHeshtim (#BreakTheSilence), which mission is the reaction to countering and eliminating violence, in any kind of environment, form or target group. Strengthening the functioning of the National Violence Referral Mechanism has been the aim of the ongoing and following activities. A related focus of this campaign is gender-based violence.

Browse the photo-message gallery below to read more about the action taken in 16 Days of Activism by AMAD, 2022.