Working together to make young voices count: The Youth Advisory Group and the OSCE Presence in Albania
Members of the Youth Advisory Group (YAG) of the OSCE Presence in Albania win you over at first sight with their straightforward talk, their unbridled energy, and their ability to speak their minds. Young as they are, they still manage to look like an old group of friends. They come from different geographical, social, and professional backgrounds, as YAG counts within its ranks young people from across Albania. Among them, you find excellent municipal administrators, bright journalists, sharp young police officers, busy health care workers and public relations staffers, juvenile justice specialists, and civil society representatives.
It was quite a journey for all YAG members, who change each year, with a new cohort of youngsters working with the Presence every year since the inception of the group, to factor in a youth perspective in all its projects; essentially acting as an advisory body.
“What makes YAG so special is the group makeup. The different background of each and every member adds value to the team and lends an overarching perspective to our work,” says Sara Gaçe, already a ‘veteran’ member of YAG since its inception in 2018. Sara, now a manager working for an important international development organization, was among the first to join the group. She witnessed the challenge of bringing young people together around a new and, until then, undefined job: advising a security and co-operation organization on how to make youth perspectives a more integral part of its work.
YAG is successful in helping the Presence reach hundreds of young Albanians through its ‘Youth Talks’: a series of semi-formal discussions on a large variety of topics from the role of young people in security issues and the importance of electoral reform, to co-operation between youth organizations and dealing with Albania’s communist past. The last such discussion was Fake News, Youth and Elections, held online on 25 March 2021. Over fifty participants from across Albania exchanged views on how to deal with fake news, disinformation, social apathy, and increasing youth participation in elections.
To be better equipped to fulfil their role, YAG continually meets with the staff from the OSCE Presence, providing their insights on planning and implementing programmes, enabling it to factor in a youth perspective in all projects. The goal of the Presence’s youth work is to empower young citizens so that they are well-informed and capable of participating in decision-making processes.
The OSCE relies on young people understanding how democracy works, through representation and accountability. Although Albania has one of Europe’s youngest populations, 83% of young Albanians respondents to the Youth Study Albania 2018-2019 claim not to have performed any internship during their study cycle, showing a gap between the theoretical and practical aspects of education. Moreover, missing capacities for them to master the challenges of youth representation in society leave state institutions often with very few reliable, accountable, or well-regarded young professionals with whom to engage. In view of this gap and building upon the OSCE Ministerial Council Declaration on the Role of Youth in Contributing to Peace and Security Efforts, the Presence established YAG and enables its members to benefit from capacity-building trainings, such as this year’s ‘Think Like a Leader’ online course. “I felt important and part of something big – bigger than the experiences I have had before – and I have met real professionals,” says Harris Mecolli, a member of YAG’s second generation. “The OSCE makes Albanian youth better, and Albanian youth make the OSCE great!”
Five new YAG members will continue alongside the previous generations while the Presence aims to further increase their participation in better implementing its youth-related mandate.
What started in 2018 with the cautious involvement of its advisory group in the implementation of activities, now amounts to a growing inclusion of its members in joint planning of activities. This includes projects such as the Youth Trail Camp this October on Media Freedom and assistance for the successful implementation of Tirana’s “European Youth Capital 2022”. By now, the Presence’s work with youth – in which YAG plays such a central role – is recognized by its national counterparts as well. “It is in our focus that through inclusion, non-discrimination, and equal opportunities for all young people in education and employment, to directly influence the further democratization of the country and the cultivation of a healthier society. Gratitude for the OSCE Presence in Tirana for the extraordinary co-operation with the joint projects in the service of youth, a co-operation we are always ready to deepen even more in the future,” Minister of Education, Sports and Youth Evis Kushi said in a message to the Presence on this year’s International Youth Day.
We can only look forward to seeing the good work that will continue as the Presence actively provides youth with a platform through which they can make their voices heard. “Communicating is inspiring! Listening and being listened to is inspiring! Having the professional space to exchange your core ideas; being seen as an equal by the same professionals gives you an entitlement, a sense of duty and service which I believe is much needed for youth to really contribute to society. The relationship between the Presence and YAG makes me hopeful for the future,” said Erisa Korumi, third generation YAG. The Presence shares the same hope, and we are enthusiastic that it is a realistic one.