Tirana Roadshow “Diversity and Inclusivity in Youth Leadership: Empowerment through Innovation”
Centre for Comparative and International Studies and Tech360 organised on 25th July 2019 roadshow in Tirana, Albania entitled: “Diversity and Inclusivity in Youth Leadership: Empowerment through Innovation”. This roadshow brought together Roma and non-Roma youth got who shared experiences and ideas on diversity and inclusivity and engaged in discussion how innovation can empower marginalised communities and particularly youth.
The roadshow was organised at the Youth Centre in Tirana in cooperation with local organisations such as Institute of Romani Culture in Albania, KPT Centre and Professional College of Tirana, Mesdheu Centre. It was the second roadshow of the project, co-financed through a sub-grant provided within the project “Divided Past-Joint Future”, funded by the External Actions of the European Union.
Anisa Curraj, project coordinator, briefly introduced the project and its donor as well as the roles of CCIS and Tech360. Prof. Assoc. Dr. Nevila Xhindi, Community Liaison Expert and project manager at Mesdheu Centre, engaged the participants in discussions about current policies on diversity and Inclusivity of marginalised communities in Albania. Bledar Taho, Executive Director of Institute of Romani Culture in Albania, did a presentation on leadership and how youth leadership is paramount to building respect for diversity and inclusivity. His presentation was backed up by testimonials of youth community leaders participating in the roadshow. The added value of the roadshow was the presentation of Lutjona Lula, Western Balkans Alumni Association (WBAA), who talked about youth activism in light of Europeanization. She engaged the participants in discussions about the role of activism in empowering marginalised youth and what does this mean in the European context and Albanian perspectives to join EU.
Finally, Anisa Curraj, project coordinator, engaged the participants in discussions about the role of innovation in empowerment and inclusive society all the while keeping respect for human rights and diversity. All participants shared their views and experiences in their local communities regarding respect for diversity and inclusivity. At the end video documentary with testimonials was prepared.