YOUth can change the future for Kosovo

The “YOUth can change the future for Kosovo” has continued its path to empower the youth from Kosovo, as they continue to acquire useful knowledge to be impactful in their communities.

On March 11^th, PLAY Kosovo has had the opportunity to facilitate a training session on CPR and sport injuries. Six youngsters of the city of Ferizaj were involved in the training, as well as some members of our staff.

This activity was done thanks to our new collaboration with KFOR (Kosovo Force), and fundings from GlobalGiving. Few days before the event, we had the opportunity to welcome KFOR representatives in our office in order to discuss our plans for this activity as well as to share ideas and suggestions for a future, and hopefully a fruitful collaboration.

The training, provided by KFOR members from 546TH ASMC "Gators" happened in the “Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center” in Ferizaj. It covered everything from how to perform CPR, to how to treat and to prevent specific sport injuries, to which our staff as well as our young volunteers might be confronted.

Having acquired crucial, life-saving skills, our young participants will now be able to implement sport-based activities in a safely manner.

We would like once again to thank everyone who has supported our project through donations on the GlobalGiving platform!

As we are wrapping up the year 2022, the activities led by PLAY International as part of the project « YOUth can change the future for Kosovo » continued its path to empower youngsters from Kosovo.

On the 5th of December, the 13 youngsters from three different municipalities previously recruited and trained as part of our project have been certified, among other PLAY volunteers. This event took place in a hotel in Prishtina, and the event started with a small energizer.

This date during which the ceremony was held – 5th of December - is a very symbolic one, as it is the International Volunteer Day. It is a time of worldwide celebration of solidarity through volunteering, an opportunity to thank them for their service and to shine a light on their impact. In the case of our project, the youth implemented more than 50 game sessions with girls and boys from their communities, including the ones with special needs. Over the course of their time with PLAY, we offer youth trainings in first aid and child protection, give them opportunities to strengthen friendships and make new connections, and support them to lead groups of children in fun and active games.

One of our key areas of focus at PLAY International is to empower the youth of Kosovo with new skills to allow them to create concrete and lasting change in their societies. Inspired by the Scouts, during the certification day, a ‘Skills Booklet’ to remind youth of everything that they have learnt and to help them to show off these new skills to future employers and universities was handed.

The skills booklet is divided into different categories of skills; organisational skills, responsibility, interpersonal skills, intercultural skills, pedagogical skills, and knowledge. Youth tick for themselves whether these are skills that they have mastered, skills that they are still developing or skills which they don’t yet have. There is space in each section for youth to write examples of these skills from their own experience. These columns translate their experiences and talents into the language that employers and recruiters are expecting. If during an interview they’re asked to provide an example of their skills, they can think back to what they wrote in the booklet. After successful completing a training programme with PLAY International, each young person is given their own skills booklet, alongside a certificate of achievement and a small sports-themed gift.

Our 13 volunteers now have all the tools required and are qualified to continue to implement activities. Let’s encourage them to continue this way and to be as impactful as ever on their communities!

“YOUth can change the future for Kosovo” has proven to be one of the most enjoyable projects for youth of Kosovo. Having the goal to empower youngsters from different ethnic backgrounds by using sport as a unique tool, it gives youth from all ethnic communities a chance to change their own lives and positively impact on the future of others.

During the three-month period of August- October we had the opportunity to recruit and train an amazing group of 13 youngsters from three municipalities with the highest number of non-majority citizens, showing willingness and commitment to be part of the project. 

Conducted in August in a hotel resort located close to the capital, the two-day training aimed to empower youth with cooperative and collective skills by mixing theory and field work to ensure interactive work.

The method of education through sport develops and encourages life skills such as social, cognitive, emotional and addresses various social topics using sport and play. This unique methodology equips youth with leadership skills having to implement regular activities with children in their communities. While implementing activities they will be supported and visited regularly by our trainers.

Since most of the youth are members of local NGO’s or part of school clubs, we ensured that the sustainability would continue even after the project.

Being it a successful training, aside from sport session we found the time to share experiences, get to know each other, play games and have pool side fun!

During the last three months, PLAY International has continued its mission to empower youth from Kosovo. Two new cohorts of 19 and 20 youth have been trained on how to become leaders of socio-sport games for children from their communities.

Both trainings were led by our fantastic trainers, Sumeja Osmani and Senad Ramani. Special mention should also be made for our program team, who worked hard to recruit motivated and interested youth and ensure that they would all be engaged in all the different sessions and then implement games in their communities.

The first cohort gathered youth from six different municipalities and the second one from five different municipalities. As in the previous trainings, this allows youth to build relationships with youth from other communities, cities, and cultures and foster their open-mindedness.

The aim of both seminars was to introduce the PLAY cooperative and collective sports games methodology to the participants. The trainers led the seminars in a manner that mixed theoretical sessions with practical work in the field and ensured most activities were interactive. This does not often happen in other organizations’ seminars that the same youth attend.

The implementation of the seminars went very smoothly since trainers have been implementing them for about two years with different cohorts of youth coming from different communities and municipalities. During the seminars, the activities carried out included collaborative sports games and workshops on the concepts of trust, diversity, inclusiveness, and socio-sport. The focus was also done on cooperative games. These games engage participants in the pursuit of a common goal without competition through three spheres of interaction: the relationship with themselves (the common goal can only be achieved through the contribution and success of each player); the relationship with others (players win or lose together); and the relationship with the environment (the number of points achieved, the time limit, etc.). That is why it is always important for the youth to have access to a sports field during the seminar to train themselves in implementing sports games and get direct feedback from the trainers on how to improve their implementation.

One of the youth trained said, "The theoretical part from the trainers as from Sumeja and Senad was very clear to us. They covered current topics that we face with children every day." Another one said, "I think that after the 3-day training we are ready to cooperate with the children and carry out the activities in the best possible way."

Since the training ended, participants from the first new cohort started implementing activities with children from their community at the end of March and the ones from the second new cohort at the beginning of April. Our trainers started visiting them to monitor that all the activities are implemented correctly, and it’s pure joy to observe that all children enjoy these socio-sports activities!

PLAY International Kosovo and young volunteers engaged in the project “YOUth can Change the future for Kosovo” ended up the year 2021 with the same positive energy and willingness to transform Kosovar society into a more tolerant and inclusive one.

The month of November was marked by the second training for youth involved in the project. Indeed, on 5, 6, and 7 November, 14 volunteers from Fushe Kosova, Obiliq, and Graqanica gathered in Fushe Kosove for a three-day training under the kind gaze of our trainers: Senad Ramani and Sumeja Osmani. After the first gathering in December 2020, the first training in April 2021, the Summer Camp in August 2021, this was the second training in which the youth could participate. All these trainings have the same objective: bring young volunteers together, train them on the methods using of sport for social inclusion, and at the same time, allow them to get to know each other and to overcome stereotypes. 

All along these three days, the youth had the opportunity to be trained on 5 socio-sport sessions, to learn about inclusion and cooperation and to gain basic skills in sports leadership. Our trainers introduced them to the “life-skils” concept and to our socio-sport method to enhance their skills and knowledge on the approach of using sport for education and social inclusion.

The activities carried out throughout the seminar included collaborative sports games and workshops on the concepts of trust, diversity, inclusiveness, and socio-sport. Different modules were led to enable youth to both integrate these theoretical concepts and to learn how to well apply them through sports activities. Indeed, the youth could also enjoy a sports field to train themselves in implementing sports games and could have direct feedback from the trainers on how to improve their implementation.

One of the most important things during these trainings is that youth can express themselves regardless of their gender or ethnicity. Our trainers used several methods to provide youth a safe place to express their opinions and let them listen to others in order to let evolve their mentality.

Both, the trainers and the participants, noticed the benefits of gathering every three to four months. It allows the youth to maintain their relations, and especially to share their experience and best practices after several months of implementation of activities with children from their communities. These discussions and sharing only support the sustainability of our project.

In addition to the training held in early November, PLAY International Kosovo, in cooperation with a partner organization, The Ideas Partnership, organized the International Volunteers Day on 4 December. The young volunteers of “YOUth can change the future of Kosovo” could thus participate in workshops and hold speeches to raise awareness on the important role that volunteers play in responding to challenges the world is facing today and will face tomorrow. This event was also an opportunity for youngsters to reflect on the benefits of their volunteering experience.

Our volunteers are now ready to implement a wide range of inclusive sports activities with children and all our team is very proud of them! Our trainers continue supporting the volunteers by visiting them during the activities they conduct, and by advising them. Until we let you know how the implementation of these activities are doing, the teamplay International Kosovo team wishes you, a Happy 2022! We count on your generosity and will continue bringing you the news from our inspiring young Kosovar women and men!