Kosovo Summer Youth Leadership Academy
Prevala/Prevalac, Sharri Mountains
Academy Overview
The Kosovo Summer Youth Leadership Academy is a unique residential program for high-school-age youth. Its goal is to prepare young people to be effective leaders and agents of change, dedicated to improving the lives of their peers in Kosovo. The Academy is a program created and designed by Common Ground Consulting in partnership with the Institute for Sustainable Communities and and funded by the U.S. Government.
The Academy will unleash the power of a core group of young people whose creative and leadership potential has been, until now, untapped by their communities.
Youth will participate in experiential learning activities and dialogue sessions designed to increase their understanding of human relations issues and of their own responsibility to create a community based on inclusion, trust, and mutual respect. Specifically, young people will:
- Develop a clear understanding of their unique leadership profile through participation in a set of highly-participatory group and individual activities;
- Develop new skills in public speaking, conflict resolution, goal-setting, time management, and peer education, among others;
- Forge lasting bonds with each other, addressing areas of conflict arising from stereotypes and negative socialization, and forming a cooperative, multi-ethnic network of young leaders.
In addition, a variety of social and recreational activities are part of the Academy such as different games, sports and other team activities.
Background
Whether Albanian, Serb, or Roma, the majority of Kosovo’s young people face the same challenges: inadequate education, few job prospects, and little access to practical skillbuilding or career counseling services. Secondary school drop-out rates are high, and those who do complete training programs still lack the skills to succeed on the job. According to 2005 data, the majority of unemployed graduates of vocational training provided via the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare (MLSW) tend to be under 25 and possess no more than a secondary school degree. These young jobseekers make up the vast majority of Kosovo’s youth—and its future.
For these young people, their poor economic prospects are intensified by their disengagement from civic life. The generation who grew up during the political limbo of the past decade lacks clear ties to a larger civic community. The result is growing feelings of mistrust, anger, and despair, fueling high levels of cynicism and the tendency to blame others for their misfortune. Anxiety about their future makes them particularly vulnerable to those who exploit fear and mistrust: extremist and nationalist groups, human traffickers, criminals, and drug dealers.
A critical generation is coming into its own, a generation that faces systemic divisions stemming from ten years of separate ethnic schools and systems, ten more years of U.N. administration, and the lack of a common language. In order for Kosovo’s youth to move beyond their grievances, many of which are legitimate, meaningful reconciliation must be grounded in shared opportunities. We believe that camp programs like the Kosovo Summer Youth Leadership Academy are an excellent way to build these bridges and help these young leaders chart a new course for their future.
