ESC: Inspiring Others

The YMCA MOVEMENT (with the previous name the George Williams Youth Association in the last accreditation process) is a value-based organization made up of volunteers that aim to inspire and encourage youth leadership and assist in the healthy development of communities. The red triangle of the YMCA also embodies our values and approach to work, the team tries to ensure that all projects help people develop in mind, body, and spirit. The mission: To be an inclusive movement where people grow in mind, body, and spirit. ​ The vision: A strong, credible organization working locally, nationally, and Internationally. Building future and present leaders and investing in youth. Promoting peace and unity and celebrating each other’s differences and diversity. As a youth organization, we target young people from high schools mostly who make the most of our volunteers, members, and participants. However, our programs reach also children, elders, and adults with our charity work that we do. We serve the whole community through projects such as Charity Shops by delivering donations such as food, clothes, laptops, blankets to people and organizations in need. YMCA has a range of projects taking place across the country, while some are seasonal projects or are based around International awareness days others run all year round and help us build capacity and generate income. All projects we undertake need to be in line with our four pillars of work and they also need to be in line with our vision and mission. Our main youth empowerment program is our 'peer to peer' leadership program. Working with youth between the ages of 14-18 years old. The project helps develop leadership skills and encourages youth to embrace the 'pay it forward' methodology. Currently runs in Pristina, Gjakova, Peja, Deçan, Rahovec, and Junik. Each year more than 500 young people become part of the Leadership Project. Y WoMen is another program of ours that targets young men and young women. Through non-formal education the participants of this program by the end of twelve weekly sessions, get to challenge traditional stereotypes, shape their thoughts with critical thinking and have a safe space for sharing opinions, fears, issues. TenSing is an art program where young people who are interested in arts come together at the YMCA centers to sing, write, compose songs, act, debate, and practice dancing together. They form groups depending on the talents they want to explore and by team-building activities they create choreographies. While this program runs in 5 cities of Kosovo, they have a deadline of 3 months practising for the showcase where each group performs their art piece in front of each other. One of the most self-sustainable projects that we run are YMCA Shops in the model of a social enterprise. For the first time in Kosovo, the Charity Shops / YMCA Shops opened in Gjakova in September 2014 built on and based on SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) specifically SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) and SDG 13 (Climate Change) by selling only recyclable products. Today we count successes from the shop such as helping in creating new jobs, offering opportunities for volunteer work as well as scholarships for students. One of the strategic programs and the other model of social enterprise that we are implementing is the construction of the Non-Formal Youth Education Center "YMCA Camp Pjetershan". This project has come from the need for concrete investment for young people, creating the physical conditions of a residential center which can be used by children and young people in Kosovo being the first in the Balkans Western of its kind. The construction of the first residential center for youth in Kosovo with all European standards started in June 2018 and is expected to be finished for opening in summer 2021. We also are implementing projects like UP-Shift and Podium which are founded by UNICEF, where young people come up with an idea that will have a positive impact in the community where they live and they get trained by the mentors and then they have to pitch their idea in front of the judges. Winning groups get funds to implement their ideas and young people have the opportunity to experience managing a small project from start to finish.