2nd National Youth Congress

 focusing on concerns, requests and aims of the youth of our country that were addressed to the panelists, and in particular to the leaders of the country. This was an effort to have the youth voice heard as an echo and therefore become a defining factor for the different decision-making processes.

This event was attended by more than 250 representatives of the youth organizations and youth centers, students’ unions and national and international representatives. For the purpose of unification of the Kosovo youth voice about the problems they are facing, the national Youth Congress invited the candidates for the position of the Prime-Minister from the 5 main political parties/coalitions for the upcoming parliamentarian elections in Kosovo.

Memebers of the first panel were: Mr. Frank Hantke, Director of Friedrich-Ebert Foundation – Office in Kosovo, Mrs. Alison Storsve, Deputy-Director of the Political and Economic Office – the US Embassy, who gave their motivation messages for the present participants, and Mr. Enis Durguti from the Youth Congress who spoke about the work of the Congress for the past year, that is from the First Congress that was held in May last year.

The second panel members were the candidates for the position of the Prime-Minister, who had the opportunity to address to the youth and present their priorities about the Kosovo youth from their political party programs. Regardless of the opportunity for the leaders of the political parties to discuss with the youth, it was only two of them who decided to be part of this event and they were Mr. Albin Kurti from Vetëvendosje(Self-Determination) and Mr. Fatmir Limaj from the NISMA-AKR coalition. The other candidates chose not to face the youth and their requests, which mainly were calling for the improvement of the current situation and the inclusion of the youth in the decision-making processes.

Moreover, the youth participants presented their requests related to the areas of decision-making, education, employment, societal and cultural life and the about the youth fleeing the country.

This great interest of the Kosovo youth to be part of the Second Congress is a motivation for the National Youth Congress of Kosovo to continue tackling youth problems and challenges with the aim of having a unified youth voice and further empowerment of the role and position of the youth in the decision-making processes and in the society, in general.