“Let`s Empower Rural Areas” was a Training course organized by Albanian NGO “Women Toward Integration”. The training was held in Tirana from 15th to 22nd of May 2014 with 25 participants from the following countries: Portugal, Italy, Croatia, Poland, Turkey, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania and Macedonia. We were accommodated in cozy hostel, placed near the center of Tirana.
Beside the sessions that were strictly dedicated to problems of young people from rural areas and possible solutions to those problems, this training included sessions about: leadership skills, communications skills, youth unemployment in general, non- formal education, introducing the new “Erasmus+” programme etc.
Learning through exercise
The overall impression of the participants was that the intention of our trainers Ira and Francesco was not only to make us think and share our experiences and ideas about rural area issues, but to make us better people in general, people who are aware of the social injustice and are ready to fight against it. This was done through creative games, exercises, discussions, trips to local rural and urban areas and so on.
Near the Amphitheatre in Durres
Guided by host organization and participants from Albania, we were able to experience the night life in Tirana, visit Gjergj Kastrioti museum in Kruje, learn more about Albanian history and traditions.
At “Gjergj Kastrioti” museum
All in all, that was a week filled with laughter and fun (the only sad thing: saying goodbye to all those wonderful people we met there), a week that empowered and inspired us, but also made us crave for another experience like this.
Intercultural evening
The group in Durres
In the “Checkpoint Charlie” club in Tirana, having fun after the hard working days