From Bianca

So my week in Kosovo has finally come to an end and I’m back in the comfort of my own home reflecting on all the amazing things we have done. The experience I’ve had has been unreal and definitely life changing despite this being the first of the three trips I have participated in.
My first few days I was a bit apprehensive about meeting new people and going to a country I knew nothing about but as soon as I met everyone I instantly felt part of the team! YMCA Kosovo didn’t seem like much from the outside at first and I was not too sure of what to expect, but when we first entered, my gut feeling had told me this was a place that inspired and meant a lot more to everyone than just a few rooms. As the week went on and we got to meet the different young people who were involved with the YMCA, I was blown away.
I got the opportunity to meet some of the influential people within the world YMCA. Their passion and dedication to the YMCA is incredibly inspiring and I hope one day I can follow in their footsteps and achieve many amazing things like they have done and continue to do.
It was also an absolute honour to get to meet the UK ambassador and other ministers of Kosovo in the capital city! Hearing their views and opinions about the work the YMCA does and how they will support YMCA Kosovo was promising and very positive! Receiving my certificate from the UK ambassador was a very proud moment and one I got to share with my new friends in Kosovo as well as my friends, family and work colleagues back at YMCA Derbyshire.
This trip has reaffirmed my passion for working with young people, especially within the YMCA. My confidence has grown and my dreams I once had to start my own projects can now become a reality through the support of everyone I have met and will continue to meet. I am so proud to have been asked to be a part of this experience and I would not have changed it for the world. I cannot thank the team enough, especially the organisers! Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!!

From Naomi

What a week.

Here I am after my trip to Kosovo overwhelmed with emotions and thoughts by what I have learnt and experienced this week.

The first day we got there, it was a big reunion, seeing old friends and meeting new participants who would soon become good friends too.

We had been set some homework since leaving Northern Ireland, to research the history of Kosovo. I had watched a few documentaries about the conflict in 1998-1999 but nothing could prepare me for hearing personal stories from my friends about their experiences of the war.

As I sat and listened to the team from YMCA Kosovo share their stories, I couldn't help but shed a tear. These are my friends and to hear what they went through, well I couldn't even begin to imagine what it was like being a refugee or staying in a country of war. After the conflict had finished, people returned to find their homes and their towns destroyed, there was nothing. But instead of dwelling on it, the people of Kosovo worked hard to rebuild communities and create new lives for themselves.
What an inspiration that as a country they had the motivation to keep going to rebuild their livelihoods. Everyone of them are so strong and inspiring, we all could learn a lot from them.

The partition for Kosovo happened in 1999, and they became an independent country in 2008. Now Kosovo as a country are fighting hard to become part of the European Union. I don't really know too much about what impact the referendum will have on Britain if we end up leaving the EU, but it seems to me that we as young people, should be looking into this and thinking carefully about how we will vote, because if there are countries like Kosovo trying so hard to join, why is Britain fighting to leave? As young people we feel our voices aren't heard very often. Just because they aren't heard, doesn't mean they don't matter. Our vote in the EU referendum counts and it will make a difference. We just need to research more so we can make a decision that is right for us as individuals and not letting others influence our choices, not just in voting but in all walks of life. Being in Kosovo has made me realise that our voices are important.

Learning about the history of Kosovo has been fascinating and learning about the work YMCA Kosovo are doing is just as amazing. 65% of Kosovo's population are under the age of 25. Now from a population of nearly 2million that is around 1,300,000 young people. The YMCA is currently reaching 400 young people per week through children's work, youth projects and peer to peer leadership programmes, they are the fastest growing YMCA in Europe.

Whilst we were in Kosovo, we had the privilege of meeting and working with some of the peer trainers who volunteer to run the leadership programme. Their passion for the YMCA is so inspiring. They were all so committed to improve and help their community, that energy and passion could not help but be rubbed off onto us participants.

I am excited for the future of YMCA Kosovo as they plan to open a camp in a few years. I'm excited about what they can achieve and what impact they will make on their country. I hope to return one day.

Throughout this whole experience I have learnt so much about different cultures, youth work, leadership styles and skills, funding applications and writing proposals, games to play with young people,  the work of the YMCA in different countries and lots of other practical skills that will help me with my ambition to help young people, but the thing I will cherish for the rest of my life will be learning more about who I am as a person, the new great friends I have made and my ever growing passion for the YMCA.

Where to now?

As we sit in the YMCA in Gjakova as a group on the second to last day before this particular journey comes to an end, I am blown away. A rollercoaster of emotions. The centre here in Gjakova is nothing special; there are no climbing walls, no fancy equipment. In essence it is a couple of rooms with tables and chairs, projector and laptop with a few blackboards on the walls. YMCA in Kosovo reaches 400 young people every week. YMCA in Kosovo is doing some incredible things under difficult circumstances, all the young people have been affected by the war here. Such a young country with a young population bursting with potential.

So as I look around the room at the participants, I am amazed at the transformation I can see. That’s not touching on the transformation that I can’t see… just imagine! Some of these participants in the first week struggled to stand up in front of their peers and present; they are now volunteering to go first! Others have grown in confidence and faith in their own potential to make their ideas a reality. All have made networks and friends that will help and support them to make these ideas take shape.

From meeting the UK Ambassador, the Minister for Youth, Culture and Sport to young people the YMCA accesses. Watching the group deliver their own sessions to 40 young people in Peja (which is what we have been working towards) to watching them interact with some young people in Fushe Kosovo and interacting with some of YMCA Kosovo’s superstar volunteers/young leaders. Finding a balance between the cultural experiences, experiential learning and the training has not been easy and at times emotionally challenging for all involved.

Naomi stood up in front of the UK Ambassador for Kosovo and said that from this project she has learnt “if I don’t do it, who will”, Naomi is right, who will. The Amassador was impressed by this (and in fact appeared on his facebook!). I can’t wait to see what the future holds for Naomi and the whole group. They are not the future, they are now!

Andy (President of YMCA Ireland and part of the planning team) has spoken a lot this week about the YMCA is a place where we create spaces. Looking round the room, it feels like we have not only created a safe space for these young people to grow, transform and think about impacting on their community, there is a safe space here where they have created meaningful friendships.

I, for one, can’t wait to see what is in store for every single one of these individuals.

From Sam

Today was an emotional experience, meeting the young people of Fushe Kosovo who are on the leadership program level 2 and speaking with them about how they have developed and what their future aspirations are, exchanging hobbies and interests and seeing the similarities between them and us was inspiring. They have achieved so much in such a short time and are continually progressing with their education and finding the time to complete thier leadership program with YMCA in Kosovo. We also had the pleasure of meeting the ambassador of the UK in Kosovo, the Director of Work and Social Welfare and the Director of Youth. We were greeted with powerful quotes and messages from them all and we were praised for our achievements and presented with our Erasmus certificates for completing our Leadership Programme. We were all touched and proud of our journey together and hope to see many young people do the same in future. For me, this has been the best experience I have had in developing my skills and challenging my fears and anxieties, without this programme I would not have met all the inspiring people I have shared my journey with. I now feel I have the ability, skill and confidence to make a change at my local YMCA and be part of an extroadinary movement that continues daily all over the world. I feel proud to be part of such a huge community and without the opportunity I wouldn't be where I am today. Peace, unity and friendship always, Smahan Soussi. 

Three Nations - One YMCA

My job with YMCA takes me to some incredible places and this weekend is no different. It is 20.15 on Saturday 21st May and I find myself sitting down to have dinner in a hotel in a city called Peja in Kosovo. The hotel sits below the magnificent mountains referred to by the locals as the Albanian Alps. One young woman described the mountains as the country's treasure, the reason being on the possibility of increasing the number of tourists to her country and assisting in the economic development of this young nation, she is 18.

Two young women, one 17 and the other 18 hosted me for coffee this morning, they spoke with passion about how engaging with YMCA has given them a sense of purpose. The have just finished high school, one is going to university to study music and the other public policy. They talked about how they want to have a positive impact on their country. It was a wonderful experience for me to hear them. They see themselves as peer trainer within YMCA. Simply wonderful.

Put all this in context. It was just 20 years ago that the former Yugoslavia was plunged into one of the darkest periods in recent European history. Ethnic cleansing came into our vocabulary and we witnessed some of the most horrific images many of us have seen in our lifetime. I still have those pictures in my minds eye.

Today 60% of the population is under the age of 30. In 2003 YMCA was born in a new emerging country called Kosovo. Even today there are European countries who do not recognise Kosovo as a country. We witnessed this recently when the European Alliance of YMCA's was held in Madrid Spain and the Spanish government would not issue participants from YMCA Kosovo with visas to attend. With saying that, when YMCA England hosted the General Assembly in 2012 the British Government also refused to issue visas to those from Kosovo.

So, why on a Saturday evening am I sitting in Kosovo. Well some three or four years ago the National YMCAs in England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland started a programme called the International Leadership Programme (ILP). The programme was intended to provide opportunities to participants to increase their Leadership development skills by engaging with the International YMCA. Relationships were developed, one of the group fell in love with the National General Secretary of the YMCA in Kosovo, packed in his job at Bolton YMCA and moved to Kosovo where he then married the NGS. The relationships that had been formed at that stage continued and three of the origional ILP participants decided to attempt to organise a joint leadership programme between Northern |Ireland, England and Kosovo. Lead by the newly appointed President of YMCA Ireland (Origional member of the ILP) they submitted a bid for European Funding to support their dream. They set out to recruit five young leaders from Northern Ireland, five from England and five from Kosovo to engage a week long seminar in each of the countries. The Kosovo seminar is the final one in the series.

Here are the participants from today.

I learned today that YMCA Kosovo has four hundred young people under 20 on their leadership development programme every week. The worlds biggest youth charity contributing to the building of a young vibrant country lead by a young female NGS and some of the most fantastic young people I have had the previlage of engaging with.

Today I witnessed four groups of the programmes participants from our three Nations delivering leadership sessions for around forty young people from Kosovo. I am reminded again of the words of Ghandi when he said 'the little things you do today may seem insignificant but it is crucial that you do them.'

Today my heart sings!

From Naomi...

Pre-YMCA Kosovo

I'm sat here in the comfort of my own bed excited for the journey I am about to embark on.

Tomorrow I will be travelling to Kosovo to visit their YMCA and continue our leadership and youth work training with some incredible young leaders from YMCAs in Kosovo, Northern Ireland and England.

I have been researching Kosovo and have watched a few documentaries on the history of how the country got its independence, and what life was like for Albanians and Serbians before and after the war; however I am excited to learn more and experience these places and talk to people it has affected in person.

I expect like our previous trips, the week will be full of emotions and I am sure I will be inspired by the work YMCA Kosovo do.

So it's time for an early night, I will keep you updated on what we get up to!

General assembly

‘Making dreams possible’ at YMCA Europe.

And so there we have it. After four days of discussion, deliberation and – occasionally – compromise our aims for the General Assembly of YMCA Europe have been met. Towards 2020 we go.

Over the past weekend, I was fortunate to join a contingent of young people, staff and Board members from YMCA England at the General Assembly of YMCA Europe, in Madrid.

Acting as the ‘umbrella’ organisation of YMCA across the continent, YMCA Europe had invited all national YMCAs to meet over these days to discuss and ratify not only its next strategy but also the make-up of its new Executive Committee, for which YMCA England had put forward its own nominee, Martin Houghton-Brown.

It is on weekends like this that it becomes possible to witness first-hand the sheer scale of YMCAs not just in Europe but the world over. From Iceland to Malta and from Russia to Portugal, YMCA was represented from all over the continent with 27 voting countries in total. But before I talk about what we voted for and why, I want to speak a little about the YMCA people I met.

First, there was Laura and Pedro from YMCA Spain who were hosting us this weekend. Different from YMCA England in that their name is pronounced ‘Iimka’ rather than spelt out as Y.M.C.A, they took the time to speak to me at length about their health and youth programmes and to persuade me to join the 1,000 other people currently following its progress on its Facebook page.

Then there was Romulo, visiting Europe this weekend from the World Alliance of YMCAs (WAY). Romulo explained how Europe and WAY are inextricably linked and spoke of the importance of Europe in the world movement.

And finally, there was Birgir from YMCA Iceland. Birgir was due to step down from his Executive Committee position at this weekend’s elections, but still spent the time to talk to me and other newcomers at YMCA Europe about what the committee does and how it helps YMCAs all over the continent.

Everyone we met was as warm and welcoming as the next and, as we worked together to ensure we completed the tasks required for the weekend, it was possible to see just how close YMCAs are within this umbrella team.

On to the more meaty aspects of the weekend, here in bullet point format is a brief on what we achieved:

1.The new strategy: YMCAs across Europe approved a new continent-wide strategy in which YMCA Europe will “stand for young people”, “create spaces” and “strengthen the movement”. YMCA Europe will go further, too, prioritising youth empowerment; striving for peace and justice; using a social inclusion model to support refugees, asylum seekers and migrants; and provide tools to tackle the effects of poor levels of youth employment. 

2. The new Executive Committee:  It was within a room of heavy hearts that we bid farewell to outgoing YMCA Europe President Ed Eggink this weekend. Thanks go to him from everyone at YMCA England for all his hard work over his four-year term. Excitingly, however, we also welcome in a new President in Scotland’s Mike Wills and congratulate YMCA England board member Martin Houghton-Brown who has been elected as an Assessor to the Committee.

3.    Work plans: With a new strategy agreed, it was down to us on the final day to start to create work plans around YMCA Europe’s new strategic aims. Okay, we didn’t come up with the all answers but, together, we started the journey we need to go down over the next four years to be a success in the continent and make a difference to young people where we know it matters most.

So there we are, that was us at the General Assembly. Aims achieved and a journey begun together but as ever with YMCA internationally, it was about so much more than that. We also built networks, bridging the gaps between our respective organisations. In my career, I have often been told that your biggest strength is always your biggest weakness. So where YMCAs are federated and better able to respond locally to what goes on in their community, we’re also occasionally very alone. Thankfully, as we meet more and more over Europe, these gaps are narrowed and our work becomes better and more coordinated. Always local, always for young people but increasingly together.

My blog follows two wonderful pieces by the young people representing YMCA England at the Assembly and you can read both Gerald and Alice’s pieces elsewhere on Global Link.

Words by Andrew Mortimer, Communications Manager YMCA England

 Good evening from a warm and peaceful balcony in beautiful Madrid.

 We have so far enjoyed 3 productive, thought-provoking and lively days here in Spain as part of the   annual YES Network seminar which I have had the privilege to facilitate for the first time alongside   the other board members. This, as well as the fact that I celebrated my birthday yesterday night, may   go some way to explaining why my blog post is a little delayed - my apologies.

Gerald Chifamba - a new, but already valued member of the network - has done an excellent job in setting the scene and detailing some of the content of the seminar so instead I will share with you my perceptions of the values illustrated in the network over the week which I have been particularly inspired by.

1. Commitment

I should hardly be surprised, after all everyone here is involved with the YMCA in some way. But I have been so amazed by the hard-work and dedication of the YES participants during the seminar. We have discussed some pretty intense topics, such as the difference between activism and advocacy (still considering whether you can be one and not the other - comments welcome!) and have had a packed schedule every day. Yet, during our coffee breaks, free time, after the seminar has finished, people are still thinking, connecting and developing projects with one another. I am positive that if we can sustain this momentum we will be able to extend and strengthen our reach and visibility beyond the seminar and the GA more than we have been able to in previous years. Watch this space.

2. Critical thinking

This afternoon we were supposed to have a session which increased understanding of YE strategy 2016-2020 which will be put forward at the GA. We had allocated this a half an hour time-slot. We ended up scrapping our original schedule and critically discussing the strategy for a few hours. The facilitation of this session was of course spontaneous and so not perfect. However, it reminded me of why the YES Network's participation in processes such as the development of a new strategy is so important. I feel proud that, in my opinion, over a short space of time at the seminar we have been able to create a safe, equal platform for young people, who may otherwise not get to have a say on the strategy, and who come from all different levels of experiences, to feel comfortable to critically debate with their peers and hopefully take these points forward in the right manner and at the right time for maximum impact.

I can't wait to meet you at the GA soon if you will be there. If not, please do get/stay in touch and follow our work on the Facebook YES Forum!

Buenas noches,

Alice

Youth Ambassador update at YES Seminar Madrid 2016

This is a 'Guest' post from the Youth Ambassador and YMCA staff member, Gerald Chifamba attending the YES (YMCA European Spectrum) Seminar and YMCA Europe General Assembly 2016 in Madrid.

The pilot announced temperatures of 17 degrees in Madrid. I was greeted with a scorching 23 degrees with no cloud in sight. I think it will be a good week. Our friends from the Catholic Scout movement have kindly hosted us in a beautiful hostel in the suburbs. We have a long history with the Scouts, their movement's first meeting was in a YMCA and how wonderful it is that the YMCA is having a meeting in a Catholic Scout Centre.

They are 26 YES members represented from 17 nations extending as far west as Iceland and as far east as Armenia. We have nations with one YMCA centre and others with hundreds, all meeting to represent the views of young people at the YMCA Europe General Assembly. The diversity of the YMCA never seizes to amaze me and in this short time I've learnt new things about the work of the YMCA and the extent of their influence.

We met on Monday night and as YMCA people, we quickly connected and made friendships that will outlive this seminar. Juan Iglesias, General Secretary of YMCA Europe, welcomed us as always with encouraging words and great anecdotes to inspire our time at the seminar. The group has some of the most accomplished young people in all of the YMCA including a member of the World Alliance Executive Committee and a Chairman of a national movement. We shared our experience of the YMCA and received an introduction to what YES is all about. The evening was capped with a brief tour of the neighbourhood and an opportunity to see Leicester win the title. 

YES Group members approving the name change

Now the real work begins. On Tuesday, we focused on the meaning of advocacy and what role we play as young YMCA leaders and YES members in advocating for young people at the highest level of decision making in Europe. In focus groups, we discussed in more detail these concepts and also what projects we can develop to increase the influence of YES group and better advocate for young people. We also had to give a brief presentation about our nation and the work of our YMCAs. Needless to say, the YMCA do amazing work around Europe and my list of destination to visit has increased substantially.  

It was a long day of discussion, learning and sharing which warranted an excursion. To celebrate the birthday of our fellow YES member and YMCA England ambassador Alice Firbank, we explored the neighbourhood and indulged in local food and drink. It was a great evening that allowed for further discussion and bonding.

Day three and I woke up empowered to tackle the strategy proposed by YMCA Europe and take a closer look at the priorities, key objectives and expected outcomes outlined. We reviewed the strategy as a group and broke up to into smaller group to produce concrete comments to bring to the general assembly. We were fortunate to have Ed Eggink, President of  YMCA Europe Executive Committee, come and share his wisdom around governance and more. His talk was very inspirational as he described in great detail, the framework of governance at European level and also his own journey in the YMCA. One thing that stood out to me was his mention of responsibility, young people must take responsibility in the YMCA and in their life. It is simple but very important to the work of YES and within youth empowerment.

                                                            

Finally, I met very interesting people. In the pictures above, I was laughing with Kristina Mirsalimova, Chairman of YMCA Belarus. She is a very interesting lady and told me if I ever visit Belarus, I should not expect people to smile. Besides her, in Belarus people do not smile. I also met Karolin Jogel from Estonia. She is the last person (according to her) with the family name Jogel  in the world. 

As always, YMCA gatherings offer an opportunity to learn, connect and share and the YES seminar is no different. I hope to bring my knowledge from this experience to the General Assembly in the next few days and back to our national and local YMCA. 

Gerald Chifamba 
Youth Ambassador