European Youth Capital – what does that even mean?
The European Youth Capital is a title given by the European Youth Forum (EYF), created to empower young people, participation of young people in society and to strengthen the European identity.
Every year, one European city is given the chance to express its ideas, projects, and innovative activities that aim to empower young voices and bring new youth perspectives to each and every aspect of the city life. For more information about this title and European Youth Forum, you can check this link: European Youth Capital and European Youth Forum.
Tirana, the capital of Albania and its largest city, is the European Youth Capital for 2022. The mission of Tirana European Youth Capital 2022 is to stimulate young people in becoming more proactive in matters that concern them, to be more focused to utilize every existing opportunity in the meantime to generate change and realize their transforming ability as agents of positive and long-lasting change.
Why Tirana?
Tirana was announced European Youth Capital in 2019, in Amiens, France, and the official relay of this title was received in 2021 in Klaipeda, Lithuania during the closing ceremony of Klaipeda European Youth Capital 2021. In 2018, after several months of reflecting and concerting meetings, National Youth Congress decided to reach the Municipality of Tirana as the responsible institution for the local governance of Tirana to build a cooperation bridge in order to apply for this title.
The National Youth Congress is an umbrella type of organization for organizations, informal groups, and partisan youth forums, with a representative group of more than 120 entities, with the goal of information exchange, youth matters concerns, and their unfolding, advocating, and lobbying in order to resolve these matters and growing capacities for each and every entity that is part of this network.
After a journey that lasted more than a year, the workgroup of the National Youth Congress, in cooperation with the Municipality of Tirana, was able to build a fully detailed and highly ambitious project program, which was valued by the jury of EYF as the winning application, enabling this way the title given to Tirana as a European Youth Capital for 2022.
The common work of the National Youth Congress and the Municipality of Tirana was awarded due to the focus on the youth and the program that aims to bring a youth perspective to every aspect of city life.
Tirana EYC 2022 reveals itself as a macro program and an excellent opportunity that will last 365 days, during which a project and initiative-filled calendar will come to life and these will include a wide area of ideas that have as the main focus our youth. Under the slogan Activate Youth, Tirana European Youth Capital 2022 program encourages active participation through intertwined themes. They have as their focus the needs of young people of today and tomorrow, informal education and the creation of synergy and better European practices for the city of youth.
Tirana has prepared a rich program, featuring more than 100 events aiming at promoting volunteerism, empowering youth organizations, and creating networks and synergies among young people from all over Europe! The Opening Ceremony contained special artistic performances and speeches, as well as a big party for young people. Find out how to get involved here or on the Facebook page.
Bonus Info: Novi Sad was European Youth Capital for 2019, so check it out here.
Author: Jovana Božičković
