As Europe’s newest country, Kosovo is building its own future. Less than 15 years after independence, citizens are engaging to ensure a strong democracy and thriving economy. New opportunities to develop multi-cultural relationships and create trust between diverse communities represent a bridge from the region’s past to its future.
Still, economic and political challenges threaten both stability and prosperity. Young people face an unemployment rate of more than 50%, significantly higher than their older counterparts. Youth are urgently seeking jobs to support themselves and their families, and without work, are vulnerable to risky behaviors and irregular migration.
Training in soft and workforce skills and entrepreneurship increases youth's community engagement, enhances stability, and reduces bullying and gender-based violence.
In 2020 and 2021, the COVID-19 global health crisis did not leave Kosovo untouched, but young people stepped forward to lead the response, joining community Emergency Response Teams to ensure social distancing and other measures to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus, as well as delivering food to vulnerable families with limited transportation and economic means.
Up to Youth
Global Communities is implementing a five-year Up to Youth Activity in Kosovo, funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), committed to improving the capacities and enabling the aspirations of youth so that they can contribute to and benefit from more stable, democratic, and prosperous communities. Global Communities works with young people in nine municipalities in Kosovo as they become sources of positive change, develop new life skills and build resilience. Young people ages 15-24, including those often marginalized or excluded, come together for leadership opportunities, developing advocacy and awareness campaigns, and launching social ventures. Up to Youth utilizes a Positive Youth Development lens, ensuring that the key principles of assets, agency, contribution and enabling environment are integrated across activities, as well as an evidence-based approach to youth learning.
Over 2,900
youth and parents participated in Up to Youth’s community outreach activities
Mobilized 630+
youth throughout nine partner municipalities to improve their capacities and skills to contribute to and benefit from better communities and livelihoods
133
youth completed the entrepreneurship and rapid market assessment workshops to assess their municipalities’ potential for future private sector engagement opportunities
Our work in Kosovo
Positive Youth Development
Equipping Young People for Leadership and Success
Economic Opportunity
Advancing Job Training and Market Linkages for Sustainable Livelihoods
Sustainable Development
Standing with Communities as They Shape Their Own Future
Water Security
Expanding Safe, Sustainable Water Access
Resources
Briefs & Case Studies
Providing home ownership opportunities for cooperative members – From USAID CLEAR Program
Vision 4 Housing Cooperative Society Limited, formerly a Community Based Organization, is changing the way members live through providing opportunities for home ownership. The cooperative, based in Nakuru County has created an avenue for members to buy plots and build their houses at affordable rates. The cooperative also provides training on income generation activities that…
Briefs & Case Studies
Turning Waste to Wealth: A Solid Waste Collectors’ Worker Cooperative Run by Youth – From USAID CLEAR Program
Kigro Recyclers was established in 2019 by youth entrepreneurs as a waste collection enterprise with a goal to tackle the growing problem of unemployment and garbage collection in the streets of Nairobi, Kenya. The youth do not operate like any other waste collectors’ group – they a worker cooperative, managed and owned by members themselves.…
Briefs & Case Studies
Building a supportive environment for cooperatives in Kenya through public policy making process training: CLEAR Program Learning Brief
The USAID Cooperatives Leadership Engagement, Advocacy and Research (CLEAR) program is implemented by Global Communities in Kenya to strengthen the cooperative business ecosystem. One of CLEAR’s three objectives is to improve the cooperative business-enabling environments through regulatory reform. To achieve this objective CLEAR has developed and implemented the Public Policy Making Process (PPMP), an executive…
Research & Publications
Facilitating behavioral change: A comparative assessment of ASHA efficacy in rural Bihar
Oskar Burger, Faiz Hashmi, Maciej J. Dańko, Santosh Akhauri, Indrajit Chaudhuri, Emily Little, Hannah G. Lunkenheimer, Sudipta Mondal, Nachiket Mor, Neela Saldanha, Janine Schooley, Palash Singh, Tracy Johnson, Cristine H. Legare Published: August 17, 2022
NEWS
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Kosovo Youth Contribute to Their Communities During the Pandemic
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