OSCE Presence in Albania trains members of National Forum of Youth with Visual Impairments on organizational and strategic planning skills

Twenty young people from the National Forum of Youth with Visual Impairments participated in an event organized by the OSCE Presence in Albania aimed at enhancing their organizational and strategic planning skills. The event was held from 31 October to 4 November 2020 in Tirana.

The Forum is a national association of young people with visual impairments established to help them work together to defend their rights, overcome social exclusion, and represent their interests in the fields of public participation, education and access to the labour market.

The training addressed the need for a well-established structural configuration and methods for assessing objectives against achievements. Through group work and participatory learning, the Forum members were encouraged to define their organization’s mission and vision, differentiate between long-term and short-term objectives, and share a common understanding of advantages and challenges of their youth organization.

“Full participation of youth with visual impairments in all aspects of public and political life is possible only if they are fully aware of their personal skills, and their joint capacities to get organized and act as one. Good organization and proper planning are crucial for enabling people with disabilities take control of their lives,” said the head of the Forum, Jonit Ferhati.

The OSCE Presence has been supporting the National Forum of Youth with Visual Impairments since 2017 to raise awareness on the rights of people with disabilities and to empower its members to participate in elections.

“This year’s focus was to enable the Forum to develop an outline of its strategic and operational plan. This will help the Forum improve its local- and central-level activism. A new strategy with shared goals and objectives, covering public outreach, new enrolments, and member retention will enable the Forum to become the voice of the youth with visual impairments throughout Albania in the near future,” said Sihana Nebiu, Head of the Democratization Department at the OSCE Presence.

The support that the Presence gives to young people with visual impairments is part of its larger efforts to nurture active citizenship and empower civil society and youth in Albania.