BALKAN YOUTH ACTIVISM

Balkan Youth Activism (BYA) is a dynamic, community-based, non-profit youth organisation founded in 2018 in Korçë, Albania. Our mission is to empower, mobilise, and connect young people across Albania and the Western Balkans by promoting civic participation, human rights, education, social innovation, and intercultural dialogue. We work to strengthen youth engagement in society and to ensure that all young people—especially those with fewer opportunities—can actively participate in social, cultural, educational, and democratic life. BYA implements a wide range of youth-centered activities including non-formal education programmes, youth exchanges, capacity-building trainings, community initiatives, advocacy actions, research, volunteering programmes, and creative cultural events. Our areas of work cover human rights, democratic participation, education, innovation and entrepreneurship, employment, environmental protection, cultural heritage, sport, arts, health promotion, and multimedia. Our target groups are diverse and inclusive: students, young professionals, rural youth, ethnic and linguistic minorities, young people with disabilities or specific needs, and socially or economically disadvantaged youth. We provide them with opportunities for learning, leadership development, intercultural exchange, volunteering, and active citizenship. With strong partnerships at local, national, and international levels, BYA acts as a bridge between young people and institutions, ensuring