Participants in OriginAL will engage in immersive experiences, exploring the cultural heritage, history, language, and traditions of Kosovo and Albania. The program aims to strengthen participants’ sense of identity and deepen their understanding of their ancestral roots.

For the first time this year, OriginAL offers flexibility by allowing applicants to choose their preferred participation period. This innovation ensures that more young individuals can participate in this life-changing opportunity at a time that best suits their schedules.

Eligibility Criteria:

• Must be of Albanian heritage.
• Aged between 18 and 24 years.
• Interest in cultural and historical exploration.

How to Apply:

To apply or to find out more about eligibility criteria and program details, please click the link below.

APPLY HERE

About The KNK Community Foundation Project

Launched in 2023 under the auspices of the Global Albanians Foundation, the KNK initiative seeks to formally establish a community foundation by 2025. The foundation aims to:

• Empower Local NGOs: Enhance the capacity of Korça’s NGOs to secure and efficiently utilize grants.
• Drive Diaspora Engagement: Develop fundraising strategies targeting the Albanian Diaspora and businesses within Albania.
• Foster Partnerships: Collaborate with development organizations to secure technical and financial support.

How to Apply

If you’re ready to take on this rewarding challenge, submit your application by emailing your Letter of Interest and Resume to info@globalalbanians.org by March 31, 2024. The selection process includes interviews in both Albanian and English, reflecting our commitment to local engagement and global perspective.

Join Us

This is more than a job; it’s a call to action for those passionate about making a difference. Be part of an initiative that stands to redefine community support and development in Korçë. Your work with the KNK Community Foundation will leave a lasting impact on the community and beyond. Apply today and be a part of shaping a brighter future for Korçë.

Click on the Link to Learn More About the Job Position

This career opportunity is a unique chance to contribute to a groundbreaking initiative designed to empower the Korça community. Detailed information about this position, including application procedures and job requirements, is available for further review and download here. Join us in making a difference – your journey with the Global Albanians Foundation starts now.

As the name implies, OriginAL offers a new perspective on Albanian culture and heritage. The dream of OriginAL is to provide a unique and life-changing experience for Albanian youth that will take them on a fascinating journey to the homelands and inspire them to be a part of a Global Albanian community. Hence, program aims to offer Albanian Young Adults a new perspective about the homeland’s culture and heritage, and their connection with it.

OriginAL will be supported by our world-known soprano Inva Mula and the pianist, Genc Tukiçi. They will perform live for the program in the Town Hall Theatre of New York on the 24th of May.

“A dëshironi një udhëtim falas në Shqipëri dhe Kosovë?” – if you think that your descendants will have difficulties understanding this sentence, then it is time you join us and BUY THE TICKET for the concert now.

Take advantage of this unforgettable musical experience while supporting a great cause. Be part of an initiative that will transform the connection of the young Albanian diaspora generations with their origin. Be OriginAL!

The Global Albanians Foundation and GERMIN power the concert and the OriginAL program. Therefore, the renowned photographer Fadil Berisha, alongside Albanian-American community activists Mark Kosmo and Avni Mustafaj, will be your hosts of honour at this event.

#AlbanianDiaspora #homeland #youth #education #heritage #connection #Albania #Kosova

Besides having a lot of fun, we raised $25, 000 for supporting the Global Albanians Foundation and all the good things it does to help Albanian not-for-profit organizations worldwide.

Four teams were declared the winners. Nevertheless, this day was not just for racing. The participants had the opportunity to enjoy instrumental music.

The leader of GAF, Mark Kosmo, thanked everyone who was part of the First Annual Global Albanians Foundation Golf Tournament. He said that there were a total of 40 sponsors for the tournament.

Kosmo also explained why GAF was established. “Global Albanians Foundation, the idea was to be the umbrella for organizations in Albania and Kosova, for their activities”, he stated.

Kosmo also mentioned OriginAL saying that this program is based on Birth Right Israel and hopefully in five years, hundreds and hundreds of young people from the Diaspora will be part of it.

You can see some of the photos but also click on this link to see the video and other pictures from the First Annual Global Albanians Foundation Golf Tournament.

https://lnkd.in/ey3PPvk4

The event was attended by over 80 representatives of local and international institutions, the business community and civil society. The successes of GERMIN were presented to the audience, and above all, the OriginAL program was launched. This program aims to provide young people in the Diaspora with an unforgettable experience in Kosovo and Albania.

Anila Hyka-Smorgrav, co-chair of the GERMIN board, recounted her journey in the organization.

“GERMIN is one of the beloved organizations and the whole board is not only wonderful but in love and very connected. We want to do our best to help them as a group,” said Hyka-Smorgrav.

Meanwhile, the other co-chair of the GERMIN board, Avni Mustafaj, told a personal story of how his father left Albania for the United States of America during the 60s. Mustafaj told us that his father was among 30 prisoners in Korça, of whom only three survived, at the age of 18.

According to Mustafaj, he grew up with this story and for years he felt angry about what had happened to his father. But things took a different turn when he visited Albania for the first time.

“On May 3, 1992, when the plane landed in Albania, all that anger turned into the question ‘What happened here?’ The level of poverty and isolation, people seemed like they were being followed, and suddenly I felt like I found a place I needed, to understand and process everything. And now as we talk to each other, all of us board members realize that we have had the same pain, something that brought us to Albania and Kosovo.”

Mustafaj said that one of the ways to fill that gap is exactly the contribution to GERMIN.

In this event, one of the speakers was the Ambassador of Kosovo in Albania, Skender Durmishi, who expressed his readiness to cooperate with OriginAL.

“I am extremely happy to be given the opportunity to be part of this moment. This is a missing project, a project that will have an impact on generations “, said Durmishi.

This event was greeted by the Vice President of the Albanian Diaspora Business Chamber, Elisabeta Katiaj, who expressed the importance of cooperation with GERMIN, as a strategic partner.

The co-director of GERMIN, Sihana Bejtullahu, told about the activities of GERMIN since it was founded in 2014. She told the background and the reason why this name was given to the organization.

“A name inspired by a novel called Germinal, which means the sown seed, with the idea of growing into a flower, and this is the idea of how Germin started.”

The co-director of GERMIN, Lirim Krasniqi, revealed to the guests what OriginAL is and how the idea of creating such a program was born, a program that offers young people in the Diaspora a chance to enjoy their country of origin, from a different perspective.

“OriginAL means finding your roots, finding the Albanian origin, and is dedicated to the youth of the Albanian diaspora from the age of 18 to 24,” said Krasniqi.

OriginAL is inspired by the program ‘Birthright Israel’ and because of this, the Ambassador of Israel to the Republic of Albania, Noah Gal Gendler, was also invited to this event.

OriginAL aims to provide an educational and cultural experience for all young people in the Diaspora (18-24 years old), who for a few days will visit the most important historical sites in Kosovo and Albania.

The goal is to strengthen their sense of identity with their country of origin.

The call for applications for participants will open in May, while the two-week trip will take place on August 10-22, 2022.

“Through our partnership, we were able to offer the support for 50 farming families to recover their family economy through agriculture and to support 100 young people with self-employment skills”, she wrote.

 In addition, GAF and World Vision Albania & Kosovo were able to help 40 children with disabilities in Lezha with specialized therapy. 

GAF is happy for the opportunity to help and impact the lives of the most vulnerable in Albania and Kosovo, and for excellent partner organizations like World Vision.

Tomorrow is the big day, so we are announcing our plans today with more details to follow on Giving Tuesday.

We want to raise $100,000 before the end of the year for our OriginAL Program for connecting Diaspora and Homeland Youth to be implemented together with Germin.

The GAF is putting in $10,000, and Mark Kosmo, who is the Chair of the GAF, is also donating $10,000.

Will you join us at one of the levels below? Can you match Mark and the GAF at a level you feel comfortable with?

You may donate at any of the links below, but please note that we prefer donations on Facebook for matching donation purposes.

Donate on Facebook

Donate on Paypal

Donate with a Credit Card

We start today, and continue tomorrow, and throughout the month of December, and we thank you very much for your past, present, and future support. Gjithë të mirat.

Your purchases on Shqip Shop will show your love for your people, as the money you spend will provide income for small producers and further development of their skills. This support is particularly critical given the negative economic impact of COVID-19 over the past year.

Among the products listed in ShqipShop you can find folk costumes, traditional instruments, art and home goods, books, etc. For those of you who want to know more and get acquainted with the creators behind these special products, please visit shqipshop.org/pages/meet-the-aritisans and read the stories of all of the artisans.

Through Shqip Shop you are one step closer to the homeland.