YOUth can change the future for Kosovo

As PLAY International prepares to begin a new project cycle at the beginning of 2020, it is also celebrating 20 years (1999-2019) of changing young lives in Kosovo. As we consider the next step in this journey and get excited about identifying the young people who will become a part of the project for the next two years, we have been reflecting on how Youth can change the future for Kosovo, by taking a look back. This is the story of one young ethnically Albanian woman from the divided city of Mitrovicë/Mitrovica, who was one of 40 young people who took part in the project in 2018 and 2019.

In a recent interview with Mathieu Menard – a journalist from France writing about the 20^th anniversary of the 1999 Kosovo war – Drenushë (pronounced Drenousha) began by telling him why she joined the project: “A few years ago, a friend told me she couldn’t come to my birthday because she was working as a volunteer for PLAY on the same day. I became very curious and wanted to know more about the association that deprived me of my friend during my birthday party. When she explained what activities she was doing and why, I knew right away that I wanted to become a member of this volunteering program!”

In a city divided during the 1999 war along nationalistic and ethnic lines but connected by a few bridges over the river Ibar, most ethnic Albanians and Serbs never venture over the river to the “other side” for fear of violence. Through participating in PLAY’s project, Drenushë has managed to build a personal bridge over this divide, made new friends and even managed to visit parts of her city where she had never been before. “I thought it really was a great opportunity to make some friends from other communities, including Serbs!” she says. “Before meeting them, I was afraid because of what my parents had said about them. Now, we have coffee together on both sides of the bridge!”

Reflecting on her experience, Drenushë spoke about how being a part of the project has opened her eyes about many of the common assumptions and prejudices that dominate daily life. “This experience made me more open to children and taught me how to interact with them, how to better understand their psychology. By engaging with PLAY, I made many discoveries and formed my own opinions, despite what my parents told me about other ethnic communities. I think we are all equal, regardless of our origins; this is what I try to make my Albanian friends understand.”

While her point of view has changed dramatically, she knows that not everyone thinks in the same way that she does. However, with the confidence she has built from being part of the project, she knows that her journey is well-underway. “I haven’t yet succeeded in changing my parents mind about the stereotypes, but we need to change and progress! The past is the past and we need to live differently now! My curiosity has been awoken by this experience.”

With the help of the funds raised through GlobalGiving, PLAY is embarking on a new Sport4Youth journey in 2020, with a new group of youth volunteers in the municipalities of Fushë Kosovë / Kosovo Polje, Lipjan / Lipljan, Obiliq / Obilic, and Shtime / Štimlje. We are looking forward to sharing the challenges and the rewards we face along the way, and the life changing impact of the project on these young people that your support makes possible.

PLAY would like to acknowledge the contribution of Mathieu Menard and Hans Lucas for the photos and the interview with Drenushë.