The first generation of the School
of Leadership, Public Speaking and Debate, started in April 2017. During the
admission phase, the staff received more than 200 applications coming from
young professionals who were eager to engage in this experience and develop
their leadership skills. On April 29th, 2017 together with 40 selected
applicants, we began our journey to leadership, a road we are walking even
today with more enthusiastic young people.
Who were the lecturers:
Adi Krasta – Adi is the model contemporary
Albanian journalist and one of the most loved moderators of the Albanian
people. He is the moderator of five editions of the Festivali i Këngës in the
Albanian Radio Television and a longtime collaborator of the worldwide media
service BBC. Known for his extraordinary moderating style, his name represents
the brand of a real professional for decades.
Grida Duma – An
extraordinary example of a leader, Grida is the personification of the Albanian
woman who can overcome challenges successfully in a variety of fields, contrary to what stereotypes in our social
prejudice about the role of a woman. Candidate for leading the Municipality of
Durrës, director of the PR inside the political party she represents, lecturer
in prestigious academic institutions, these are just some of the roles that
have seasoned her into the professional she is today.
Sonila Kapidani – Sonila has an creative
soul, made evident by the uniqueness of her art. She started her artistic journey
with the piano and continued later with film directing– especially related to
what she holds most dear– teaching. Kapidani, gives her effiorts to education
because she believes that if the new generations are educated with arts since
their childhood, they wouldn’t commit the same mistakes that youngsters do
nowadays. She is a unique professional in the field of public speaking not only
in Albania but abroad.
Rosela Gjylbegu – Rosela is the
perfect synchronization between artistry and professionalism. She is a well
know name in the Albanian music world and using this same dedication and
professionalism she found her expertise into the field of social sciences and
public relations. Since 2009 Rosela works in the Parliament of Albania, in the
Department of Public Relations. From her story, you can understand that success
is achievable, not only in one field but even more at the same time.
Naser Selmani – Naser is a
representative of the Association of Journalists of Macedonia, an association
which aims to represent all journalists. He has a well-intentioned, honest soul
and he continues strongly to support the right decisions. His expertise in
journalism and long experience in the civil sector encouraged his engagement as
an analyst and critic of the different phenomena that our community is facing.
If there is a figure who has a great sense of critical thinking and defending
that opinion publicly, then for sure that is Naser.
Sefer Tahiri – As a well-known
Albanian professor, Sefer has left his mark on the area of journalism in
Macedonia. His expertise in the area of communications is also reflected as a scientific
collaborator in the sector of intercultural, historic and language relations
between Albanians and Macedonians with other nations of the region. He is director
of postgraduate studies of the Institute for Spiritual and Cultural Inheritance
in Skopje and his contribution is evident in various projects.
Pranvera Kasami – Pranvera started her professional journey in the civil sector facing challenges and welcoming all the opportunities that were offered. A lawyer, which even after successfully passing the bar exam, insisted to challenge herself with two new master programs in Political Sciences and Project Management. She is known for her expertise in communication and public relations, serving in this field as a consultant in the civil and commercial sector in which her input has been acknowledged by Chartered Institute of PR and London School of PR, where she graduated in programs equivalent to masters. She has excellent skills in the field of diplomatic and international relations, being guest of American Congress in numerous important high elite gatherings.
To celebrate the knowledge in
practice, the participants, lead by the trainers had to conduct two
mini-projects, where everyone would play a significant role and experience
leadership-in-deed. These are the results of the three mini-projects.
Youth Engagement in Politics
This project was ideated by one of
the working groups at the School. The primary aim of the project was to engage
young people and motivate them to become active in the political life in our
country as a way to influence decision making and use their voice for issues
important to them. A significant number of activities were done within this
project: lectures with high school students, round tables with professors and
University students, simulations and similar.
Raising Awareness about Autism
The second group worked on the
issue of raising awareness on the public about autism. The group concluded that
a lot of citizens have family members and contact with autistic people but only
a small percentage knows about this disorder. Lectures with students of Pedagogy,
Psychology, and Sociology were conducted to spread awareness. The group made leaflets,
conducted several workshops with educators, teachers, in the mosques where a
mass of people go and, in the city, to educate citizens about this topic. As a
result, they were able to contact a wide range of citizens to help them get
informed.
