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(Accursed Mountains) Albania, Kosovo, Montenegro

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(Accursed Mountains) Albania, Kosovo, Montenegro Multilateral Dialogue in the Prokletije/ Bjeshkët e Namuna (Accursed Mountains) Albania, Kosovo, Montenegro: 7 July - 15 August, 2014 Aho, Kelsey University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Context: Conflict within Albania, Kosovo, and Montenegro stabilized after Albania’s civil war in 1997, Montenegro’s independence in 2006 and Kosovo’s declared independence in 2008 in the centuries-old Prokletije/ Bjeshkët e Namuna region. The region, one of the poorest in Europe, experiences little to no mobility outside of the summer season. Due to many of the villages’ locations deep in the mountainous region and in close proximity to state borders, which the general population cannot legally cross, the conflict of the previous two decades influences the present. Therefore, the Balkans Peace Park Project (B3P), a proposed Transboundary Conservation Area, aims to connect nations that have a shared history, culture and natural environment in order to decrease potential regional conflict. The region comprises three national parks and international NGO’s focusing on the environmental responsibility. While these environmental concerns provide the region with a single identity rooted in the local ecosystem, there is still insufficient effort around connecting the region’s three states. The environment is common geographically and is the common provider of economic activity. All three populations invest in eco-tourism, and investing in their youth’s connection to this common ground prepares a way to move past the tumultuous 1990s. Therefore, alongside other environmental efforts covering the region, this project will specifically connect the youth, who are separated by political borders, continuing regional development by fostering multilateral dialogue on their shared environment. Summary: The mountain ranges, Prokletije/ Bjeshkët e Namuna (The Accursed Mountains), are home to the intersection of the three states: Albania, Kosovo, and Montenegro. This project will partner with the established UK non-profit organization (registered Charity no 1105447): the Balkans Peace Park Project (B3P). Annually, the B3P recruits domestic and international volunteers promote environmental and civic responsibilities in the Prokletije/ Bjeshkët e Namuna’s villages. Pejë, Kosovo; Plav, Montenegro; and Shkodra, Albania are the three largest communities within the Prokletije/ Bjeshkët e Namuna transboundary region. During the B3P’s summer program, this project will focus on historical and cultural education for the international volunteers and a multilateral exchange between the youth of Peje, Plav and Shkodra. A day-long presentation will be organized for each of the three groups of international volunteers, focusing on the region’s history and culture. Concerning the region’s youth, a multilateral dialogue between the three cities will promote regional peace found in the common environment. Objectives: 1. Promote peace through environmental dialogue within Prokletije/Bjeshkët e Namuna, 2. Educate the B3P-recruited summer volunteers about the local historical cultural diversity and contemporary multilateral relations between the states, 3. Organize a multilateral exchange between at least 20 youth of each community, regarding the environment, biodiversity, and conservation common to their ecosystem, and 4. Facilitate and plan for continuation of the international dialogue after the B3P summer projects conclude. The goal of this project is to complement the summer programs being held annually by the international community, by bringing the three politically divided states together Multilateral Dialogue in the Prokletije/ Bjeshkët e Namuna (Accursed Mountains) Albania, Kosovo, Montenegro: 7 July - 15 August, 2014 Aho, Kelsey University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill through the youth multilateral dialogue. This project produces a framework for future international collaboration within in the Prokletije/ Bjeshkët e Namuna region. Outcomes and Long-term Impact: This project is a foundation for sustaining peace in the Prokletije/ Bjeshkët e Namuna region by reintroducing neighbors through a multilateral dialogue. By sharing their personal understandings of their regional ecosystem they will encounter youth from different countries with similar interpretations and build a common respect for their environment. The youth will engage in visual and written projects that will be exchanged via mail. It is crucial that not only the region’s national parks are recognized, but the residents as well. Through both the international volunteer education and multilateral youth exchanges, environmental cooperation will be the tool for transcending political boundaries and to promote regional trust and stability. After the international volunteers have left, the multilateral youth dialogue will be continued by the local environmental organizations. B3P will have a continued seasonal presence in the Prokletije/ Bjeshkët e Namuna region, in order to gaurantee a sustainable future impact. The multilateral dialogue will be continued throughout the school year with the regional NGOs and later, theoretically, applied as an environmental framework for bringing youth together from other conflicted border regions. Proposed Timeline: February-April: Prepare historical and cultural curriculum for B3P’s volunteers, correspond with B3P to finalize dates for summer programs and volunteer arrivals, and finalize dates of exchanges with NGO’s from Shkodra, Pejë and Plav. May: Verify accessibility to materials (including classrooms), distribute notice of youth exchange within Shkodra, Pejë and Plav, and receive volunteer contact details from B3P. June: Gather conservation and exchange materials for youth, contact volunteers with preliminary multilateral material, and verify youth enrollment numbers (more than 20 can be accommodated, if requested). July-August: Arrive before volunteers, hold day-long education sessions for each volunteer group, meet with youth in Shkodra, Pejë and Plav, and facilitate exchange. Late August and after: follow-up with local organizations and provide materials for continued exchange, distribute evaluation to international volunteers about educational sessions, and submit final report. Project Partners This project partners with The Balkan Peace Park Project, which has been active in the communities for over 10 years. Located in Pejë, Environmentally Responsible Action (ERA) NGO promotes youth environmental consciousness, awareness, and responsibility. Along with Triton NGO in Plav and B3P-Albania in Shkoder, each region’s NGO will organize the youth exchange participants representing its city. Kelsey Aho ’14 spent 2012 working for B3P in Albania and in 2013 attended The XXXII International Seminar on Albanian Language, Literature and Culture at the University of Pristina in Kosovo. In 2012 she was named a Carolina Research Scholar and Buckley Public Service Scholar. She has working linguistic skills in both Serbo-Croatian and Albanian. .
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