Strengthening Future Communities through the Youth of Today Youth in Albania are a prominent influencing force in society today. Despite this, they still lack recognition from local governments and are therefore unable to reach their full potential in building effective and resilient communities. With this challenge in mind, the PLGP has set about the critical process of establishing municipally- recognized Youth Boards (YBs) in our six Women, Peace, and Security (WPS)- partnered municipalities. These YBs give young people opportunities to develop their potential and ensure participation and a voice in governmental processes that impact their futures and communities. Since 2018, the PLGP has facilitated the establishment and formalization of five YBs in the municipalities of Belsh (by invitation), Bulqiza, Cerrik, Librazhd, and Peshkopi. The Cerrik Youth Board was one of the first YBs created, a group of vibrant girls and boys that want to make a change in their lives and their community. Since its creation, the Cerrik YB members have been actively involved in various capacity building and community development activities, ranging from environmental days to “Bringing youth into the fold of the community advocacy and leadership trainings. and providing meaningful opportunities to In May, through a planning and visioning exercise, they developed their concept of an ideal city. This concept included architectural and environmental design, affect change helps prevent violent extremist services, safe places and citizen participation in local government. They presented ideologies from taking root, which is good for their projects to then-Mayor Altin Toska and Mr. Brock Bierman, Assistant your community, Albania, and the entire Administrator for USAID’s Bureau for Europe and Eurasia, both of whom appreciated their sincere passion and ideas. region.” - Mr. Brock Bierman, Assistant Further reflecting their care for public spaces, the Cerrik YB and students from the Administrator for USAID’s Bureau for Europe World Academy Tirana (WAT) met on May 29th, to take part in a collaborative and Eurasia environmental activity. The 40 youths met with the Mayor to discuss the role of the municipality in protecting the environment, planted over 30 trees and other plants in the city center and surrounding areas, and traveled to Banja Lake where they collected bags of trash before enjoying an afternoon picnic and team-building. In addition to developing a social space in Cerrik, The Cerrik YB has grown both in numbers and strength as they approach the one- USAID furnished a newly-renovated library within year anniversary of its creation. In addition to meeting with the municipality to the Palace of Culture in Bulqiza, transforming it organize and participate in various community activities, they also organize into a functional Youth Center which can now activities independently. Even such simple acts as meeting for picnics together, serve as a multipurpose space for youth and the builds the bond they share as YB members from diverse backgrounds, and creates community as a whole. The new Youth Center in opportunities to socialize. Bulqiza offers YB members and other youth from Cultural opportunities to gather as a community are limited in Cerrik. As part of a the municipality a public space to convene, broader communal effort, USAID/PLGP supported the furnishing of the cinema of organize activities and trainings, and access Cerrik. This new multicultural center (which houses the cinema) was established library resources. Through various social and with Italian Albanian Development Cooperation Program (IADSA) funds and educational activities, the Youth Center will represents the positive impact of collaborative donor efforts on vulnerable strengthen capacities of local young people and communities. The municipality inaugurated the new cinema with a celebration support their development as future leaders. The attended by 300 citizens, at which the Mayor expressed his and the citizens’ thanks Youth Center serves a crucial purpose for the for the support of USAID in this endeavor. The new multicultural center offers a safe and inclusive space for the whole of society to engage in social activities and youth in Bulqiza, as it is the only cultural and community meetings. The new cinema will revitalize and invigorate the artistic, artistic institution for them in the entire cultural, and social lives of citizens and will have a sustainable social impact on the municipality. Its operation brings added value not community for generations to come. only for youth, but for the entire municipality as well, and provides further credibility to youth’s role in building resiliency within their communities. .