Photo Credit: USAID/Albania   USAID’s Interfaith Youth Camp participants attend a discussion session in a mosque. Participants, regardless of their belief or religious affiliation, attended ceremonies and visited the mosque, the Catholic and Orthodox churches, and Bektashi tekke in Vlorë.

Youth Camp Increases Awareness of Religious Communities in Albania

Opening Hearts and Minds
Youth Camp Increases Awareness of Religious Communities in Albania

October 13, 2006 | Vlorë, Albania

Youth from seven cities in Albania and five religious traditions gathered in the coastal city of Vlorë to share their religious faith, learn about the religious practices of their peers, and build lasting bonds during USAID’s interfaith youth summer camp. 

“The most important thing is the fact that we all had the possibility to interact, to know each other, to collaborate in spite of our religious differences and to feel part of the same team,” said Gentian Gjonej, a student of the Orthodox Theological Academy in Durrës. “Together with my friends, I had the chance to visit religious places of different faiths and to be part of their rituals. This was amazing, interesting and special.”

Sponsored by the USAID Fostering Religious Harmony in Albania project (RelHarmony) and the USAID FORECAST Training Program, these camps have hosted more than 200 Albanian youth since 2005. 

Participants include members of five of religious communities in Albania. Muslims, Bektashis, Catholics, Orthodox, and Protestants, from the ages 18 to 25, were nominated by religious leaders throughout Albania to participate in the week-long camps.

A good mix of fun and formal learning has succeeded in creating meaningful relationships among youth of different faiths. The camps have also taught these youth valuable community development skills and encouraged participants to develop their ideas into actual projects that could benefit their communities.

Through a grant provided by USAID, one group of participants from last year’s camp turned their idea of working with under-privileged youth in the poverty-stricken Tirana suburb of Bathore into a reality.  This multi-faith team opened the first Interfaith Youth Center in Bathore, which today is educating youth about Albania’s tradition of religious harmony and offering courses in computer skills, CV writing, and civic education.

By giving these youth both formal and informal opportunities to learn from and about one another, the camps have built significant and long-lasting friendships among youth of diverse religions and fostered a greater sense of civic responsibility.