A PARLIAMENT FOR TIRANA YOUTH

Young people from High Schools establish Tirana Youth Parliament

Tirana, 14 June 2018 – Young people from High Schools of Tirana presented today the Tirana Youth Parliament, a structure that will put them in the position of MPs for all youth policies in Tirana. The Parliament was conceived and supported, by CRCA Albania in cooperation with the Ministry of Education, Sports and Youth and the Albanian Coalition for Education (ACE), as a necessary mechanism for participation and mobilization of youth in Tirana and later across Albania.

Tirana Youth Parliament is the largest network of students from public High Schools, aged 14 to 19, who seek to improve their participation in public debates and democratic processes on their rights and responsibilities. The Parliament when it reaches its full membership will include 5 students from every public high school in Tirana with a membership of over 220 youth parliamentarians. The Tirana Youth Parliament is structured based on the model of the Albanian Parliament and has its own Commissions.

The parliament will promote child and youth rights their issues at local and national level. It will promote the design of new policies, laws and programs to support young people in Tirana and beyond, aiming to increase youth engagement, participation and representation in all stages of decision-making.

The students during the presentations voiced some of the main concerns of all the youth of Tirana such as bullying, discrimination, violence in schools and other settings, poverty, social issues, etc. In their discussions, they were also included in the touching issues of today's reality such as problems in the community, everyday life, in schools and in the family.

Before signing the Establishment Act, the Minister of Education, Ms. Lindita Nikolla, expressed her support for the Tirana Youth Parliament and that she was looking forward to the establishment of the National Youth Parliament. "We invite young people everywhere to engage and strengthen the accountability of all public officials by becoming part of youth parliaments" - she said.

Altin Hazizaj, on behalf of Albanian Coalition for Education and CRCA Albania highlighted that: “Tirana Youth Parliament represents a unified voice of young people and will work together with the authorities to improve the quality of education in the schools, protect children and young people from violence, bullying and exploitation, while promote the respect for child and youth rights.”

Over 18,000 students attend public high schools in Tirana. Children and youth participation is of a paramount importance for the democracy. It creates an environment where children and young people can express their views, get informed, inform the others and decide jointly with adults on what is best for them. This environment includes also spaces where children and young people can learn, share and build their experience in decision-making, while prepare them for their life, present and future education, employment and contributes to significantly reduce inequalities, discrimination and social exclusion.

For more information, please contact CRCA Albania in this address, infor@crca.al