Based on the issues raised by NPOs at the National Conference of Civil Society in December 2020 and the interest of organizations participating in the thematic workshops of the conference, on March 10, 2021, the National Resource Centre and Partners Albania organized the online networking event “Sustainability of Youth Organizations in the Pandemic and post-pandemic period”.

Over 80 representatives of NPOs, donors, representatives of central and local institutions in the country, academic institutions and the media participated in the event and discussed the challenges, addressing them and strategies to provide support to youth CSOs in the country.

The situation of Covid-19 has been accompanied by changes in the programs and field activity of CSOs and has affected their financial sustainability, especially of local organizations.

The participants in the networking event brought an overview of the situation during the last year of youth organizations and their activity, presented some success models and shared information on programs and strategies of institutions and organizations and youth networks. Invited to the event were also government representatives at the central and local level, Ms. Aspasiana Kongo, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Education, Sports and Youth, Ms. Anisa Subashi, Director of Social Services in the Municipality of Tirana and Mr. Engjell Gjugja, Municipality of Shkodra, which shared with the participants some of the strategies undertaken by state institutions in the country in support of youth, youth organizations, affected by the Covid-19 pandemic situation.

The event created networking opportunities for CSOs and other participating institutions, offering them the opportunity to generate contacts, present their work and specifically discuss promoting dialogue and cooperation of all stakeholders and groups of interest in creating an enabling environment on this issue.