On 23 August 2024, the Belgrade Centre for Human Rights (BCHR), SHARE Foundation, and the Center Science and Innovation for Development (SCiDEV) co-hosted the second workshop within the activity “Peer-to-peer learning and research design” under the project “Youth Participation in Digital Democracy: From Digital Skills to Digital Rights of Youth with Fewer Opportunities in the Western Balkans” (EYDR). The session gathered partners from ESN Tirana, CCIS, and the National Youth Agency (NYA), and focused on strengthening the analytical capacities of the Albanian research team.
This workshop served as a continuation of the first training organised in May, building on the progress achieved in data collection over recent months. A third workshop is planned for September.
During the session, SCiDEV presented an overview of Albania’s completed research activities. The Albanian team conducted six in-depth interviews—three with digital rights experts and three with youth leaders—along with two focus groups including a total of 15 participants, of whom six were youth from vulnerable groups, such as rural communities, Roma youth, religious minorities, and young people with hearing and speech disabilities.
Albania also successfully conducted a national survey between June and August, collecting 213 responses. To boost participation, SCiDEV integrated a youth-friendly incentive model, offering respondents the chance to win practical prizes such as headphones, power banks, thermoses, hoodies, and other items related to digital engagement. Additionally, the team completed several case studies covering examples from Albania, the Western Balkans, and Europe.
The Association for Responsible and Sustainable Development (UZOR) reported that the Montenegrin online survey reached 247 responses, with interviews, focus groups, and case studies scheduled for September.
BCHR and SHARE provided targeted feedback on the preliminary findings and the ongoing analytical process. Key recommendations included:
At the conclusion of the analysis phase, Albania will publish the report “Mapping Youth Participation in Digital Democracy: Digital Skills, Literacies, and Rights” in English, accompanied by a policy brief in Albanian. The findings and prizes from the survey will be presented at a public event in Tirana. Montenegro will publish its own national report in English, accompanied by a brief in Montenegrin.
BCHR and SHARE will continue supporting and mentoring research teams to ensure the methodological accuracy, comparability, and overall quality of outputs across partner countries.
DISCLAIMER: This article is part of Youth Participation in Digital Democracy: From Digital Skills to Digital Rights of Youth with Fewer Opportunities (EYDR) project, aimed to strengthen the capacities of Albanian and Montenegrin youth to meaningfully engage in digital activism through an approach that balances protection and digital participation.
EYDR is funded by the Erasmus Capacity Building in the Field of Youth of the European Union and is implemented under the leadership of SCiDEV in partnership with UZOR, Beogradski centar za ljudska prava, Asociación Youropia, Centre for Comparative International Studies, Erasmus Student Network in Albania, National Youth Agency in Albania, and SHARE Foundation.
Opinions in this article are solely of the author and do not necessarily represent the views European Union stand on the matter.
