BELLSPIRATION presents: 6th Day of the 18th IYC - Impressions of the Participants

Final Zoom Meeting

We asked the Conference's participants to share their impressions from the 18th International Youth Conference Kruševo.

Here's what they said about it:

Aleksandar Đurić, Serbia: It was great, great people. Best experience of my life! Thank you so much everyone for this amazing experience…

Nicolò Passaro, Italy: I've never attended this event before and it was a great experience. I've talked with professional, well-matured, and prepared people, with clear goals to achieve and a healthy environment open to different points of view. Yes, many of us have to proceed for a very long road yet, but I guess we have taken the best one. We hope our voice will become concrete and not just a voice.

Iva Kljajević, Montenegro: This conference was a wonderful and interesting experience. We had the opportunity to hear some of the influential people in Europe and learn something new. Participating in working groups was inspiring and thought-provoking. Thank you very much for your trust.

Luka Radičević, Serbia: I saw an ad for this conference on Facebook and I thought it would be a good idea to apply, as I have heard about it before, but I have never participated in it. It showed itself as one of the best decisions I have made this year. Not only had the conference amazing speakers, but the participants were amazing young people as well. I only knew a couple of them from some previous conferences, and I met a lot of new friends and contacts for the future. I am sure the common vision we have all come up with during these awesome 5 days of knowledge, laughter, brainstorming, and having fun, will impact the SEE region and make it a better place to live. I would like to thank Youth Alliance Kruševo for providing motivated youth an opportunity to reach decision-makers in the region and have their voices heard. I am looking forward to the conference next year when we will hopefully be able to meet and discuss in person.

Eva Završnik, Slovenia: The 18th International Youth Conference was truly one of the most inspiring conferences I have attended in a long time. It was amazingly organized and well thought of. Before the start, I was intrigued by the program, that covered topics that are a direct reflection of our society, and that later sparked many interesting debates between the participants.
I must point out the amazing effort of the organizational team to keep us, the participants, always an active part of the conversation within the sessions. Despite the digital nature of the event, we have proved that there are no boundaries in keeping the youth active and engaged.
After this Youth Conference, I am leaving with a feeling of connectedness, hope for the future and strong belief, that the world will be in good hands when this generation of active citizens will become the key leaders of our society. We just need to be trusted and given the chance to show how capable we are to change the world for the better.

Desantila Muriqi, Kosovo: The 18th International Youth Conference "European Values for the Future of SEE Countries" was a truly unforgettable event! I had the pleasure of participating in this astounding event as a representative of Kosovo, and all the credit goes to the organizing team. A big thank you for changing our days of isolation, to one of meaning and full of vision! I feel very grateful that those who once were strangers are now my friends from diverse backgrounds with one common vision. Aspiration and goodwill for a better future. Because of your tireless work, we were taught by experts in the fields, shared and utilized our collective knowledge, and formed a network of strong collaboration and understanding which I'm sure will be used for a better future. Moreover, knowing that this is only the beginning, makes me impatient and truly anticipate what is next to come.

Enxhi Hallvatori, Albania: My expectations were exceeded! I'm really glad I decided to apply because in the last five days I've learned a ton of new information and met some of the most active, visionary, and kind-hearted people.

Cata Filip, Romania: The International Youth Conference represented a challenge for me in order to put all ideas from all participants together and create a common vision for our region. Moreover, I found a lot of facts about the social, economic, and political situation from the SSE's countries that help me to understand better which is the potential and status of our region. It is clear that we have to collaborate continuously to develop the region's potential and also to sustain a better connection between our countries.
On the other hand, I met so many nice people with different perspectives and ideas with who was a pleasure to work.
Finally, it was a beautiful experience and I hope that we will keep in touch in order to fulfill the objectives that we pointed out.

Valentina Beg Deljanin, Croatia: I enjoyed the Conference very much although I missed being physically present in Kruševo with my colleagues. However, I am grateful for the opportunity to participate in such an event in times of COVID-19 crisis when everything we knew seems at stake. This way we all felt close and capable of taking power even if the world circumstances are far from easy. I met great people, heard a lot of inspiring speakers, challenged my brain cells with different views, worked on a valuable document, and most importantly had the pleasure to become part of this family. Kudos to the organizers and all participants, thanks for the wonderful virtual week! Hope to see you as soon as possible.

Kostian Jano, Albania: This conference has been one of the best that I have ever attended. Even though the situation with the pandemic is difficult in Northern Macedonia still the organizers did an unbelievable good job. The organization was perfect and the debate was very interactive. Also, the group was great and we had a lot of discussions that hopefully will continue also into the future.

Iva Dobreva, Bulgaria: I’m extremely happy for having the opportunity to join the conference and to discuss such important topics for youth, our community, and our region as a whole. I met many amazing young people virtually and I was fascinated by how passionate everyone was about making a positive change and improving the working and living conditions in the SEE region.
I hope to stay in touch with the youth participants and to continue to exchange ideas on how to benefit our countries. As for the policy proposals that we worked on, I hope that our utopic vision can become a reality for us and for the future generations to come.
It was a pleasure to be part of this incredible initiative and I look forward to seeing many familiar faces next year.

Morgan Janowicz, Poland: The International Youth Conference 2020 was an extremely fruitful event for me. I have met young and active people who are working to bring positive changes in their region. I have certainly learned to look at the situation from different perspectives, and I understood that a united Europe is possible if we start talking and working together on it. The acquaintances that I made opened me up to new possibilities and thoughts on various topics. The lecturers approached their tasks very professionally and were prepared for every situation. I am very grateful to them for that.
The conference brought me a lot of joy and faith in a better future. We have proven that we can cooperate despite our differences. During conversations and debates, it was not important where you are from or what color your skin is. We are all equal, and we all have equal chances of expressing our opinion.
I am glad that I could be a part of the creation of the new Europe. I am looking forward to the next edition of the conference. See you soon.

Mihail Divjakoski, North Macedonia: My impressions regarding this conference are very positive and on the highest possible level.
Honestly, in the beginning, I was a bit skeptical because of the whole online thing, but eventually, the organizing team did such an amazing job that everything was organized perfectly and the whole conference went smoothly.
I am so so so glad that I got the chance to participate, and to be part of this whole thing, I am so glad that I got the chance to meet such amazing people from the region and to work towards something way bigger and way greater than us as individuals.
Till next year,
All the best, Mihail ❤

Anis Benabed, France/Ukraine: I have organized & been part of a lot of international events & conferences either as a Chair moderator or a participant, but indeed as a researcher & young scientist; I have been impressed by the way this the conference was well organized where we could have time in such a friendly way to share our thoughts & work on the youth vision of the region that would live in.
Indeed, I could strongly test my youthful skills in the whole events by commenting  sharing ideas, asking questions & providing feedback to see how far I am highly skilled in the youth area & what I could change; consequently, I got the opportunity to talk as well to the president of North Macedonia & share with him my thoughts on the other hands the important thing is that he fully agreed with my proposal to have an international Youth council & parliament & he provided very positive feedback to my questions & speech    it has been an amazing opportunity from North Macedonia that I will never forget, so this conference has been a real platform for youth debates & dialogues, thank you for everything  “ The energetic leadership of Youth is important for our present not just for the future.“