RYAS Changemaker Award 2020 For the second year in a row, the YEA! Center conducts, beside the competitions for ideas and business plans, also the Changemaker competition, which focuses on encouraging young people to prepare and do social project ideas/plans. These projects should be based on the 17 global goals for sustainable development approved by the UN in 2015. This makes these projects very important, especially for a developing country such as Albania, where the need for such projects is even greater. The final of this competition was attended by 41 students from 7 high schools in Albania, where 10 projects were presented. On 09.05.2020 YEA! has announced the winners of this category who have previously passed the evaluation of the jury. The students’ projects had a very high level of preparation and after the evaluations, it turned out that two of the best projects had received equal points, having not only one winning project, but two. According to the evaluations made by the jury, the following projects are the winners:
– momSupport – €250,– Austrian School Peter Mahringer, Shkoder
– UBite – €250,– Hasan Riza Pasha School, Shkoder
– Eco Smart Bin – Kolin Gjoka School, Lezhe
– Biodiesel – Atë Pjetër Meshkalla School, Shkoder
Mrs. Alketa Krymi and Mr. Bekim Alibali were announced Best Social Entrepreneurship Teacher of the Year 2020 in the Changemaker category, being represented by the students with their projects. YEA! has managed to find the necessary funding to enable both winners, the momSupport project and UBite to participate in the YouthStart final in Vienna, which is expected to take place in the spring of 2021. This final will be attended by 2 the project coordinators, together with their teachers, which was made possible only thanks to the necessary funding from the Rotary Club Saalfelden, whom we thank endlessly, as they have been funding this competition for two years. This competition has also had a great support from Rotary Club Shkoder and Rotaract Club Shkoder. The main ideas of these 4 projects were:
momSupport – “Our app or "momSupport" is for all single moms. There they find services and information that help and lighten their daily life. Above all, momSupport is offered for free.” This project was worked by Pamela Marku, Tom Vuksani, Alba Pjeshka students of the school Peter Mahringer – Shkoder under the supervision of teacher Bekim Alibali.
UBite – “The project will be based on an app, or initially just a website, where families who have surplus food or just want to cook for the poor, contact us and we transport the food to the families in need.” This project was worked by Kledis Fusha, Elma Dema, Elma Mesi, Mirvjen Borici, students of the school Hasan Riza Pasha – Shkodra, under the supervision of teacher Alketa Krymi.
Eco Smart Bin – “Our project is about reducing environmental pollution, creating a smart bin with an Arduino, where the lid will open by itself with two sensors and measure the bin filling percentage, furthermore, we have the bin connected and with blynk app.” This project was worked by Valento Bardhoshi, Armando Gjoni, Daniel Frrokaj, Samuel Cara and Gjergj Cumraku, students of the school Kolin Gjoka – Lezha, under the supervision of teacher Jetmir Shtjefni.
Biodiesel – “Turning used cooking oil into an alternative fuel”. This project was worked by Orjeta Pjetri, Flavio Luku, Enxhi Qershija, Era Hasaj and Anileda Ramaj, students of the school Atë Pjetër Meshkalla – Shkoder, under the supervision of teacher Çiljeta Daberdaku.
We thank the jury, which with full responsibility has evaluated these projects and managed to select winners these projects with social character, and we hope to see them implemented in the future by these students. We also thank all our supporters and partners, without whom this competition would not have been possible.
YEA! Partners
Rotary Club Saalfelden – www.rotary.at/clubs/rc-saalfelden
IFTE – Initiative for Teaching Entrepreneurship – www.ifte.at
YouthStart – www.youthstart.network
YEA! – Team
Gernot Scheffknecht – Director of YEA! – director@yea.al
Ali Nerguti – Project Coordinator of YEA! – alinerguti@yea.al
Alfonz Lazri – Creative Director of YEA! – alfonzlazri@yea.al
YEA! Volunteers