Ambassador: Luis Bekteshi , Albania
Luis founded Youth Centre “Perspektiva” to empower young people through educating them about human rights and democracy. Youth Centre “Perspektiva” helps young people to develop their skills through training sessions and workshops, educating 500 young people to date. The organisation was the first to focus on combating and preventing hate speech through non formal education at the national level. Participants are trained on how to become multipliers and activists of the ‘No Hate Speech Movement’, learning how to combat and prevent hateful messages both online and offline.
Hate speech continues to be a problem in Albania due to the lack of data on the issue and the difficulty of prosecuting perpetrators due to insufficient provisions in the law. Access to justice for victims of discrimination remains difficult, and minority groups continue to face hostility and discrimination. Youth Centre “Perspektiva” organises activities with and for young people in Albania and in the Western Balkans to raise awareness about human rights, promote intercultural dialogue, peer-to-peer education and empower the youth to be active and responsible members of the community. Youth Centre “Perspektiva” uses a range of mediums including street art, music and the visual arts to increase awareness and education about the dangers of hate speech and sectarianism. The ARTivism for Human Rights project follows the UNICEF methodology of human rights education through art.