TOKA - 2023 ANNUAL REPORT

Leap, Laugh, Lead

’s 2023

ANNUAL REPORT

www.toka-ks.org

contents

WARM GREETINGS FROM OUR executive director

2023 in numbers

2023 in firsts

2023 IN SHORT TERM IMPACT

2023 IN LONG TERM IMpact

2023 in A MAP

2023 in IMPRESSIONS

WE WANT TO GET YOU INVOLVED!

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WARM GREETINGS FROM OUR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Dear friends,

In our 9 years of service to the youth of Kosova our mission has always been the same - to make Kosova youth agents of positive change, today and tomorrow. We have enjoyed every moment of making this happen in 2023 - a truly inspiring and fulfilling year for us.

Our quiet and consistent work has resulted in great trust of many stakeholders - without whom we could never achieve as much. Here are some of the highlights:

Local government - nearly a third of municipalities in Kosova now support TOKA’s programs through in-kind or financial support. This has enabled us to support a greater number of after-school Volunteering Clubs and train teachers in innovative teaching techniques.

Private sector - businesses from all over Kosova made their offices, stores and factories second homes to our volunteers on Solidarity Action Day. This have over 400 young people a an incredible first job experience, and helped raised nearly 10,000 euros for charitable causes.

Diaspora - by far the most fruitful partnership was with the Stuttgart Albanian Students Association, who supported TOKA’s Volunteering Clubs. Encouraged by this positive experience, we are expanding our partnerships with diaspora associations in UK, Norway and Switzerland.

You - you are receiving this Report because you have helped TOKA sometime in the last 9 years, and made a difference to a life.

This Report gives you a snapshot of the impact you helped us make. We are proud to share this journey with you and excited to bring you along to 2024, where with your help we will get steps closer to fulfilling our mission - together.

With gratitude,

jehona gjugjeala

executive director

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2023 in numbers

Numbers speak louder than words. Before diving into some stories, we will share just some of the digits that made us beyond proud this year.

TOKA IS THE

VOLUNTEERING ORGANIZATION IN KOSOVA!

1,847

1,412

Active

volunteers

Business buddies

Brighter students

International agents

The total number of volunteers who contributed their time and efforts to improve their communities through planning and implementing volunteer projects. These amazing youth have improved the lives of 11.5K community members just in the last year.

66 businesses joined our mission by providing volunteers first work experience and helping them contribute with their earnings to a Solidarity Fund. This fund has supported youth projects for children with Down Syndrome and youth mental health.

The number of students who learned by doing, thanks to the 101 teachers we trained in this approach. As a result, both teaching and learning have been made more effective and fun - enhancing the quality of formal education in Kosova.

The number of youths who broadened their cultural horizons through TOKA, with opportunities of a lifetime to meet with peers from all over the world, learn from them, and share their experiences. Making our, up to now, isolated youth feel part of a diverse community.

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2023 in fIRSTS

Getting older has not made us slower. Even in our 9th year of youth work, we continue to try new approaches and start new partnerships that help us expand and improve our impact. See below some of them!

Local goverment SUPPORT EDUCATION

In 2023 TOKA reached its peak of local government partnerships. A total of 14 municipalities have supported TOKA’s work in both formal and non-formal education. We are grateful for the trust and cooperation of these municipalities, which have made it possible for us to spread our impact in every corner of Kosova and to enhance the quality of education - both in and out of classrooms.

DIASPORA SUPPORTS EDUCATION

In 2023, our work stood out to the Albanian Student Association in Stuttgart, Germany, who decided to support our youth clubs scattered around Kosova. Thanks to ASAS's financial support and trust we have given hundreds of disadvantaged youth in Kosova a place to safely discover themselves, a place where their potential is seen, and a place where their interest for community action becomes a reality.

BUSINESSES SUPPORT EDUCATION

Local businesses in Kosova supported us in implementing a record-breaking Solidarity Action Day. In this Day, 66 progressive businesses in Kosova opened their doors to our volunteers, giving them their first work experience, as well as supplied services and products to TOKA for free. We are excited to build a bridge between businesses and youth through this initiative - opening the door to new experiences for our youth, as you'll see on the next page.

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2023 in SHORT TERM IMPACT

Meet Mefail! An energetic youngster from a small municipality of Kosova called Kamenica. Mefail has been a part of our community since 2020, he started his journey with TOKA as a Super-Volunteer working hard on improving his hometown and moved on to lead his own youth club. Later on, Mefail joined our Youth Leaders Academy, in charge of organizing the first Solidarity Action Day in Kosova. Mefail was not only behind the scenes setting up workplaces for his peers, he also got to experience Solidarity Action Day for himself by working in a business for a day. However, Mefail’s Solidarity Action Day lasted longer than most when he got offered to continue working for the business he volunteered for. Read his story below.

I have been active in TOKA for four years now, because I feel like I make a meaningful difference in the community I live in, and I have also seen TOKA as a never ending source of growth and development for me.

In my fruitful experience with TOKA, my favorite engagement so far is being part of the Youth Leaders Academy and setting up the Solidarity Action Day, together with my fellow youth leaders.

While planning this initiative I often found myself being jealous of the volunteers who would get to experience working for a day in a business themselves. Fortunately, the opportunity was given to me as well.

On the Solidarity Action Day in June, I worked in HIB for a day - a big chain of petrol stations in Kosova. I loved being part of the staff and the responsibilities that came with the role as this was my first work experience. It made me feel capable and independent.

So, I was quite pleased and excited to accept an offer to continue working in HIB after the Solidarity Action Day ended. I, of course, took it, and I am glad I did. Working in this job has given me freedom and financial independence which has done wonders for my personal development.

TOKA exposed me to this amazing opportunity and gave me the confidence to go out of my comfort zone.

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2023 in LONG TERM IMPACT

Rudina’s first experience with TOKA was in the spring of 2017, where as a 15-year-old she participated in an outreach program offered to rural and suburban schoolchildren of Prishtina. She then attended a TOKA Summer Camp, followed by membership of her local Super-Volunteer Club. Over the years, she became a Club leader and a trainer in TOKAs Summer Camps - and most recently a mentor to other youth leaders in the Solidarity Action Day project. Her experience helped her win a highly competitive opportunity to work for the European SAME network. She wrote to us from their offices in Lubeck, Germany about her experience and journey.

I started my journey by volunteering at TOKA, with the aim of having a good time and meeting new people. These really happened in a very short time, but the most important are the lessons I learned from my experience through volunteer work and the impact my engagement had on our society. In TOKA, I have grown, both professionally and personally, because it has taught me a lot about the sense of community, personal values, teamwork, diversity and other values. Simply put, TOKA is my second home!

Through TOKA I was introduced to SAME! SAME is a network of European organizations that brings together young people from all over Europe to share experiences around Solidarity Action Day.

The last organization that has joined this network is TOKA, which organized the first ever Solidarity Action Day in Kosova in June of this year, and I was part of it in the role of mentor of the Research and Advocacy Group.

I am now doing voluntary service for the upcoming 13 months in Lübeck, a small town in the north of Germany, where I will work with organizations from Europe, which, like TOKA a few years ago, want to become part of the SAME network, organizing the Solidarity Action Day in their countries with members of their community. I am very happy for the opportunity offered to me through this commitment. I will make sure to give my best to rightfully represent the Kosovar youth, and at the same time I will be learning new things with which I will contribute to the empowerment of the Kosovar youth!

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2023 in A MAP

Inclusivity and equal opportunities for all is what we stand for - and in 2023 we continued spreading our programs throughout Kosova. See below how we did!