Projects
“Street
Law in Youth Community”
During 2002, public education
with special emphasis to youths and raising their awareness have been some of
the priorities of the AHC. Even before, AHC has been working with youths in
sensitizing them on their rights and obligations in a democratic society. This
sensitizing and educational work has been carried out in the framework of the
project “Legal education in youth community” co-financed by Soros and the
European Commission during year 2001.
Despite of the ongoing attempts
of the Ministry of Education and Science for extending and improving the
existing curriculum of the education of the youth in schools, they are in need
of more educational programs. There are financial difficulties for training
teachers on a continuous basis; A great number of youth who study in Tirana
schools as well as in other big cities as a consequence of internal migration;
It is a considerable heterogeneity regarding the contingent of pupils in schools
and in communities which lead to a heterogeneity of cultures, mentalities and
customs; A great number of children who have abandoned schools especially in the
rural zones or in the periphery of Tirana. All these factors have encouraged the
Albanian civil society to carry out different activities in this area. AHC as
well has had its contribution in this area.
For this year, the project
“Street Law in Youth Community” is funded by the Swedish Helsinki Committee and
has started its implementation from May 2002.
Activities carried
out during this year in the framework of the project
Activity
1 The publication of the study carried out in high schools of Tirana
and its dissemination
The research has been carried
out in high schools of Tirana during November 2002-February 2002 period. The
publication was released in 1000 copies.
Through this study, pupils and
teachers, school directors, representatives of the leading institutions of the
education sector and those of the local government organs, parents and other
representatives of the community and the civil society, organisations which act
in the field children’s rights will find a source of information for the
Albanian youth and law, how much and how the youth know about their rights and
the possibilities that the law offers them, about conflicts and their sorts etc.
Teachers will get acquainted with the problems of the community pupils
Enrichment of the library of the schools and of the area of studies on youth.
Activity 2
Organizing activities carried out in the framework of the National Day
of Law
A big event at the
Tirana District Court.
In May 10, 2002, 150 students of the high schools in Tirana and their teachers
took part in a meeting with representatives from police, judges, lawyers, Law
Faculty professors to talk about the judiciary, its functioning and the
relations of the youth with the courts. Youngsters were interested in the police
work to prevent crime, their rights at the court, treatment of the infants at
the places of serving the sentence.
Mr. Erik Esbjornson,
representative of the Swedish Helsinki Committee, was also present at the event.
These activities gave the opportunity to the pupils and teachers to get
information on the law day, judicial system, its way of functioning, to interact
directly with the judges, prosecutors, police officers as well as to address
several different questions.
The AHC is of the opinion that
such meetings and talks are necessary to inform the youth and increase the
access at the public opinion, courts, prosecutor offices, police, etc.
Programs on Tirana
radio. On the
occasion of the National Law Day, the AHC organized a program on Tirana radio
for the youths. This programme informed all the people with special emphasis to
the Albanian youth regarding the Law Day, its history and the functioning of the
judiciary system in Albania and its challenges. The radio programs gave the
opportunity to a considerable number of people to get information on law and the
judicial system in Albania.
Activity 3 A
two-days summer school with the children of the rural zone of Yzberisht ( 25-26
July 2002)
On 25-26 July 2002 in
“Yzberisht” high school, a summer school was organized where 50 children between
14-16 years old took part. The purpose with this summer school was providing the
target group with legal information, motivating these young people in conflict
resolutions in the district where they live. The district of Yzberisht is known
for its problems, its high criminality rate, its heterogeneous population
because of internal migration. In addition, citizens in this district have guns
in their hands which is another concern.
Teachers of the high school of
Tirana, trained before by AHC as well as police officers working in the area
where the school is, treated different topics regarding law, cooperation between
the school and police, relations parents-children-teachers etc.
Since the second day it was an
increase in the number of children, mainly between 10-14 years old (an age group
which was not planned to take part in this school) some other topics were
treated like: drugs, prostitution, risks of being involved in criminal
activities and ways how this is realised. All these topics were discussed in
groups, through games, drawings, practical exercises and role playing.
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