When the final decision of the selection of Tirana as a European Youth capital was reached in Amiens in November of 2019, the Albanian team erupted in celebration. They had worked so hard, coming from both local government, youth organizations and activists to make their case on why their city, the capital of Albania, should serve as a hub for 2022 for all youngsters. Their rivals were cities in much richer mostly EU member state countries including Baia Mare in Romania, Poznań in Poland and Varaždin in Croatia.
Tirana celebrated just two years ago its 100th anniversary of serving as the country’s capital. The municipality’s own team is a poster for youth with its mayors, vice mayors and most of its departments’ directors being young professionals with a vibrant international profile and incredible social media savvy skills.
At the end of last year, present in the ceremony of the passing the baton from the previous winner in Lithuania , mayor Erion Veliaj rightly captured the mood in his Twitter line “this is a fantastic day for Tirana”, alongside recognizing the marketing value of such an opportunity for Albania in the European and global arena.
Tirana as the European Capital of Youth for 2022 will host more than 1000 relevant events, according to the municipality. Conferences, art programs and various exchanges will be marking the entire year and the city expects the number of visitors to grow exponentially.
The spot for this year has been already launched and bears the symbolic telling tune of ‘We will rock you.’ The municipality has paired with various youth organizations to provide financial and technical support to partner events and projects. The support will vitalize numerous fields where youth is active including culture and diversity, innovation and environment, active participation and capacity building.
Veliaj himself has committed to rally up all stakeholders so that every school yard, stadium and public space in Tirana should be turned into a friendly accessible activity space, hosting exhibitions, projecting movies, gathering people.
The bouquet of activities and the coverage they will generate alongside the opportunity they will offer to first time visitors to discover the city’s modern culture, laid back hospitality and rich artistic and entertainment options, represent a unique chance for a rebranding of Albania proper. They will project a positive image of dynamics, hope and ambition which is much needed to contrast the scant disparaging international headlines the country gets.
A bustling city any day, the vitality of the Albanian capital in this year is guaranteed. A committed team of organizers has now the chance to make this year a good one for the entire youth of the country and not only.
