Ms. Berisha highlights FIQ’s and their partner’s role in the Western Balkans on supporting development and employment through encouraging youth participation and generation of new, innovative ideas, in entrepreneurship, green energy, agriculture, echo-tourism and other fields.

She speaks about the unemployment, primarily youth unemployment, as the thorniest issue in Kosovo and the region and the work that FIQ and partners in Albania, BiH, Kosovo, Montenegro and Serbia are doing in identifying and supporting new, innovative ideas and initiatives that address this issue and open up new opportunities for young people. One such initiative is Philanthropy for Green Ideas (PGI), financially supported by Rockefeller Brothers Fund. She speaks about FIQ’s cooperation with Trag Foundation from Serbia, Mozaik Foundation from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Fakt from Montenegro, Partners Albania from Albania. And, national, regional competition that leads to selecting winners that will then be supported to develop their business plans, and financial support to implement them. She mentions the support of other donors including Raiffeisen Bank in Kosovo, Erste Bank in Serbia, CREDINS Bank in Albania, etc.

Ms. Berisha explains the application and selection process, including the support offered to winners, the potential that every idea has and the results that they expect.

FIQ’s work on encouraging entrepreneurship and employment of young people in agriculture and echo-tourism, supported by the European Commission, has been a successful project that FIQ is now looking to replicate in Macedonia and Albania.

Dajana Berisha, Executive Director, Forum for Civic Initiatives (FIQ)