The Qemal Stafa Foundation organizes the “Political Academy 2023”, which is based on the program “Supporting Democracy in the Western Balkans – Progress and Connecting Bridges of Cooperation” in collaboration with the Kalevi Sorsa Foundation, with a tailored curriculum that includes two intensive and interactive modules, designed as a combination of theoretical presentations and practical cases for participants.
The formation of future political leaders is an important aspect of improving the policy-making process. Through capacity building at the national level, the Political Academy 2023 aims to foster critical thinking, train, identify and promote individuals who have ambitions and wish to be an active part of political life in the country. Through the Political Academy, participants had the opportunity to gain a broader understanding of the complex political, social, and economic environment and to become familiar with the important process of integration into the European Union. The objective of the Political Academy is to provide participants with knowledge and technical expertise to enhance their abilities to formulate accurate political arguments.
The Political Academy 2023 was opened with a speech by the Executive Director of the Foundation, Mr. Ledjon Shahini. The second session was held by Prof. Dr. Ardian Civivi, Rector of the Mediterranean University in Albania. In this session, a general spectrum between the main ideologies was presented and the advantages and disadvantages of each ideology were discussed with the participants.
On the second day of Module I, the connection that exists between political and economic systems was addressed by the Executive Director of the Foundation, Mr. Ledjon Shahini. Following this, Ms. Ana Verushi, Chairperson of the Korça Municipal Council, spoke and discussed with the participants the prevailing political-economic systems in the Western Balkans and Europe, where the differences between them were addressed with interest. Also, in this session, the question was answered: To what extent do the political and economic systems in Albania converge?
The first module of the Political Academy 2023 took place on September 16-17, 2023 in Pogradec, Albania, where participants had the opportunity to conduct social activities at the end of the first day.
