OriginAL

GERMIN’s mission is to foster a lasting connection between the diaspora and their countries of origin beyond just donor-funded projects.

Therefore, GERMIN, in cooperation with GAF, has thought of the idea of OriginAL to do more for the second or third generation of the Albanian diaspora.

OriginAL is patterned on the idea of Birthright Israel, Birthright Africa, Reconnect Hungary, Birthright Armenia, and other similar programs in different countries. It aims to provide a volunteer, educational, and cultural experience to the Albanian Diaspora Youth (ages 18-24) in their homelands, for free.

As a pilot year in August 2022, we brought 40 young Albanians from across the world to Albania and Kosova for two weeks. We aim to increase this number to hundreds, then thousands, of Albanian youth from around the world in the coming years. This has been a collaborative effort that began with an online fundraiser that has raised roughly 70% of the funds needed to cover the program’s expenses. The call for applications for the Diaspora Youth will be open from the beginning of 2023. The next trip is going to happen in August 2023.