Students from across Albania gathered in Durrës for the awarda ceremony of the national competition “Learning from the past – Acting for the future”, an activity engaging young voices in reflecting on Albania’s historic past and promoting active civic engagement.

The journey began in November 2024, reaching out at 520 students from 30 schools in 10 cities accross Albania, with the aim of encouraging learning and reflection on the country's historical past.

Organised within the Council of Europe project “Strengthening Democratic Citizenship Education in Albania”, the event was held in close cooperation with the Authority for Information on Former State Security Documents and brought together representatives from the Ministry of Education and Sports, the People’s Advocate, the Municipality of Durrës and the Durrës Children's Cultural Center, as well as teachers, parents, and students, to celebrate memory, creativity, and responsibility.

The ceremony opened with welcome remarks from key institutional representatives of the Council of Europe, the Authority for Information on Former State Security Documents, and the Durrës Children's Cultural Centre. The speakers praised the students for their thoughtfulness, courage, and originality, and encouraged them to continue learning and speaking out.

The award ceremony honored students for 17 outstanding works of insightful storytelling and powerful messages, that tackled the historic past with courage and empathy in order to promote democracy and protect human rights. Supported by experts and teachers, the contest aimed to encourage students to engage critically with the past and promote democracy. A total of 80 entries were submitted across the Poetry, Prose and Essays, Visual Arts, and Multimedia categories, presenting a rich variety of projects, all showcasing the students’ talent and critical thinking across multiple disciplines.

This event is part of a broader effort to empower young people through education and cultural engagement, ensuring that the lessons of the past inform the actions of the future.

The Council of Europe project, Strengthening Democratic Citizenship Education in Albania, is funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida).