Rudina Zeqiri begins voluntary service in Lubeck, Germany for the next 13 months

In the spring of 2017, as one of the most active participants of the Outreach Program in Pristina’s primary schools, the TOKA staff met Rudina Zeqiri, then a 15-year-old girl. Her personal and professional path would be changed forever – just as a result of her engagement in this project.

6 years later, Rudina wrote to us from the offices of the European SAME network in Lubeck, Germany about her experience and impressive journey. These are her words.

“Volunteering is important to me because it allows citizens to have a positive impact on their community, but it also gives a sense of purpose and fulfillment. Through volunteer work, I have made very meaningful connections and experiences that will serve me throughout my life. This is the reason why I am where I am now!

I started my journey by volunteering at TOKA, with the aim of having a good time and meeting new people. These really happened in a very short time, but the most important are the lessons I learned from my experience through volunteer work and the impact my engagement had on our society. In TOKA, I have grown, both professionally and personally, because it has taught me a lot about the sense of community, personal values, teamwork, diversity and other values. Simply put, TOKA is my second home!

Through TOKA I was introduced to SAME! SAME is a network of European organizations that brings together young people from all over Europe to share experiences around Solidarity Action Day. The last organization that has joined this network is TOKA, which organized the first ever Solidarity Action Day in Kosovo in June of this year, and I was part of it in the role of mentor of the Research and Advocacy Group.

For the moment I am doing voluntary service for  the upcoming 13 months in Lübeck, a small town in the north of Germany, where I will work with organizations from Europe, which, like TOKA a few years ago, want to become part of the SAME network, organizing the Day of Solidarity in their countries with members of their community. I am very happy for the opportunity offered to me through this commitment. I will make sure to give my best to rightfully represent the Kosovar youth, and at the same time I will be learning new things with which I will contribute to the empowerment of the Kosovar youth.”

TOKA is a candidate member of the SAME network of organizations since 2022 and jointly organize the Day of Solidarity in Kosovo.