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Author: WeBalkans

Nikola Mihail Angelovski

Written by WeBalkans on . Posted in YEA, YEA of the month.

Country: North Macedonia

Interests: Business and Entrepreneurship, Environment

My name is Nikola Mihail Angelovski, but my friends call me Nino. I am from Skopje, the capital of North Macedonia. In 2022, I obtained my Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing from The University of Sheffield, City College, in Thessaloniki, Greece. After graduating, I moved back to my home country and decided to put my knowledge into practice as the Head of Marketing in a company which produces bread and alimentary goods. One of my many interests is environmentalism, which developed as early as middle school through art projects created from recycled materials. It grew into passion during my high school days. In addition, the multicultural environment in the school showed me the importance of tolerance, integration and diversity. As a result, I hope to motivate the people in my community to use creativity while showing respect for the environment. 

My experience of living abroad showed me the key values of the EU and in turn inspired me to become a Young European Ambassador. I am devoted to implementing these values in my work and social life in North Macedonia.



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Rita Behadini

Written by WeBalkans on . Posted in YEA.

Country: North Macedonia

Interests: Human Rights, Media, arts and culture

Rita Behadini is a moderator, journalist, and women’s rights activist. She studied “Business and Economics: Management and Marketing” at the South East European University in Tetovo. During her studies, Rita founded the Feminist Club, where her passion for advocating for women’s rights was born. During the same time, she was employed as a journalist in Portalb, continuing afterward her career as a TV host for four years at Alsat Television. Her work as a journalist has been oriented towards women’s rights and gender equality, allowing her to get hired as an opinionist at Television 7 in Kosovo. Rita continued her activism by founding the Center for Equal Opportunities “Mollëkuqja,” where she serves as president. She is also the founder of “Shega”, an educational platform that aims to educate and empower young people by addressing gender equality through free educational resources.

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Shefkije Alasani Dika

Written by WeBalkans on . Posted in YEA.

Country: North Macedonia

Interests: EU integration, Environmental protection, Arts and culture

My name is Shefkije but all my friends call me Kija. I have a Bachelor’s Degree in International Communication and I am about to finish my Master in Diplomacy Studies at the South East European University. During my studies, there were two opportunities that affected me academically and personally: being an Erasmus exchange BA and MA student in Ljubljana and Graz. In 2015, I started an internship at a national TV in Skopje, where I continued working for 3 years as a web editor. After that, I worked for one year as a TV show host at the same media outlet. Now I am a freelance journalist writing articles about the EU integration process of the Republic of North Macedonia and the gender gap in my country.  Meanwhile, I lead an NGO in my hometown, working with high schoolers on multicultural and art topics. I must mention that I am a big fan of nature and I am a co-founder of a hiking club in my city. We hike for fun and at the same time we work to raise ecological awareness in our community.

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Selda Jahjagic

Written by WeBalkans on . Posted in YEA.

Country: Montenegro

Interests: EU integration, Environmental protection, Arts and culture, Technology, Human rights, Health and well-being

My name is Selda and I am a political scientist. I hold a Bachelor’s Degree in International Relations and right now I am finishing my master’s studies in Turkey. I believe in the power of informal education and learning from different environments. That is why I attended many local and international events with the aim of learning about different topics that can be helpful in solving issues in the Balkans. I was an AIESEC exchange participant in Czechia under the Ambassador Programme. After that, I have done an ECS (EVS) exchange under the Erasmus+ program in Turkey. I am a member of the Western Balkans Alumni Association. 

Recently, I have started actively attending different Erasmus+ programmes and I want to work on promoting different opportunities for Balkan youth. As I use social media to share my experiences, as a YEA I plan to extend this to Balkan-related questions within the framework of human rights and gender equality.

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Veronika Gijovska

Written by WeBalkans on . Posted in YEA.

Country: North Macedonia

Interests: Science, Health and Sustainability

“I am a student at the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics at the University of Sts. Cyril and Methodius in Skopje, where I am studying applied chemistry. As a woman in the STEM field, I am passionate about encouraging all young people to engage in scientific fields, and therefore, I have been part of various activities promoting it. Beyond academics, I am actively engaged as a member of the student council, driven by a profound curiosity for all realms of science.

Volunteering has been a cornerstone of my life’s journey. From my early years, I dedicated myself to various organizations such as UNICEF and the Red Cross, where I proudly serve as a unit co-leader.

During my volunteering experiences, I have been part of the first aid, psychological, and psycho-social support teams, actively assisting at vaccination centers during the peak of the pandemic, and served as an active peer educator and trainer for peer educators on the topic of mental health. I am a firm believer that the youth has the power to create a humane and equal healthcare system for the generations to come.

Presently, I collaborate with several NGOs in my hometown- Veles and in Skopje. Continuously engaging with young people, I am confident that together, we can shape a better region for all.”

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Miloš Pavković

Written by WeBalkans on . Posted in YEA.

Country: Serbia

Interests: International Relations, Science

My name is Miloš, and I am a political scientist, currently working as a researcher at the European Policy Centre (CEP) in Belgrade. I graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree from the Faculty of Political Sciences, University of Belgrade. I earned a Master’s Degree in Political Science at the University of Belgrade and the Central European University (CEU). As part of the Erasmus Plus program, I spent one year at the University of Graz, Austria. During my study at CEU, I was elected as a member of the Academic Senate – one of the highest governing bodies of the University. I received the ‘Dositeja’ scholarship, awarded to the best Serbian students abroad by the Ministry of Youth and Sport of the Republic of Serbia. As a researcher, I focus on the EU enlargement policy, the Western Balkans region, and researching the area of dispute settlement and peaceful conflict resolution in the case of Kosovo*. I published multiple academic and policy papers in Serbian and English.

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Luka Vukotić

Written by WeBalkans on . Posted in YEA.

Country: Montenegro

Interests: EU integration, Environmental protection, Arts and culture, Human rights

I am a student of Law at the University of Montenegro. I am also an activist, environmentalist and human rights defender. I tend to use every opportunity to gain new skills or knowledge. As someone who is willing to learn and grow both professionally and socially, I attended many seminars, workshops, and trainings where I had the opportunity to notice a negative phenomenon: very few people my age are active, informed about the disadvantaged position of young people, and generally aware of problems in the country. I want to change that, so one of my main goals on my professional path is to empower and motivate young people to get involved in activism and social events that are shaping our common future.

I am making every effort to acquire new skills, new tools, and study new practices and approaches in the field of activism, youth participation, human rights, and the implementation of modern standards and EU values in the hope that these skills will be beneficial for society.

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Sava Dokmanovic

Written by WeBalkans on . Posted in YEA, YEA of the month.

Country: Serbia

Interests: EU integration, Environmental protection, Arts and culture, Human rights

My name is Sava and I am from Belgrade. I am currently enrolled in the Japanese Studies Programme at the University of Belgrade. I have taken part in many projects, be that the individual or ones ran by different organizations, such as ‘Climate Heroes’ by WWF. In that project, we had the opportunity to start our own initiatives to raise awareness of the climate crisis. Our team managed to incorporate art with the theme of climate change in the form of an art exhibition. I have also been an active member of a few student organizations. One of them was AIESEC where I helped organize conferences dedicated to youth mobility. I’m also a member of the Organisation of Serbian Students Abroad (OSSI) aiming to help and create opportunities for Serbian students.
I believe that the motivation for change is an important but mostly a short-term boost. What we need is drive – something we believe in to give us a push and make us remember our values.

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Aleksandra Grbović Bitić

Written by WeBalkans on . Posted in YEA.

Country: Serbia

Interests: EU integration, Arts and culture, Technology

My name is Aleksandra Grbović Bitić. I am 21 years old, and I am pursuing two bachelor’s degrees in Law and Astronomy in Belgrade. During high school, I participated in several international competitions, workshops and seminars, as well as volunteered for non-governmental organizations. I have been a dedicated member of the non-governmental organization United Nations Association of Serbia for several years, where I have participated in projects such as ‘Dialogue Café’ and Global Diplomacy, and presided over various UN Committees at both the Belgrade International Model UN (BIMUN) and other international MUNs. I founded a non-profit organization called Udruženje za Savremenu Edukaciju Mladih – USEM (Association for Contemporary Youth Education). The idea was to not only ensure educational opportunities for disadvantaged youth in Serbia but also assist young people in realizing their full potential through the implementation of wide range of creative programs that combine arts, sciences, and technology with various forms of social activities.
Through the YEA network, I intend to engage more young people, promote EU involvement in Serbia’s educational reform and raise awareness among Serbian youth regarding educational opportunities in the EU.

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Lazar Simić

Written by WeBalkans on . Posted in YEA.

Country: Serbia

Interests: EU integration, Environmental protection, Human rights

My name is Lazar Simić and I am a student, media worker, researcher and activist. I study International Relations at the Faculty of Political Science in Belgrade. Journalism is a sphere where I have been active for five years, now working primarily with Local Press and DWA. I am a certificated MIL educator, too. Being one of the young leaders in the campaign ‘Media Content for The Young’ was a step towards what I currently work on – forming Young Media Network, which will be the first regional youth media network in the Balkans. As I find institutionalization important, I finished the Academy of Youth Policies organized by the National Youth Council of Serbia to gain the necessary knowledge.
I use my social media profiles to spread the word about everything I learn. Sharing is not only caring but also the goal. Proud of being a Balkan boy, I have a strong desire to make the Balkans a better and safer place for everybody. However, young generations and minorities are my top priority.

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