Focus Group
Project “YOUth Ambassadors of Non-Formal Learning”
Country: Kosovo
Facilitator: Shqipe Morina
Organisation: Kosovo Center of Diplomacy
Date and Location: 14.05.2020 via zoom
Participants: 12
List of questions for Focus Group
- Do you think for NFE is important age, gender, nationality?
Non formal Education is of particular importance in professional development and life education, for all ages, but especially for young people, because through informal activities they are enabled to follow the way they want to achieve what they want, to development their professional and educational life.
Gender does not play any role in Non formal Education.
Involving many nationalities in non-formal education activities only gives them more creativity, but as a drawback it would be seen if all participants could not speak the same language.
- What does NFE mean to you? Can you define?
-when someone interact with a group
-learning from the others experiences, also from the others mistakes
-learning objectives on the learners’ needs
-self-select book
-more motivating
-not learning for a deadline, learning for a life line
- Have you ever been a participant in an NFE program? If yes – in which one?
Yes, all of the participants have been participants in NFE programs. Some of them are a part of a program called Girls Up- An International Summit for young girls realized on USA, organized by the USA Embassy in Pristina.
Some of them participate on the project ‘Just Numbers’ organized by Ligo Lex Legis – a project supported by Erasmus + program.
And all of the participants attended and be a part of many local activities organized by Red Cross, local youth councils, youth centers and different NGO activities.
- Do you know something about Youth Law / Strategy / Action Plan, as well as other documents related to youth?
All participants said they do not have any information on any Law about non-formal Education, or at least it is not on the surface anywhere.
- Have you ever participated in the youth decision-making process? If yes, in which one?
All participants were just a part of NFE activities, but they did not participate in any decision-making process.
- Do you think that more support from the Government is needed to improve the status of young people and in the NFE sphere? If yes, what are the benefits of this, and what are the disadvantages?
More support from the government for the development of non-formal education would be a great benefit for Kosovar society by not distinguishing ages at all. Specially youth will be the social stratum that most need the support of non-formal education, e.g. Organizing activities abroad to see professional development, education systems, would be a motive to aim for greater achievements, because in Kosovo even goals and opinions can be said to be limited because the whole country needs visas to move out of Kosovo.
Another idea given in this discussion was the incorporation of non-formal education in schools and Universities. So, government support for schools and Universities to carry out informal activities would be a great achievement.
- Does NFE activities help you for your personal development. If yes, how? If not, why?
All participants agreed that NFE activities directly affect their personal and professional development. A person develops throughout the whole life cycle in different dimensions, which comprise: education, employability, social inclusion, active citizenship.
- For you, why is it important to be involved in activities through non-formal education?
-Professional development
-developing Solidarity
– traveling
– Exploring new cultures
– knowing new religions
– Tolerance
- Does virus Covid19 influence on non-formal education and how in your opinion?
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected educational systems worldwide, also Non-formal Education.
We actually do not know the exact scope of the impact that COVID-19, but we can say that the access to non-formal activities has been limited dramatically in many countries.
