Main Projects / Activities

The main activities through which the Center fulfills its objectives are:  1) Research for Development, 2) Trainings / Capacity Building, 3) Campaigns, 4) Advocacy & Lobbying

Some of our main projects/activities implemented to date are:

Grounded: Staying Steady in a Shaky World (2026) is an Erasmus+ Youth Exchange bringing together 40 teenagers aged 14–17 years old from Albania, Lithuania, Italy, and Bulgaria for one week in Antalieptė, Lithuania (27 December 2026 – 3 January 2027). Through non-formal education, creative activities, honest conversations, time outdoors, and some intentionally phone-free moments, participants explore how political tension, constant news, and digital overload affect them, and what helps them stay emotionally grounded amid uncertainty. The project places special emphasis on including young people with fewer opportunities. It's an active, participatory experience focused on building resilience, intercultural understanding, and genuine connection between young people from four countries.

"Pause. Play. Parent."(2026) was a vibrant World Table Tennis Day 2026 celebration organized in Tirana in partnership with the ITTF Foundation, Spinsight, and Tirana's Parks and Recreation Agency, bringing families together around one table to champion health, wellbeing, and connection. What began as an activity for parents blossomed into a joyful intergenerational gathering, welcoming everyone from infants to older adults into a warm, low-pressure space to move, play, and be together. Through non-competitive table tennis, the event showed how one simple, accessible activity can lift both body and mind, ease the pressures of daily life, and strengthen the bonds that hold families and communities together. Rooted in the belief that healthy parents raise healthy children, "Pause. Play. Parent." turned a single table into a space of inclusion, wellbeing, and shared joy, proving that sometimes the most powerful thing you can do is pause, play, and connect.

"Beyond the Frame" (2025). A gender disinformation campaign set out to change the story. Literally, drawing on the powerful writing gathered through our essay contest, CESA produced narratives that challenge harmful gender norms and stereotypes and open space for more critical, complex, and inclusive thinking. At the heart of the campaign were three podcasts, created with professional experts, that reframe the conversation on breaking traditional gender roles, fighting discrimination based on gender expression, and addressing gender-based violence and harassment. The campaign was supported by the Anna Lindh Foundation for Dialogue Between Cultures in the framework of the project "The road to inclusive narratives".

"Supporting Change Agents in making change" (2023 - 2024). This project turned social sciences students into powerful voices against hate speech. Through a series of hands-on media and information literacy workshops, CESA strengthened the capacities of 20 university students to recognise and counter hateful narratives, whether based on ethnicity, gender, religion or sexual orientation, and to create their own content promoting inclusive stories. Ten of these students went on to represent their work at two major international events, the Youth Residence in Sarajevo and the Media Literacy Camp in Ohrid, combining theory with real-world practice and carrying their skills across borders. The project was implemented in partnership with the Faculty of Social Sciences (University of Tirana) & the Institute of Communication Studies, and it was supported by UNESCO and the EU.

"The tradition I want to break..." (2022 - 2025). Our very first flagship activity invited young people across Albania to name the harmful traditions they most want to leave behind. Through a public essay call, participants aged 15–25 years old wrote about customs that restrict rights and freedoms, from silencing women and girls to narrow ideas about who cares for the home and children,  and argued for the change they want to see. The strongest voices were published online, and the three best essays received financial awards, turning personal reflection into a public conversation about the health of individuals, families, and communities.