{"id":5140,"date":"2020-04-21T10:44:20","date_gmt":"2020-04-21T10:44:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/sitenews\/2020\/04\/21\/youth-alive-pilot-programmes-vital-in-albania-lithuania\/"},"modified":"2020-04-21T10:44:20","modified_gmt":"2020-04-21T10:44:20","slug":"youth-alive-pilot-programmes-vital-in-albania-lithuania","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/youth-alive-pilot-programmes-vital-in-albania-lithuania\/","title":{"rendered":"Youth alive pilot programmes vital in Albania &#038; Lithuania"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>21 April 2020 | St Albans, UK [Victor Hulbert]&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Youth Alive\u2019 is a practical reality in Albania and Lithuania with two pilot projects running since training last summer.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Youth Alive (Life Hope Center - Kor\u00e7a)\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/eVgLqE4pJg4?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Delmar Reis, Youth Ministries director for the Albanian Mission, has been working with youth and children but noted that one of the major problems in his city is teenage addiction to smoking, drugs, pornography, or even gaming and media. He discovered that \u2018Youth Alive\u2019 is a programme that helps build resilience among teenagers, is exactly what is needed in Albania.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/sitenews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/images_news-2020_YA_Albania_edited.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" alignleft size-full wp-image-5135\" style=\"margin: 5px 10px 5px 5px; float: left;\" title=\"'Youth Alive' group in Albania.\" src=\"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/sitenews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/images_news-2020_YA_Albania_edited.jpg\" alt=\"YA Albania \" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/images_news-2020_YA_Albania_edited.jpg 594w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/images_news-2020_YA_Albania_edited-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/images_news-2020_YA_Albania_edited-500x280.jpg 500w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/images_news-2020_YA_Albania_edited-350x197.jpg 350w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/images_news-2020_YA_Albania_edited-560x316.jpg 560w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>With a myriad of programmes on offer, and more in developments, a \u2018Youth Alive\u2019 Centre is now established in Kor\u00e7a, a city of around 76,000 people in south-eastern Albania.<\/p>\n<p>One of the leaders is Fatjon. He started coming to church in 2019 at the invitation of a friend, was baptised the same year and is now a youth leader, having gone through the training programme. As well as games and activities, there are programmes on nutrition, health, resilience, computer classes, and weekly friendship groups.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/sitenews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/images_news-2020_Online_YA_Albania_2020.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" alignright size-full wp-image-5137\" style=\"margin: 5px 5px 5px 10px; float: right;\" src=\"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/sitenews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/images_news-2020_Online_YA_Albania_2020.jpg\" alt=\"Online YA Albania 2020\" width=\"300\" height=\"164\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/images_news-2020_Online_YA_Albania_2020.jpg 1182w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/images_news-2020_Online_YA_Albania_2020-300x164.jpg 300w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/images_news-2020_Online_YA_Albania_2020-1024x561.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/images_news-2020_Online_YA_Albania_2020-768x421.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/images_news-2020_Online_YA_Albania_2020-350x192.jpg 350w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/images_news-2020_Online_YA_Albania_2020-700x384.jpg 700w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/images_news-2020_Online_YA_Albania_2020-900x493.jpg 900w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/images_news-2020_Online_YA_Albania_2020-1100x603.jpg 1100w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/images_news-2020_Online_YA_Albania_2020-560x307.jpg 560w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>While Coronavirus has caused a shutdown of physical services across the country, the programme has not stopped. The seminars and friendship groups have simply moved online through social media.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI believe that the choices of today will change their tomorrow,\u201d pastor Reis states.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/sitenews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/images_news-2020_YA_Plunge-Lithuania.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" alignleft size-full wp-image-5139\" style=\"margin: 5px 10px 5px 5px; float: left;\" title=\"'Youth Alive' group in Plunge, Lithuania\" src=\"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/sitenews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/images_news-2020_YA_Plunge-Lithuania.jpg\" alt=\"YA Plunge Lithuania\" width=\"300\" height=\"191\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/images_news-2020_YA_Plunge-Lithuania.jpg 624w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/images_news-2020_YA_Plunge-Lithuania-300x191.jpg 300w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/images_news-2020_YA_Plunge-Lithuania-350x223.jpg 350w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/images_news-2020_YA_Plunge-Lithuania-560x356.jpg 560w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>That enthusiasm for change is also evident in Lithuania where two pioneers, Roberta and Viktorija, have been working with the local church in Klaipeda, a historic city on the Baltic seacoast. Premises were rented and an informal social club, \u2018Draugai\u2019, was established. Here, youth would gather to enjoy food, share ideas, study the Bible and sing. This is now developing into friendship groups and further discussion meetings. A second friendship group has been established in the city of Plung\u0117.<\/p>\n<p>As in Albania, the current quarantine and lockdown has brought physical meetings to a halt, but work continues online using Facebook, live worship, and even working with the city health bureau for a possible broadcast of a health seminar via their Facebook page.<\/p>\n<p>Both countries have had to adapt their programmes to an online forum for the present time but, recognising the needs of their teenagers and youth, they are committed to \u2018Youth Alive\u2019 as a way to make a difference.<\/p>\n<p>Zlatko Musija, Youth Ministries director for the Trans-European Division is positive about the two initiatives.&nbsp;\u201cI am encouraged to see that the Church in Albania and Lithuania is keen to find effective and creative ways to serve the needs of young people. &#8216;Youth Alive&#8217; is an evidence-based, positive, peer-prevention initiative that deals with very relevant youth issues. This initiative has a tremendous potential not only to protect youth from at-risk behaviours, but also to develop thriving youth who will make a difference in this suffering world.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>To find out more about Youth Alive visit their <a href=\"https:\/\/youthaliveportal.org\/en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">website<\/a>.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><em>ted<\/em>NEWS Staff: Victor Hulbert, editor; Deana Stojkovi\u0107, associate editor<br \/>119 St Peter&#8217;s Street, St Albans, Herts, AL1 3EY, England<br \/>E-mail: <a href=\"mailto:tednews@ted.adventist.org\">tednews@ted.adventist.org<\/a><br \/>Website: www.ted.adventist.org<br \/><em>ted<\/em>NEWS is an information bulletin issued by the communication department of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the Trans-European Division. Readers are free to republish or share this article with appropriate credit including an active hyperlink to the original article.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>21 April 2020 | St Albans, UK [Victor Hulbert]&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Youth Alive\u2019 is a practical reality in Albania and Lithuania with two pilot projects running since training last summer.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5132,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1568,1583,1588,7],"tags":[267,561,560,558,557,556,559,111,555],"class_list":["post-5140","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-children-teens-young-adults","category-estonia-latvia-lithuania","category-ireland-united-kingdom","category-news","tag-albania","tag-albanian-mission","tag-baltic-union","tag-klaipeda","tag-korca","tag-lithuania","tag-plunge","tag-youth","tag-youth-alive"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5140","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5140"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5140\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5132"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5140"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5140"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5140"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}