The Participatory Budgeting 2027 process continued with the youth of Elbasan, giving them the opportunity to express their needs, ideas and proposals for the investments and priorities that the Municipality should consider during the coming year. The meeting, held within the 2026–2027 school year, became a space for dialogue and discussion, where young people were invited to freely articulate their demands and become active participants in local decision-making.
The Director of the Local Education Office, Vella Llanaj Liço, stressed the importance of involving young people in this process, underlining that participatory budgeting creates the opportunity for the needs and interests of the community to be aligned with the priorities of local government, so that public investments are oriented where citizens need them most. She invited young people to express their ideas responsibly and without hesitation, emphasizing the important role that youth play in the development of society.
Elbasan Mayor Gledian Llatja spoke about the tradition of this process with young people and the impact their proposals have had on investments carried out over the years. He pointed to previous requests from the Youth Council for the reconstruction of the “Onufri” school, as well as interventions at the “Konstandin Kristoforidhi” and “Dhaskal Todri” schools. Meanwhile, he announced that the “Vasil Kamami” school is expected to begin reconstruction after the completion of public procurement procedures, while for the “Ahmet Dakli” school the project is already ready.
Llatja also mentioned young people’s requests for the installation of photovoltaic panels in schools, noting that projects have been set up for seven schools, three others have been added, and four are in the implementation phase. He also highlighted investments carried out in educational institutions, as well as the “Dua të Luaj” Park project, a request from young people, which offers spaces for sport, recreation and community activities, with football, tennis and basketball fields, children’s playgrounds and areas for the elderly.
During the meeting, other Municipality initiatives supporting youth were also presented, such as the TUMO program, the Career Counseling Office, the National Work Internship Program, and activities in the fields of sport, culture, art and volunteering.
Within this framework, the Local Action Plan for Youth 2026–2030 was also presented, which aims to define the main directions of intervention in education, employment, participation and cultural life for young people.
The meeting concluded with the discussion and voting on the priorities proposed by young people, thus continuing the Participatory Budgeting process, where the voice of the community is turned into concrete proposals for investments and the development of Elbasan during 2027.