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Kosovar Albanian Youth Against Violence

Description

KAYAV provides integration, through education and training for young people and their families from Kosovar Albanian heritage and living in London. KAYAV came together in 2011 and was reactivated in July 2018. Initially, KAYAV started as a "Stop all Violence" campaign run by the local Albanian speaking parents and their children, following the riots of Albanian young people (YP) in Trafalgar Square in February 2011. Over the years KAYAV delivered a number of activities in the community, parenting programmes, language, and cultural activities to aid the integration of the families and their young people in their neighbourhoods, schools, and in the community. KAYAV youth volunteers are known as the community catalyst for change. They implemented a number of activities; such as fundraising for another young British Albanian boy, who suffered from cancer and needed the funds for complementary therapy. The young change-makers (KAYAV Youth Volunteers) campaigned against media preconceptions and prejudices towards British Youth following the London Riots in August 2011, there is a story published in The Guardian about the positive ways in engaging and helping the community https://www.theguardian.com/society/joepublic/2011/dec/13/blaming-briti…. In the last year KAYAV community with the funding from #myWestminster delivered weekly regular integration activities (parenting classes, employment and wellbeing classes with adults, while their children and young people at the St Augustine High School, engaged in sports, heritage, dance and cultural activities). During the past year, the KAYAV young people have presented with amazing performances of traditional dance and traditional games during the Global Food and Culture Festival at Westbourne Community Festival and in the Queen's park gardens summer festival, where over 500 members of the community witnessed traditional dance, music, games, and food from Kosovar Albanian Community in Queens Park. Every Monday from 6.30 to 8.30 pm, Wellbeing Classes, in partnership with Zodiac Marshall Arts we run a kickboxing class for parents and their children in Fernhead Road, W9, Methodist Church. Sundays 2.30 - 4.00 pm, Wellbeing and Empowerment for young women- a dance club, yoga, ESOL, and advocating skills at the Curve Community Centre, in partnership with the Curve and WEA- learning within reach for adults. Mondays at Account 3, Bethnal Green in partnership with WEA, learning within reach for adults, ESOL classes with jewelry and card making, for women’s empowerment and enterprise. KAYAV is known for advocating the community needs, we organise regular symposiums with the community and our partners to explore the needs, actions, and achievements of the community.