By Simona Ristovska, YES 2009-2010, Macedonia, hosted by World Link in Washington, IA

City Representatives are leaders among the YES alumni in Southeast Europe who work to coordinate and promote projects and activities in communities across each country. City Representatives not only take initiative to organize their own community service activities, but also help other alumni start their own volunteer projects. Below, Marija Krsteva (YES ’15) and Angela Gjekanovikj (YES ’11) share their experiences as City Representatives in Macedonia:

“I decided to be a City Representative because I wanted to challenge [other] students to apply to [the] YES program and I wanted to show them that everything is possible through my example,” Marija explained. “I was also thrilled to work with other people, share ideas and learn something new.”

Once she became a City Representative, Marija began a project she called “Seeing Beyond Blindness.” The project kicked off with an event to raise awareness of the challenges individuals with visual impairment face by inviting sighted individuals to try navigating a space blindfolded. The project involved reaching out to local individuals who are visually impaired and speaking with them about their needs. Based on the information she received, Marija organized monthly gatherings through which members of the community developed ideas for improving the city of Radovis to better accommodate individuals with visual impairments. One of their ideas was to help members of the visually impaired community with the legal aspect of registering to become an official association. Marija also used these events as an opportunity to share aspects of American culture, like Thanksgiving. With support from the YES program and a local vendor who provided a discount, Marija secured 16 white canes to help program participants navigate more safely.

This is just one of the many projects Marija has worked on during her time as a City Representative, and she believes that the position has allowed her to make meaningful connections with those around her, and in turn, have a positive impact on the community.  As a City Representative, “I can help people directly and indirectly,” Krsteva said. “I feel like I am alive, doing something right.”  Fellow City Representative Angela Gjekanovikj agrees, describing her time as a City Representative as “interesting and rewarding.”

As a City Representative, Angela spent seven months last year preparing a team of YES Abroad students and YES alumni to compete in a Model United Nations conference. She even led workshops to help team members improve their resolution writing and public speaking skills. The team went on to represent one of the biggest countries in the competition, Russia, and two members of her team were selected to receive an award for best delegate.

As City Representative, Angela also facilitated an entrepreneurship training. During the training, she used materials developed by the UK-based charity Nesta to help nine participants develop business ideas. She plans to continue to help grow the business community in Macedonia.