OriginAL Cohort 8 marked the third and final cohort of 2025. It brought together 28 participants from the diaspora for an immersive journey across Kosova, Albania, and for the first time North Macedonia. As with every OriginAL cohort, the experience focused on presence, learning through direct engagement, and building lasting connections with people and place.
The journey unfolded across Korçë and its surrounding heritage sites, including Voskopoja and the Tuma of Kamenica, which together formed a full day of reflection on history, continuity, and cultural memory. Participants also traveled through Pogradec and, for the first time, the village of Lin, now under UNESCO protection, where everyday life and preservation met along the shores of Lake Ohrid.
In North Macedonia, the cohort visited Shkup and Manastir. The stop in Manastir held special meaning as it coincided with the Day of the Albanian Alphabet, offering historical context on language as a foundation of identity. The group also met with the Ambassador of Albania to North Macedonia, adding a diplomatic and institutional perspective to the journey and clarifying why these locations mattered within the broader program narrative. The visit continued in Tetovë, where local encounters connected past and present realities of Albanian life beyond borders.
Throughout the program, learning extended beyond cities and monuments. Shared discussions, encounters with local businesses and personalities, and informal moments created space for reflection and exchange. The cohort also balanced cultural and educational activities with group bonding experiences designed to strengthen trust and connection within the group, reinforcing the sense of community that defines OriginAL.
A key symbolic moment took place in Tirana, where the group was received by the President of the Republic of Albania, Bajram Begaj, ahead of 28 November. This meeting carried particular weight, as the November cohort had the opportunity to mark Independence Day together during the program. The encounter highlighted unity across borders and reaffirmed the role of the diaspora in shaping national identity and responsibility.
Cohort 8 concluded not as a closing chapter, but as a continuation. Participants returned to their lives with deeper understanding, stronger connections, and a renewed sense of responsibility toward their origin, wherever they live, work, and contribute.
These stories do not end here.
As we move into 2026, your support through Inna’s fundraising campaign helps more young people reconnect with origin and community.
