OriginAL Cohort 8 marked the third and final cohort of 2025, bringing 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 centered on being present, learning through direct engagement, and building meaningful connections with place and people.
Participants traveled through Korçë, Manastir, Pogradec, and Tetovë, alongside shared program locations. Each stop offered opportunities to connect history with everyday life through conversations with local communities, cultural encounters, and shared moments of reflection. These experiences helped participants understand origin as something lived and evolving, shaped by movement, memory, and responsibility.
The journey also strengthened bonds within the group itself. Over days of travel, discussion, and shared discovery, the 28 participants formed connections that extended beyond the program, reinforcing a sense of belonging within a wider Albanian community that spans borders.
A 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. The meeting served as a reminder of unity and the ongoing role of the diaspora in maintaining and shaping national identity.
Cohort 8 concluded not as an ending, but as a continuation. Participants returned with deeper understanding, stronger connections, and a lasting sense of responsibility toward their origin, wherever they live and contribute.
