My name is Ashley Wood, and before 2012, I didn't even know where Albania was on a map. I was a part-time college Spanish instructor and a Ph.D. student in linguistics. I had no idea my life would change forever when I met four Albanians in the Dominican Republic.
While I was doing scholarship research in a small town, I approached a group of men in a cafe who turned out to be American. We started chatting, and about five minutes into my explanation of my research, they all stood up from the table and their tone changed from friendly to aggressive in an instant. One of them grabbed my arm and started dragging me to a car. Before I realized what was happening, a group of Albanian men who I had met only one day before intervened and stopped them from taking me; basically saving my life. I later found out through town rumors that the men were drug traffickers who had fled the U.S. They believed me to be a DEA agent and not a student. The Albanians saved my life based on an ancient code of honor called the
kanun. This event inspired me to learn more about the Albanian culture, which led to the creation of the organization Albanian Voices with Bora Shehu. We are a not-for-profit organization whose goal is to connect Albanian communities around the world by sharing individual stories and experiences. We also aim to educate non-Albanians about the richness of the Albanian culture through preserving its oral history in writing.
Short Summary
- Albanian Voices is a community organization seeking 501(c)(3) non-profit tax status. For more information about our organization, please visit http://albanianvoices.org/. You can also contact us at albanianvoices@gmail.com or P.O. Box 190586 Atlanta, GA 31119, USA.
- We enable and encourage the Albanian people to to talk about their lives and experiences as a way to connect them globally, to each other and to the world.
- The organization is run entirely by volunteers. Co-founders, Ashley Wood and Bora Shehu live in Atlanta, Georgia and run the day-to-day operations including story collection, community outreach and website management.
- Ashley Wood, M.A., American-born with a background in language and politics, is the Executive Director. Bora Shehu, B.F.A., an Albanian-American with a background in art and design, is the Vice Director.
- The Albanian Voices' mission is to: 1) collect stories for the preservation of Albanian oral tradition and 2) create and promote digital story telling educational programs so that Albanians (especially youth) can better express themselves online.
- This project should be of interest to people who care about preserving oral traditions, spreading truth and knowledge about historical facts in the Balkans, encouraging freedom of speech after communism, learning to navigate new technologies for use of self-expression and most of all, educating children about social media techniques so they can better express themselves online.
What We Need & What You Get
Research and Travel: Many Albanians are interested in telling their stories to us personally. In fact, the need is so great that our team cannot do it without your help. To date, the Albanian Voices team has only been able to travel within United States to Canada to interview Albanians and people of Albanian heritage. In order for this project to have global relevance, our team must conduct research and interview people in Albania and the surrounding regions. For our research and travel budget, we will allocate funds for airfare, ground transportation, museum and/or library fees and books, research, electronic and documentation equipment. For more information on the budgets, please email albanianvoices@gmail.com.
Website: Since many people are interested in submitting stories online, another crucial need has risen. The need for an upgraded website that can handle the traffic and bandwidth that we need to display our stories in an aesthetic way. We plan to enhance our website by hiring professional web developers so that its functionality and SEO qualities are optimal.
Curriculum: Lastly, as the interest in our website and organization has grown, so has the amount of stories that are submitted electronically. Many people have expressed a desire to receive writing tips and information via social media so that they can better express themselves on our website. This brought an additional need to our attention: the need to help others achieve fluency in digital communication. Our lessons teach people not only how to write a good story, but also how to display it on the internet so as to encourage the most engagement in what they have written. For more detailed information about the curriculum, please send an email to albanianvoices@gmail.com.
Tax Status: Albanian Voices needs to apply for 501(c)(3) status with the IRS in order to qualify for more grants and funding. We need your help with the filing and legal fees associated with growing our organization to this level.
A Brief Budget Breakdown: We chose the flexible funding option, which means we will receive everything we raise, minus 9% (it's not an all or nothing campaign). The first $3,500 we raise will go to travel expenses for us (Ashley and Bora) to briefly go to Albania and collect stories firsthand for the project. If $7,000 is raised, we will be able to stay longer and travel to the countries that surround Albania to collect stories from Albanians living in Macedonia, Montenegro and Kosovo. If $12,000 is raised, we will be able to document the stories with professional recording and filming equipment. Once we reach the level of $17,000, we can add a freelance web developer to our team and increase the functionality and reach of our website. We need to hire someone who can work on CSS, HTML and SEO optimization. If we reach the level of $19,000, we will begin marketing and advertising campaigns to get the word out about our organization. Finally, if we reach our ambitious goal of $23,500, we will hire a lawyer to help us file our paperwork to have 501(c)(3) tax status and use the funding to cover the fees associated with filing it. We will also use the funds to put together our footage from Albania as a documentary and produce a quality photography book. For extremely detailed information about the budget, please send an email to albanianvoices@gmail.com and we will send you our spreadsheet.
What You'll Get: Our perks are unique and allow you to be a part of this project all the way through. From a souvenir that we will bring you from Albania, to a personalized logo designed by our team: you have a choice as to how you'd like us to show our appreciation for your donation.
-
Fees: Approximately 9% of this budget is allocated for Indiegogo fees and merchant fees.
The Impact
- We aim to create cultural tolerance through education, facilitating a multicultural understanding of the Albanian people, their culture, language and history. Most people in the United States do not know where Albania is on a map and do not learn about its history in school, even at the highest levels of collegiate education.
- Our organization can serve as a central point of contact where Albanians can network, learn about their own culture, communicate it to the world and connect with other Albanian non-profit organizations.
- We will contribute to education online by distributing information on how to write more effectively and how to display it online so as to attract many views.
- We will also preserve the Albanian culture by reshaping the way the world views and understands it.
What You Need to Know about Albanians
- The population of Albania is just over 3 million, but it is estimated that there are almost 9 million Albanian speakers. Millions live outside the official borders of Albania in the neighboring countries of Greece, Macedonia, Kosovo, Serbia, Montenegro and Italy.
- Albania currently has the poorest economy in Europe and Albanians are forced to emigrate to find a better life. Many large Albanian communities exist in the U.S., U.K., Australia and many countries in Western Europe.
- The Republic of Albania is an official candidate for accession to the European Union since June 2014. This is something they have been working toward diplomatically for 14 years. They are now in a better position than ever to change the socio-economic and political situation in their region.
- Albanians have one of the oldest traditions of Europe. Evidence suggests that they come from a powerful Illyrian society, older and more sophisticated than that of ancient Greece.
-
The Albanian language is not Slavic and is not related to Russian or Serbian/Croatian/Bosnian. It is on its own branch of the historical linguistics tree and is the oldest-surviving ancestor to the language that gave rise to most Western languages, Proto-Indo-European.
- Albanian culture has been passed down orally and runs the risk of being lost if not preserved in writing.
- Albania was the most isolated country during communism and the last communist country in Europe to fall. Since then, Albania has made leaps and bounds on its way to modernization, but it still has a long way to go.
- Many Albanians adhere to an ancient, unwritten (until recently), honor-based moral code called the kanun. Family is sacred to an extent that is difficult for Westerners to understand. Based on a concept called besa, guests are held in the highest regard and protected at all costs.
Risks & Challenges
We understand that there are a number of risks and challenges associated with doing a project such as this.
- We have taken a great deal of precautions to keep ourselves safe while traveling. We have spent years collectively building a network of contacts in the United States and abroad that can help us every step of the way. We will be escorted to each new city and have our own, reliable transportation at all times. At each stop, we will have contacts and trustworthy people to receive us, house us and guide us.
- We are qualified to undertake this project and have already proven tenacity and resilience. This project has already overcome a failed Kickstarter campaign in April-May 2013 as well as other set backs. We have the knowledge about Albanian culture, the contacts, the help, the support, the drive and the determination to see this through.
- The challenges we face include most that are associated with international travel and the start of a non-profit. However, we are aware of these challenges and have the attitude and passion to overcome those minor setbacks, should they occur.
Other Ways You Can Help
Maybe you just can't contribute financially, but that doesn't mean you can't help:
- Please get the word out and make some noise about our campaign! Post about it on social media outlets like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Tumblr, Pintrest or your personal blog.
Thank You! Faleminderit!