December 23, 2025 | Tuesday
TOKA’s Volunteerism of the Year Awards
In early December, TOKA hosted the EU-funded conference Building a Culture of Volunteering: From Individuals to Institutions 2025. At the centre of the conference were the popular Volunteerism of the Year Awards.
Leading up to the awards ceremony, the EU Head of Mission Aivo Orav, as one of the conference’s keynote speakers, emphasised the essential role that volunteering plays in strengthening communities, deepening democracy, and empowering Kosovo’s youth. H.E. Orav also highlighted the EU’s long-standing support in building sustainable volunteering structures in Kosovo and praised the growing engagement of schools, municipalities, businesses, and civil society, while calling for stronger institutional commitment to make volunteering a lasting national culture.
This year’s volunteerism awards were divided to celebrate volunteerism in Kosovo across three categories: Youth, Volunteerism Enablers, and Education & NGO, with ten awards presented to outstanding individuals, institutions and businesses out of a total of 114 nominees.
From a pool of 114 nominees, 70 in the Youth category and 44 in the Volunteerism Enablers category, and Education & NGO, Sara Çeshko was awarded Kosovo’s Most Courageous Volunteer of the Year. Çeshko has completed over 100 hours of volunteer work, opening doors for dialogue, building bridges of cooperation, and creating spaces for young voices in key democratic processes through the EU&ME – Kosovo’s Vision Platform. Furthermore, as part of the United Youth Task Force, she helped organise the UN Youth Assembly, where over 200 participants from Kosovo took part. As a Young European Ambassador, she led awareness campaigns on youth participation and regional cooperation, reaching hundreds of young people both online and offline.
Defending children’s rights, protecting the environment, and creating inclusive spaces for youth across Kosovo have been at the centre of Diar Bekteshi’s volunteer work in 2025, earning him Kosovo’s Rising Star Volunteer of the Year Award. As Deputy Chair of the Respect Our Rights (ROR) group and a member of the Environmental Assembly, he has represented children and youth at high-level decision-making platforms. He participated in the Interministerial Committee for International Children’s Day, where his input, among others, contributed to the launch of the government’s anti-discrimination platform.
Bekteshi’s work in the field of environmental activism and inclusivity has shown tangible impact on several occasions, including the installation of inclusive seating for people with disabilities in Park Karagaç/Karagač in Peja/Peć; the revitalisation of the Omni Sport Park in Mitrovica South, promoting interethnic cooperation; and the donation of sensor-activated faucets to Bedri Gjinal School in Mitrovica South.
Edesa Ibrahimi earned Kosovo’s Volunteer of the Year Award with more than 800 hours of volunteer work during 2024–2025, contributing to national and international events, educational programmes, STEM projects, community initiatives, and youth mentoring. She counted in the 800 hours of volunteer work with different organisations such as European Girls’ Mathematical Olympiad and US. Embassy Youth Council. Her most impactful work is the platform empowering girls in science and technology, titled CTRL+Her which Ibrahimi founded herself.
In this ceremony where volunteerism and community work was celebrated and cherished, The Most Supportive Municipality of the Year award was granted to the Municipality of Istog/Istok; the Most Supportive Business of the Year to AnchorzUP; Kosovo’s Most Supportive Diaspora Ambassador of the Year to Egzon Morina; Kosovo’s Most Supportive Public Figure of the Year to Pranvera Hyseni; Kosovo’s Lifetime Contribution Volunteer of the Year to Leman Kamberi-Muriqi; the National Service Learning Award 1st Place to the Solidar Club of the Bedri Pejani High School in Pejë/Peć; and 2nd Place to the Super Volunteer Club “Yjet” [Stars] of the Rexhep Akllapi school in Lipjan/Lipljan.