OUR VOLUNTEERS SHARE THEIR STORIES

Volunteers are one of the main foundations of our development

. Throughout the years, each edition of the festival has engaged about 100 volunteers who contribute to various departments. With their enthusiasm, energy and love for the festival they enable the magnificent realization of the festival. They are part of different departments such as Media and Communications, Hospitality, Cinema, Workshops, Panels and Master classes.

In our Festival, our volunteers will spend the summer while making new friends and sharing awesome festival experiences. We are happy that during our 13th edition of Anibar we talked with Arba Hatashi, Festival Director and some of our dearest volunteers. They gave us insights on the importance of volunteering and shared their personal stories on why they love to be part of the Anibar team.

Arba Hatashi: Our very own Festival Director, started her journey at Anibar as a volunteer. Years later, she is in charge of everything that happens with the Festival. The first six years of Anibar, the entire festival had been organized only with the help of volunteers. There were some 18-year-olds who started the Festival in the spirit of youth who gathered to bring something good to the city and this continues to be present even today, 13 years later. Arba remembers how she came to the festival for the first time. “We saw films in the first edition and it was a very good feeling. After that I became part of the staff in the next edition as a volunteer. Anibar was the only thing that was happening inside the city with a cultural point of view and offered liveliness.” Arba adds how, at the Festival, there was a team ready to bring new and bold ideas. “We had the motive to bring a social and cultural life to our city, as we and the city of Peja lacked this.”

Edona Shala: She travels to Peja every summer to join our Festival. Edona says that her experience during all these years have taught her a lot about films and animation plus she loves making new friends. “I really enjoyed working in the media team because all the staff and volunteers kept the work atmosphere alive, and apart from work, we had the opportunity to enjoy many festival activities. Anibar, as an animation festival, through its films and activities, deals with very important social topics, which is one of the reasons why I like to contribute and work here. This is also the reason why I returned again to the 13th edition of Anibar, this year as a media assistant, where I help with writing editing and proofreading various articles, creating content for social media, press releases and so on.” – adds Edona.

 

While for Alba Demiri, her first time in Anibar is everything she has imagined for. “The working atmosphere within the office is very lively and productive, with helpful and professional teams, and I have been learning a lot about managing public relations, team dynamics and communication. Meeting other volunteers and young people with the same interests is a great opportunity to brainstorm ideas with each other, and create bridges for future collaborations.” Alba says she will be back for next year’s edition for sure and we are happy to have her amongst us.

Yll Ahmeti travels from US to join us yearly. “Visiting Anibar every year is my way to meet new people from all over the world and share my passion for this festival. During my first visit to Anibar, I was a volunteer. Every morning, I worked at the Information table for four hours, and whenever I had any extra time, I would assist the media team. The amazing staff and everything you learn at Anibar made it a great volunteering experience for me.” Yll says that in this year’s hiring process, as a member of the media team, his volunteer work from last year’s edition has played a key part in their decision. Yll would absolutely be part of next edition of Anibar.

Volunteers are the main pillar of the festival, and without them and their annual work and passion for volunteering and art, nothing would be possible and Anibar would not be able to grow to its current international proportions.

We are so happy to have you here! We love you! We see you! We want you back next year!

We hope you have the best time of your lives here and we hope to see you grow artistically and as a person always. Be the best version of yourselves, be courageous, and hold each other dearly!
And get lucky!