About WBAA
What is WBAA?
The Western Balkans Alumni Association (WBAA from now on) is a regional association of alumni from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Kosovo* and Serbia who have spent part of their studies in the EU member states or third countries associated to the Erasmus+ Programme, either as an EU scholar or EU country scholar, or as a self-funded individual.
Officially launched in March 2018, WBAA was born from the EU’s Western Balkans Platform on Education and Training in 2015, where the Ministers of Education of the 6 Western Balkan countries agreed on the need to establish a regional network of alumni. Since its inception, WBAA has come a long way!
WBAA organised its 1st General Assembly in March 2019 in Tirana, Albania for all WBAA members, in March 2021 the second General Assembly took place. Since 2020 WBAA supports its members to implement WBAA Projects.
Today, the association brings together many relevant actors in the Western Balkans to make sure that the young people’s voices in the region are heard loud and clear. During sessions and various formats organised by WBAA members for WBAA members on a regular basis, experts from different departments, professional fields and regions are invited to provide important information about mobility programmes, professional trainings, organisational structures etc.
*This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244/1999 and the ICJ opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence.
WBAA’s Objectives
- Establishing a strong union of alumni from the Western Balkans
- Promoting mobility opportunities in Europe and beyond
- Sharing experience by supporting and mentoring students
- Increasing employability through exchange of best practice, experience and contacts
- Empowering and inspiring young people to achieve their goals
- Contributing to the modernisation of higher education systems back home
- Liaising with other alumni associations in the EU and beyond
WBAA Statutes and Internal Rules and Regulations
Those are the official WBAA documents, which are updated annually:
WBAA Code of Conduct
Structure & Bodies
WBAA structure have the following bodies:
- Regional Board (12 representatives of the National Chapters)
- WBAA Teams (four teams on different topics)
- Advisory Council (consisting of former Board members)
- The National Chapters (all representatives of each of National Chapter)
Advisory Council
The Advisory Council is an honorary body that has an advisory role to the WBAA Board and its activities. It consists of former Board members and has no executive authority or decision-making powers. Members of the Advisory Council are proposed and appointed by the Regional Board and presented at the General Assembly.
The supportive role of the Advisory Council is reflected in its work on establishing and improving WBAA Internal Rules and Regulations, assisting in the interpretation of the Statute and other important documents, and promoting the institutional memory of the organisation and its development.
Partners
Join us, become a partner
If you are interested in collaborating with WBAA and are a representative of an organisation that falls in the following categories:
- Government institutions (ministries, agencies)
- National Erasmus+ Offices (NEOs) and National Agencies (NAs)
- Existing alumni organisations and associations active in the Western Balkans
- Student councils operating at the university/faculty level
- Companies
- Youth organisations
- Cultural centres, educational and research institutions, civil society organisations, etc.
Please contact us via info@western-balkans-alumni.eu
There are two possibilities for a partnership: A partnership agreement can be signed for individual projects. If a long-term partnership is planned, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) can be signed.