The Young Leader | Gisela Hoxhalli
“I don’t have the key to the office. Before every single meeting, I have to get it from a friend of mine here. So much for being a board member, am I right?” Gisela Hoxhalli says with laughter.
Gisela is a director of one of the three departments of the Tirana-based nongovernmental organization, UNYAA (United Nations Association Albania), an NGO that promotes the values of the UN among Albanian youth. The 20-year-old Architecture student is one of the two leaders of the Marketing and PR department of the organization.
It is a Saturday morning in early April and Gisela is cleaning the work place after getting the key from her friend.
The place is messy. Cups are on the floor, there is leftover food on the tables. She explains that members of the organization had a party the night before and that is why she was not surprised when she first saw the main office. “I don’t mind this at all. I would have loved to join them as well if it wasn’t for my school,” she says.
After she is done cleaning up, she sets up the projector and shortly afterwards, her teammates come. She introduces every one of them and gives each one a glass of orange juice.
“I like to make the members of my department feel comfortable. I am a leader, yes, but I also am a friend they can reach out to, anytime. We hold physical meetings very rarely now because of COVID-19 and I am trying my best to make these meetings as fun as possible,” says Gisela. She notes that she has also helped the other departments to organize different events such as movie nights and games that stimulate teamwork skills.
As everyone gathers, each group member is seated at the office table. Even though Gisela is a team leader, she does not sit at the head of the table. She says that she prefers to be seated at the middle since there, she is closer to all the group members.
She starts talking about the work that has been done so far. The members of her team talk just as much as she does.
“My teammates haven’t always been like this. I had to try so hard to get them to be more open and interactive during meetings. It was a challenge at first but it has certainly paid off,” she says. Her department members report on their assigned tasks ranging from design and social media management to video-editing and photography.
As the meeting is coming to an end, Gisela gives new tasks and instructions to her co-workers. Then, she lets them have ‘informal discussions’, as she calls them. She says that she believes there needs to be a bond between every participant for the organization to thrive.
“I joined this organization over two years ago. I have been mentored by so many incredible and wise people and now that I am a part of the board, I get to do the same for new-comers. I find that to be the coolest thing about my job,” Gisela says.
###
Gjergj Loka is studying Journalism and Political Science at the American University in Bulgaria. He was glad to interview an aspiring individual that is working for Albanian youth.
