BAKC was started in 1998 as Albanian Youth Action, in order to support and assist the large number of unaccompanied children and young people who were arriving in the UK at that time without their parents from troubled regions of Albania and Kosova. Many of the young people went on to succeed in a variety of settings, and some have achieved significant academic success -some even with PhDs - which is remarkable considering they didn't speak a word of English on arrival in the UK. After the wave of unaccompanied children ended, the organisation changed direction, and changed the name to British Albanian Kosovar Council to reflect a different emphasis. Now BAKC works with refugee families with children, and delivers the family learning programme Strengthening Families Strengthening Communities, funded principally by the Big Lottery. This programme helps parents bring up children between two cultures, recognising the influence of differing cultures on parenting styles, and covers all areas, including techniques of violence free discipline. BAKC also delivers youth work support and activities for the children of the families - watch out for spectacular Albanian dance performances in school concerts, and Kosovan football teams.
