Matilda Zizolli

Matilda Zizolli

Albania

I come from an advanced academic background. I am studying Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for the CBT Albania& Institute for Community Psychological Services with Israeli Cognitive Therapy, in the first year, postgraduate. I hold a MA in Clinical Psychology and a BA in Psychology from the University of Tirana. I have always been interested to work with marginalized and vulnerable groups.
My current work experience as The Head of the Sector for Children in Street Situation at the Multidisciplinary Social Centre of Tirana Municipality, in collaboration with Save the Children, has helped me develop managerial and analytical skills and learn more about the history during the years of Roma people and the other marginalized group. The existence of a partnership between the institution and the NGO has continued by reporting the periodic progress of the project to an external expert and this has helped me develop my collaborative and reporting skills and to know very deeply the needs that the children and families have.
Street work experience for the identification of the cases for children in street situations and in risk of trafficking and abuse, has made me a good acquaintance of governmental and non-governmental actors in the case management system. Working as a camp coordinator in the centre, in collaboration with World Vision and International Volunteer Projects (PVN), has helped me recognize and split specific tasks strictly, thus accomplishing activities and goals at the appointed time.
In addition, I run several local activities with young Roma people during the weekend. This initiative comes in collaboration with television in programs called” Give me your hand” and the social centre. The aim of the activities is to promote solidarity and peace and to give the young Roma people the opportunity to express their talent and values. An exhibition was organized last year in 12th April (International day for the children in street situation), where drawings of the children were showed, as a way to share the emotions and the inner world of them.
Furthermore, my two years of work experience at the French-Albanian high school “Ernest Koliqi” as the school psychologist, lecturer and coordinator of the Psychology Club has given me the opportunity to better understand the needs and problems that teenagers face nowadays while helping them to try and find the mechanism of planning and problem solving. Through teaching I have been able to reinforce my ability to effectively transmit information to a broad audience. In addition, my ability to understand the personality traits and the challenges of teenagers.
Another significant factor is my experience as a lecturer for several subjects at the Department of Psychology and the development of various educational modules related to education on child protection, trafficking, migration and child abuse has given me good skills in disseminating and transmitting information to different target groups.