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About Us

  • Our Story

FECH was born from a confronting question: How can a country fight corruption when the next generation is being educated by the corrupt? In 2021, a group of young people came together with the belief that higher education in North Macedonia could, and must, become more transparent, democratic, and accountable. We refused to accept a system where decisions were made behind closed doors and where students were expected to remain silent in institutions that rarely served their interests. Instead, we set out to build a movement grounded in integrity, critical thought, and active citizenship.

Since then, the Forum for Educational Change (FECH) has grown from an idea into a national force. We have empowered student assemblies, uncovered irregularities in universities, supported whistleblowers, fought for digitalization and transparency through the #DigiU coalition, and created spaces such as the Youth Activism Center in Tetovo for young people to organize and act. We helped establish the first-ever National Student Body, uniting eight university organizations, and trained hundreds of students to become advocates for their rights and for better governance in education.

Our philosophy is simple: activism must be driven by evidence, and evidence must lead to action. We identify problems through student reports and public data, investigate them rigorously, and turn findings into advocacy, reforms, and public pressure. Courage guides all our work, because silence protects systems, not students.

Today, FECH stands as both a watchdog and a builder of possibilities. We expose what is wrong, but we also craft solutions for what education can and should become: transparent, fair, and centered on the needs and voices of the students it serves. This is our story — and the future we are determined to shape.




  • Vision

FECH envisions a higher education system in North Macedonia that is transparent, accountable, and free from corruption – a system where students have more than a seat in the classroom: they have a seat at the table where decisions about their future are made. We strive to lead the reforms and modernization of public universities by activating civic courage, mobilizing expertise, and shaping an academic environment built on integrity, innovation, and democratic participation.

  • Mission

FECH’s mission is to drive evidence-based reforms in higher education, confront corruption and opacity in universities, and empower students to participate meaningfully in shaping public policy. We work to ensure that the voices of citizens — especially young people – are represented in the transformation of education, and that universities in North Macedonia evolve into institutions that uphold transparency, academic freedom, and public responsibility.

  • Our Impact in Numbers
students trained through advanced advocacy, anti-corruption, and leadership programs
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research reports and policy papers published on transparency, academic integrity, and governance
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public events, trainings, and campaigns organized across the country
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exposed irregularities in Public Universities
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  • #FECHers (Executive Board)

Blendi Hodai

Executive Director

Vesa Sherifi

Finance Officer and Head of Public Intervention

Viktorija Postolovska

Head of Community Outreach

Ardit Ramadani

Head of Research

Kristijan Stefanovski

Erasmus+ Coordinator

Gregory Severin

Peace Corps Volunteer

  • Advisory Board

Agon Memedi

Vlora Recica

Denica Chadikovska

Emir Hasanovic

  • Pool of Trainers

Arianit Xhaferi

Trainer on Advocacy

Bojan Kordalov

Trainer on Communication & AI Literacy

Sashka Cvetkova

Trainer on Anti-Corruption

Slavica Arsova

Trainer on Communication & PR

Nikola Pisarev

Trainer on Public Intervention & Artivism

Blendi Hodai

Blendi Hodai is a civic leader dedicated to strengthening transparency, accountability, and student participation in North Macedonia. He holds a BSc in Political Science with a focus on International Relations from Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje. He is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Forum for Educational Change (FECH) and a Co-Founder of the National Student Body (NSB), established in 2024 to unite eight major student organizations across the country. Blendi is also the founder and former leader of UNSHM, the country’s most prominent school-student movement. With experience as a facilitator and consultant in advocacy, youth activism, conflict management, and peacebuilding, including work with UNFPA EUSAIR and UNICEF Europe and Central Asia, Blendi brings strong policy insight and a proven commitment to meaningful civic engagement in higher education and beyond.

Vesa Sherifi

Vesa is a student of Medicine at the University of St. Cyril and Methodius and has been a part of the YES alumni community since 2018. Vesa was a City Representative for American Councils for International Education in North Macedonia during 2018-2019, where she organized and facilitated different projects, workshops, and events in her hometown, Kumanovo, and Skopje. She has participated in and helped with different events organized by American Councils all around North Macedonia and has also participated in different regional workshops and events.

Viktorija Postolovska

Viktorija Postolovska – Head of Community Outreach Viktorija chose to continue her education in Linguistics right after she graduated from the English Language and Literature Department at the Faculty of Philology “Blaze Koneski” in Skopje. In 2022, she was elected as the second Student Ombudsman at the University of Ss. Cyril and Methodius which was the beginning of a very passionate activist career. After graduating and passing the mandate as a Student Ombudsman, Viktorija started working as a project coordinator at FECH, which allowed her to continue with a direct impact on the academic community, this time professionally. In her free time, you can find her manifesting a better society for all.

Ardit Ramadani

Ardit Ramadani holds a Master’s in Mass Communication and Journalism. He is the author and editor of several research studies. Previously, he worked as a fact-checker at Truthmeter.mk and Crithink.mk, as a journalist at ‘Portalb.mk,’ and at the National Television ‘Alsat M.’ Currently, Ardit is the editor-in-chief at ‘Mollekuqja.mk’ and head of research & communications at Forum for Educational Change. Ardit is also a co-founder of both of these organizations, which are considered among the most influential in the country on issues related to youth and human rights.

Kristijan Stefanovski

Kristijan Stefanovski holds an MA in Comparative Literature and is currently pursuing a PhD in the same field. His research interests combine literary and cultural theory with political theory; he has published several scholarly articles, and his master’s thesis has been published as a monograph. As Project Coordinator at the Forum for Educational Change (FECH), he leads end-to-end delivery of Erasmus+ projects, from concept design, networking, and partner coordination to planning, implementation, reporting, fundraising, and donor and stakeholder relations.

Gregory Severin

Gregory Severin (Peace Corps Volunteer) holds a Master of Public Policy from the University of Michigan, having specialized in international development and international policy in his time there. He is passionate about creating long-lasting, positive changes in a community through fostering strong people-to-people relationships across backgrounds and perspectives. His prior work includes policy research and analysis in CSOs and multinational institutions in the United States and the European Union, combining international experience with a grounded, people-based grassroots focus. He currently serves with FECH in his capacity as a volunteer with the United States Peace Corps

Agon Memedi

Agon Memedi is a Researcher at TU Berlin. He is the author of numerous peer-reviewed conference and journal articles in the field of vehicular wireless communications. He was a Fulbright Scholar with the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), and he has previously been awarded an Erasmus Mundus scholarship for Master’s studies at Paderborn University. Since 2016, he has been a board member and, since 2025, President of the “Penda” Association for Education.

Vlora Reçica

Vlora Reçica is a researcher and Head of the Center for Parliamentary Support and Democratization (CPSD) within the Institute for democracy (IDSCS). She holds a master’s degree in Comparative Politics, specializing in Democracy and Democratization, from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). Her research and advocacy focus is on parliaments and parliamentary democracy, institutional building, populism, and democratization processes in new democracies. Vlora is also the co-founder of Stella Network, a non-profit organization seeking to improve access to higher education and economic empowerment for girls and women in North Macedonia.

Denica Chadikovska

Denica Chadikovska, a psychology graduate, began her journalistic career in 2017 as co-author and co-producer of the youth-focused series Krik, which tackled pressing societal and cultural issues among young people. In 2018, she joined the Investigative Reporting Lab (IRL) as an investigative journalism intern through a program for training future media leaders. In June 2024, she became Communications Editor, where she leads the implementation of IRL’s communications strategy as part of the communications and products team.

Emir Hasanovic

Emir Hasanovic is the Programmes Lead for the Strong Cities Network Western Balkans Hub at ISD, responsible for Young Cities and Strong Cities coordination in the region, research and analysis, communications, and expansion. He is a strategic communications professional and project manager with international experience in consultancy, government, and the non-profit sector. He has worked for communications agencies in the Middle East and the US, primarily advising premier clients in government, environment, corporate social responsibility, and human rights. Emir has also served as Special Adviser to the Deputy PM and Minister of Defence of North Macedonia for Communications and International Relations. He has also been Program Development Officer for the USAID/OTI North Macedonia Support Initiative. Emir is a graduate of the Georgetown School of Foreign Service and is fluent in Albanian, Macedonian, Bosnian, and English, and he speaks conversational French.