“If the state cannot retain its youth, then the problem lies not with the youth but with the state.” This sentence captures one of the key themes often discussed by young people on the show PERSPECTIVA. The widespread pessimism among young people about the possibilities for change is being challenged by the student and youth movement in Serbia. These days it is common to hear people saying: ‘The students have awoken us.’”
Young people in Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina are following the example set by their counterparts in Serbia, although not at the same level. Will these youth movements strengthen the desire of young people to stay and change the society they live in? The editors of PERSPECTIVA looked into the archives on the topic of the departure of young people from the Western Balkans. Here is what Eleonora, Sara, Hana, Marko, Rada, and Nikola have to say on the subject.
Eleonora
“If the state cannot retain its youth, then the problem lies not with the youth but with the state.”
https://www.slobodnaevropa.org/a/perspektiva-kumanovo-sjeverna-makedonija/33205374.html
Sara
“This is my country, and I was born here. I want to give it my best, but the state doesn’t offer me the opportunities I need. I want a good education, a job tomorrow, and a future for my children too. I want to create a healthy environment where they’ll have far better opportunities than I have today.”
https://www.slobodnaevropa.org/a/perspektiva-sa-mladima-podgorice-druga-epizoda/31040632.html
Hana
“Many young people have resigned themselves to the reality that things are difficult in the country and, for them, the only option is to leave. It’s as if they believe that it is inevitable that they will eventually leave.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-qaNiRPjW8&list=PLZxapTpi4f5WdTa4kVxM3OKiVNrZmBw63&index=1
Marko
“For most young people in Podgorica, life is largely about waiting to go abroad.“
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQMaupUnJkQ&ab_channel=RadioSlobodnaEvropa
Rada
“If Nikola Tesla hadn’t gone to America, here he would have remained as just the ‘crazy’ Tesla obsessed with lightning and such. People leave their countries to find a way to challenge themselves, to become someone, to be valued by others. They want to prove that they’ve succeeded in life, that they’ve achieved something through their work and effort.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUhdKgMuqzM
Nikola
“I see my future in Montenegro only as a pensioner.”
https://www.slobodnaevropa.org/a/perspektiva-crnagora-budva-mladi/32334811.html
Those who choose to stay offer these reasons:
Muarem
“I decided to study here because if we flee, we’re accepting the system as it is.”
https://www.slobodnaevropa.org/a/perspektiva-kumanovo-sjeverna-makedonija/33205374.html
Jelena
“As a young person, I feel a responsibility to stay and fight for justice in this country as much as I can.”
https://www.slobodnaevropa.org/a/perspektiva-mladi-srbija/31689836.html
Those who choose to stay want to see real change in society, like Azra from Sarajevo. Her peer from Bihać, Adnan, is troubled by a different question:
Azra
“Something that would make me stay here would be change—changes in the education system and more opportunities. Because, when we think about leaving, we think about better opportunities abroad, in places like Austria, Sweden, and America.”
https://www.slobodnaevropa.org/a/perpsketiva-sarajevo-ostanak-bih/33014454.html
Adnan
“Why should I try to change something that may never change if I can simply move somewhere where I’ll be respected and where my knowledge is valued, where I can create a life, a career, and a future for myself and my family.”
https://www.slobodnaevropa.org/a/perspektiva-bihac-mladi-bih/33240579.html
Previous surveys show that two-thirds of young people are preparing to leave. Since 2011, Serbia has lost 1.2 million inhabitants, Bosnia and Herzegovina has lost about a quarter of its population, Macedonia has lost 200,000 people, and Kosovo has seen a decline of 40,000. The persistent youth protests in Serbia, which have been going strong for three months now, have already forced the government to take initial steps. If the protests succeed in pressuring the government for more significant changes, the balance may shift in favor of retaining young people rather than losing them.
