At the end of each year, achievements and setbacks are evaluated, and plans are made for the year ahead. PERSPEKTIVA, like many other media outlets, looked through its archives to find an answer to the question of which topics dominated conversations among young people in the region.
Across the entire region, young people express a unanimous view on the negative influence of politicians, and this immediately draws attention. Other key topics, not surprisingly, include education and the widespread dissatisfaction among youth. Here are a few statements that illustrate these two points. Firstly, regarding politicians, Jovo from Podgorica, Dzenita from Sarajevo, Iva from Kumanovo, and Milorad and Ljupko from Banjaluka said:
“They influence our everyday lives by persistently recycling themes from the 90s, using nationalism to promote myths about a new war or conflict.”
https://www.slobodnaevropa.org/a/perpektiva-mladi-crna-gora-problemi/32804765.html
Dženita from B&H
“I think one of our problems is that division is deeply rooted in our system, particularly in education, where three separate versions are perpetuated as the truth,and these truths then take on a life of their own and are fed by the same uneducated policies that already divide us.”
https://www.slobodnaevropa.org/a/perspektiva-mladi-beograd-pomirenje-/32933982.html
Iva from Kumanovo
“Because, let’s say, ‘stupid’ people, put colloquially, are easy to control. It’s easy to pull their strings and manipulate them like puppets. Simply put, I believe our system needs to change. We must have the opportunity to realize our potential. But the current system forces us into predefined frames, fits us into molds.”
https://www.slobodnaevropa.org/a/sjeverna-makedonija-kumanovo-mladi/33196767.html
Milorad from Banjalujka
“Whenever the ruling structure has no answers to social problems, societal stratification, or economic decline, they resort to these grand ethno-nationalist narratives about the independence of the RS and protest marches under the slogan ‘the border exists.’ This, in turn, creates fear among people throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina.”
https://www.slobodnaevropa.org/a/perspektiva-banja-luka-mladi/32875347.html
Ljupko from Banjaluka
“I think we have a problem with political actors who are not willing to engage in two-way, symmetrical political communication in their political campaigns, no matter how they are structured. This means they are not ready, able, or willing to listen to their electorate, voters, or the people who participate in these campaigns.”
https://www.slobodnaevropa.org/a/perspektiva-banja-luka-mladi/32875347.html
Another widely shared concern is dissatisfaction with the education system. Young people feel it distances them from progress, promotes single-mindedness, and stifles critical thinking. Nadja from Podgorica, Milica from Banjaluka, Kristina from Sarajevo, and Ivo from Kumanovo pointed out:
“Our educational system fosters a set of values that promotes a single way of thinking. Different opinions and attitudes are not accepted. As a result, the issues young people face are compounded into one overarching problem: they don’t want to listen to the young people. This disregard has lasted so long that young people have given up on fighting for change and seeking solutions to their problems.”
https://www.slobodnaevropa.org/a/perpektiva-mladi-crna-gora-problemi/32804765.html
Milica from Banjaluka
“Not only are the textbooks outdated, with outdated content being taught, but we also have professors nearing retirement who are unwilling to improve. They don’t speak any foreign language and are unfamiliar with how to work within a multimedia system.”
https://www.slobodnaevropa.org/a/perspektiva-banjaluka-mladi-drzava-/32865157.html
Kristina from Sarajevo
“Professors base their authority on awe and fear.”
https://www.slobodnaevropa.org/a/perspektiva-u-sarajevu-eu/32985182.html
Iva from Kumanovo
“I think the key issue is that our education system is poorly designed and doesn’t create leaders, but rather workers! It’s a system designed to turn us into workers, not leaders. As someone mentioned earlier, they just punish us anytime we dissent.”
https://www.slobodnaevropa.org/a/sjeverna-makedonija-kumanovo-mladi/33196767.html
The third most discussed topic in PERSPEKTIVA relates to human rights, with a focus on the position of women. Amelin from Belgrade, Milica from Podgorica, Ajla and Sumeja from Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Besmir and Hamnia from Kosovo shared their experiences:
Amelina from Belgrade
“As a woman, I’ve never felt safe on the streets. I even enrolled in martial arts to learn to defend myself, even though I’ve never been physically attacked,which is the worst thing they can do to you. I have been sexually assaulted many times and groped in public transportation.”
https://www.slobodnaevropa.org/a/perspektiva-beograd-mladi-nasilje-sigurnost/32904725.html
Milica from Podgorica
“If women, or anyone, but especially women, didn’t have men from monasteries telling them how they should live their lives, I believe we would be much better off.”
https://www.slobodnaevropa.org/a/perspektiva-crna-gora-mladi/32814343.html
Ajla from Sarajevo
“Targeting women on public transportation, in public spaces, or criticizing the way they dress is cause of particular dissatisfaction and fear that is imposed through the daily narrative.”
https://www.slobodnaevropa.org/a/perspektiva-u-sarajevu-eu/32985182.html
Sumeja from B&H
“There are many superficial aspects in the implementation of the political system in BiH. Women are often just there to fill a quota.”
https://www.slobodnaevropa.org/a/perspektiva-beograd-drustvo-podjele-kosovo-srbija/32923969.html
Besmira from Kosovo
“For a man to become a bully, he must have such a background. And I believe that comes from our society. If you’re a man, you’re expected to support the family, to tell the woman what to do—there’s a lot of pressure. The family itself plays an extremely important role in shaping children, as we absorb cultural norms while growing up, learning both at school and within the family.”
https://www.slobodnaevropa.org/a/32914444.html
Hamnie from Kosovo
“Here, we see the contextualization of women as property. They do not show aggression toward other men.”
https://www.slobodnaevropa.org/a/kosovo-mladi-proslost-rat-nasilje-zene/32953697.html
Leaving one’s homeland is, of course, another dominant theme. Many young people from the region say that the main reason for leaving is that they see no change on the horizon. Vasilije from Montenegro, Marija from Kumanovo, Tamara and Azra from Bosnia and Herzegovina shared their thoughts:
Vasilije from Podgorica
“I think it’s sad that in 2024 we have reached a point where we are more concerned about how to escape from here than whether we could stay and do something.”
https://www.slobodnaevropa.org/a/perspektiva-crna-gora-mladi/32814343.html
Marija from Kumanovo
“But I believe the biggest reason why young people are leaving is that they feel powerless in every way.”
https://www.slobodnaevropa.org/a/perspektiva-kumanovo-sjeverna-makedonija/33205374.html
Tamara from Banjaluka
“Young people don’t want to fight; they’re not motivated, and there’s no one to encourage them. They don’t want to fight, which is why they decide to leave the country, and go somewhere where they will be more respected as citizens.”
https://www.slobodnaevropa.org/a/perspektiva-mladi-banjaluka-politika-politicari/32885193.html
Azra from Sarajevo
“Something that would make me stay here would be – change. Changes in our education system and changes in the overall circumstances. Because when we think about leaving, we think about better opportunities abroad—in Austria, Sweden, America.”
https://www.slobodnaevropa.org/a/perpsketiva-sarajevo-ostanak-bih/33014454.html
Young people share many of the same problems and agree on what needs to change. They also know how. They have something else in common, as Dženita from Sarajevo said:
“I would say, first of all, that we share a sense of revolt against the status quo. No one can convince me that they or that everything is fine, no matter how much anyone lies to themselves, because it’s not.”
https://www.slobodnaevropa.org/a/perspektiva-beograd-region/33038786.html
For now, the revolt can be seen in the streets of Belgrade, where young people have been protesting for more than a month. They are dissatisfied with nepotism, corruption, the media, the lies of officials, and more. Hristina says it’s about young people understanding what it’s like when human rights are threatened, while Aleksandra explains why she stays in Belgrade and wants to contribute to change.
“When we filed our complaints, the next thing that happened was that we were targeted. I think this is very important because, during the election campaign, activists and human rights defenders are increasingly targeted in Serbia, and our security is being threatened. Let’s not lie—people don’t engage in human rights work because none of their own rights are threatened. They do it because they know what it feels like when your rights are threatened. So, when you face additional discrimination and harassment because of that, the situation is really bad.”
https://www.slobodnaevropa.org/a/perspektiva-beograd-mladi-nasilje-sigurnost/32904725.html
Aleksandra from Belgrade
“Our country isn’t a cafe where you just leave when you don’t like it. You have to be motivated to stay and change what doesn’t work for you.”
https://www.slobodnaevropa.org/a/perspektiva-beograd-mladi-nasilje-sigurnost/32904725.html
In addition to Serbia, where young people have woken up, there were protests in Cetinje, but they were not even remotely comparable to those in Belgrade. Others in the region expressed support for the students in Serbia, but nothing further. For now.