A country’s youth, albeit cliché, is its future

In the Balkans, ethnic tensions still run deep. For many people, especially the youth, these tensions create fear and become unnecessary obstacles. To young, ethnically marginalized people, these obstacles prove immensely harmful in many different fields of life. 

A country's youth, albeit cliché, is its future.

 Especially in  Kosovo and Bosnia and Herzegovina, the youth also contribute to the political scene. When it comes to ethnically marginalized youth,  prejudiced thoughts and stereotypes play a huge role as an obstacle for young people to engage in the socio-political, economic, and educational spheres. It must seem pretty easy to blame everything on societal perception, but it really does affect every way in which a marginalized group interacts with the social sphere. From people being hostile, to opportunities being delegated to who "deserves it more," societal perception is a much bigger issue than one might think.

One of the main challenges that stems from this can be a language barrier, as minorities in BiH and Kosovo tend to be ignored from mainstream schooling and don’t necessarily have access to education in Albanian or Bosnian. As such, when these young people see that they are not cared for even in this sector, they will be less inclined to take part and be active. For Kosovo, and perhaps for Bosnia as well, the Roma community speaks Serbian/Bosnian in schools, for lack of education in their own language. The already existing tensions tends to drive a wedge between these groups. The ability to speak English also cannot be counted on, as not everyone has had the same opportunities to learn it.

Getting back to stereotypes and prejudice, they present a challenge when it comes to reconciliation as well. Those who have grown up listening to politicians rave about dealing with the past and moving forward believe and acknowledge that there are still a lot of things that need to be addressed before such a thing can even be considered. For Bosnia, the rising ethnic tensions can also play a role in young people not being able to work and/or interact with the social scene in their country.

Fear, it seems, is the overarching factor in all of this. It is the thing that most initiatives  such as Youth Initiative for Human Rights for Kosovo and the Jericho Foundation for Bosnia, fight against every day. This fear is created to propagate against one group and keep the other from reaching out, and they will always remain in this bubble of stagnation and further marginalization, whether from outside forces or from each other.

If the main priority is to keep already existing activists active and bring in more young people to work on reconciliation efforts, they will need a space that prioritizes them and their growth. Of course, this is taking into account resources that governments do or don’t have, but if the institutions support these spaces, marginalized youth will feel more supported as well. Supporting spaces means creating policies that are specifically meant to keep young people engaged and interacting with one another. This engagement is fostered by offering a place where young people can feel safe and speak their minds about anything that might concern them.

Organizations like Truaktiv are organizations that personify this need for support. Their “Bridging Borders: Empowering Youth for Civic Engagement and Intercultural Learning” program brought together youngsters from both Serbia and Kosovo, where they took part in many activities together.

Initiatives such as this are keeping the reconciliation spirit alive, so it is only fair that institutions give them the tools to grow and thrive for many more activities in the future. A future for marginalized youth can be created with the resources that are available. It is only a matter of caring, working, and doing.

The main argument is based on the fact that stereotypes and prejudice are a very serious blockade to young people. These barriers are compounded by language issues, lack of access to quality education, and rising ethnic tensions. The text showcases that in order to foster good reconciliation and civic engagement, young marginalized people need safe spaces where they are prioritized. By supporting these spaces, in financial ways or any other, young marginalized people can become and remain active in these endeavors.

Agnesa Bytyçi is completing her bachelor’s degree in Sociology at the University of Prishtina. Throughout her academic journey, she has actively participated in various reconciliation workshops, mostly from local initiatives such as the Youth Initiative for Human Rights Kosovo (YIHR KS). Her work has allowed for interaction and cooperation with youth organizations region wide.

This op-ed is a part of the project "Regional Programme for Local Democracy in the Western Balkans 2 - ReLOaD2", which is funded by the European Union (EU). The content of this publication, as well as the findings presented therein, are the sole responsibility of Agnesa Bytyçi and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union (EU) or the Kosovar Centre for Security Studies (KCSS).