Each year in Krusevo, Macedonia, is organized one of the biggest and most important youth conferences in South East Europe. Here are the specific info and impact with results, as well.
4. “Our
main goal
was not only to
promote European
integration as integration
of an economic and political
structure (EU), but also to
bring the European values
closer to the young
people from the SEE
region”
“Creativity
is important
but not the key
for employability –
execution is the key
for employability. Ideas
and creativity without
execution are not
worthy”
p.28
“The personal
dignity is
valued as the first
important value by
the most countries”
p.32
“Radical
act means
finding what is
possible in the sphere
of impossible and only
on this way we can
reach happiness”
p.34
“Remember
that you are the
one who creates your
own reality and future.
Therefore: Investigate;
Take responsbility;
Don’t blame anyone
and be happy”
p.35
“European
values are the
universal values and
values that comprise
it have a different level
of acceptance and
prioritization in the
different countries”
p.17
“Europe
needs more
union and the
European Union
itself needs more
union”
p.20
“We need
to forget
our hypocrisy,
to forget our
constitutive myths
and maybe “ishala”
there is hope”
p.21
54
5. 415 applications
58 young leaders
21 speakers
7 IPG members
5 days, 11-15 September, 2015
Krusevo Macedonia
Macedonia(as the host country)
Albania
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bulgaria
Croatia
Greece
Kosovo
Montenegro
Italy
Romania
Serbia
Slovenia
Turkey
Germany
France
Poland
16 countries
Geographical scope
of IYC 2015
76
6. Need of
encouraging
and supporting
the young leaders to
undertake actions and
steadfast commitment
to build a better
European region
of SEE
The project
team consists
experienced youth
workers, which have
successfully implemented
many projects for active
participation of the young
people in all issues
of the social
life.
Creation
of the platform
for cooperation
between active young
people from SEE region
which will serve as tool for
promotion of the European
values, spreading the
word for future actions
in the communities
International
Preparatory Group
- team of international
youth leaders (composed
by the most active
participants of the previous
Conference), responsible
for the preparation on the
contents of the
Conference
program
98
8. TOPICS UNDER DISCUSSION
The Conference program was articulated along
the four main program pillars:
1.
SCANNING THE
CURRENT
SITUATION IN SEE
3.
POLITICS AND MEDIA:
A VIEW BEHIND
THE CURTAIN
2.
YOUTH
(UN)EMOLOYMENT AND
EDUCATION ISSUES
4.
FUTURE
PLANNING
European Social Model in 21st
Century
Using or abusing the EU funds
Refugee crisis or
EU-enlargement
A crisis with the crisis: Migration
as a European rights issue
How universities can play a role in
youth entrerpenurship
Creativity as a key for dream
employability
Lost in democratic transition –
Pollitical challenges and Persepctives
Is the radical ideologies a
democratic threat?
Who build the reality –
we or the media?
Challenges or new beginings?
Conference effectiveness
Action Planing
12 13
9. Questions?
How civil society activities can
be mobilized and transformed
into implementable actions
in the construction of
the better social
system?
What are
the European
values?
How is solidarity
presented in
the Balkans?
What is the
European model
of governance?
What the civil
society organizations
are, what activities
do they undertake?
Scanning the current
situation in SEE
1514
10. European Social Model in 21st Century
Ms. Ionela Carmen
Bosoteanu
County Department for
Youth and Sports Iasi,
Romania
• The European Social Model
must sustain the equality
between societies, meaning:
ending poverty, guaranteeing
the basic human rights,
social protection, dialogue
and responsibility for the
unemployment.
• Nowadays, there is a big
problem between the
globalization and the Social
Europe, with other words, it is
believed that the globalization
is a response of all the
meaning of Social Europe.
• Another goalfor Social Europe
was the social dialogue, like a
productive factor between the
entrepreneurs and the society.
Mr. Tomasz
Żornaczuk
Polish Institute of
International Affairs
• Currentlythere is little debate
about the nature and extent
ofthe shared values of EU-
member and candidate states.
• The first includes those,
which are universally
accepted as a necessity for
any modern civilized state.
These are beyond debate
and include peace, basic
human rights, individual
freedom, and rule of law,
equality and self-fulfillment.
The second set however
is different, as the values
that comprise it have a
different level of acceptance
and prioritization in the
different countries. These
roughly include democracy,
solidarity, tolerance, freedom
of religion, economic
development, environmental
protection and others.
• European values are the
universal values and values
that comprise it have a
different level of acceptance
and prioritization in the
different countries.
• The recent model of
governance, requires an
active participation of the
civil society.
• One ofthe brilliant initiative
is called ‘PrEUgovor’, which
means like pre-marriage
agreement and it deals only
with the chapters 23 and
24 that are the clue ofthe
negotiations.
• In Macedonia,we havethe
most organized civilsociety
organization system,theyare
welleducated andtheymake a
goodfocus onthe problem.The
issue isthatthe government
is not cooperative at all,they
have a lackofunderstanding
whatthe civilsocietymeans.
This is a big challenge herefor
theyoung people,theyneed
to use different channels like
media, socialmedia etc.
Discussion and
conclusions:
• Civil society can be defined
as pretty much any
organization that is outside
the governmental structures
and has some goal to
achieve, whether it is to limit
the number of the homeless
Mr. Radostin
Stoyanov Vankin
President of Bulgarian –
Montenegrin Association
• The times urgently demand
a new European social
model built on four guiding
principles: Full Employment
and Job Creation; Education
and Life-Long Learning;
Opportunity and Innovation
and Sustainable Public
Finances.
• The solidarity is presented
in the Balkans as a historical
burden of the SEE countries.
• Collaborate with the CSOs
and use their expertise and
observations when working
on the development of social
mechanisms and solutions.
people in the country, to
make the city greener, or to
fight corruption.
• If it is about fighting the
corruption, it is better to be
bigger nongovernmental
organization and known for
good results, that can easily
reach the government.
• How to improve democracy
if the government does
not listen? In order for the
government to undertake
some reforms that are making
sense from the civil society
point of view, the government
may simply loose the political
support for that. So this is
always kind of negotiation
and compromise of how far
you can get. But in any case,
it is better to have this access
to the government and have
the chance to explain your
agreements, than to not be
even able to knock on its door.
• The European Union,
represents the principle of
solidarity, where
richer member
states
finance
the development of poorer
states and regions, in order to
improve a quality of life of all
EU citizens.
• The Regional policy ofthe
EU, also known as Cohesion
Policywas created in orderto
provide sustainable economic
development for each country.
• It is important to ensure
a fair system that gives
every European the same
opportunities (education,
health care, political
representation) so that
people feel comfortable with
the European democracy.
• Inthe democratic societyfor
a healthydevelopment is
essentialthedialoguebetween
authorities and citizens!
• Active participation is a key
element of democracy!
• Democracy may not be
the best system, but it is
creating the framework for
citizens to develop and to
empower them to have their
say for the well-
being.
1716
11. Using or abusing the EU funds
Ms. Lidija Dimova
Macedonian Centre for
European Training,
Skopje, Macedonia
• Transparency doesn’t mean
putting everything online, it
means to put the data online in
a form that is understandable
forthe people.
• The European Union should
find a wayof howto give the
people data in a format that is
much easierto understand and
theyshould stop corruption, at
least in the countries that they
are supporting at the moment.
• We should be grateful for the
possibilities, but however
we must demand for more
transparency and greater
openness. There is one
instrument that EU is not
using – conditionality. It is
easier to do your job if you are
close with the government.
Mr. Hrvoje Butigan
Representation office of
Dubrovnik Neretva Region
• The EU Commission makes
direct financial contributions
in the form of grants
in support of projects
or organizations which
further the interests of
the EU or contribute to the
implementation of an EU
programme or policy.
• Example of the best
practices: Project
„yBBregions“. “yBBregions -
Youth and Brussels based”
is an European project of 4
European regions: Dubrovnik
Neretva (Croatia), Abruzzo
(Italy), Lubuskie (Poland), and
Prešov (Slovakia). All these
regions want to provide their
youngsters with the same
Brussels-Based cooperating-
platform, which works on
daily basis for their branches,
as a unique provider of non-
formal education sources
and opportunities.
Discussion and conclusions:
• Corruption is mainly
structural problem, so the
main efforts should be done
on institutional level;
• In order the analysis and
actions to be evidence based,
the cooperation with the
government is necessity;
• When people believe that
the corruption is decreasing
and the situation is improved,
they are more willing to resist
against the corruption – it is
essential part to give hope
and motivation to the people;
• There should be building ofthe
capacities for improvement
oftransparency and
anticorruption in our societies;
• CSO are the most important
stakeholders in anticorruption
and they really should be
strong and really have to
push;
• We have to see things with
critical eyes, we have
to see the problems in
order to improve the
things;
• Both, the institutions
and beneficiaries
must be obliged to
prevent fraud and
mismanagement
offunds, to
hire qualified
personnelwho
will be dealing
with EU funds, to
reduce the risk
of incoherent
and complicated
internal
regulations
and also, to
provide more
information about
the evaluation and
selection procedure.
Local institution should
provide anti-corruption
training targeted for
financial managers who are
responsible for managing of
EU funds.
• The normative and structural
capabilities of CSOs engaged
in the fight against misuse
of EU funds needs to be
strengthened.
1918
12. Refugee crisis or EU-enlargement
A crisis with the crisis:
Migration as a European rights issue
• The social integration is
parspatu for EU for migration
and it is not only related to
migrants.
• Migration it is a norm but it is
exception
• Migration as norm: people
always migrated.Autochthony
is an ideological construction.
• Migration as exception: people
do not like to migrate. Less
than 3% ofthe international
population lives outside their
countries of origin
• You cannot stop migration
with a fence, but you will
redirect the main root of
the migrants
Discussion and conclusions:
• The difference between
migrants, asylum - seeker
and emigrants
-- The idea is that the more
difficult we make theirway
to come, the less will come
and it collapsed, not because
ofthe more philanthropic
new generations;
• Why are migrants choosing
the north of Europe rather
than the rich neighboring?
-- In Europe, human life has a
meaning;
-- They believe that in the
long term, their life will be
better in Europe.
• Generally we believe that
Europe is core of the world.
Today in the world, Iran has
the biggest migrants flow,
not Germany, not Sweden,
not Switzerland;
• The 4 keyplayers act during
this refuge crisis in different
part oftheworld – central
government;localgovernment;
CSO, NGOs, Solidarity
movements and Media;
• We need to forget our
hypocrisy, to forget our
constitutive myths and
maybe ishala there is hope.
• We must give voice about
this and remind our fellow
governments, that we are
one, doesn’t matter from
which country we come,
what is our skin, what is
our religion, and that there
should not exist any kind
of borders between
people!
• Go where you are celebrated
– not tolerated!
• Regardless of origin or creed,
we all have the same rights
and responsibilities towards
our fellow humans.
• Integration in the process
of education and language
are the areas that should be
given priority!
• `The global, the local, and the
hybrid: a native ethnography
of globalization’
• We should never forgive that
we’re all together (country
wise and individually too)
responsible for the ongoing
crisis and therefore we must
unite in the process of the
finding solution!
Dr. Christine
Althauser
Ambassador of Federal
Republic of Germany in
Skopje
• The current crisis shows
that among different
member states of EU there
is a different understanding
of when European values
have effect and who can
benefit from them among the
European member states.
• Europe needs more union
and the European Union
itself needs more union.
• We have to find legal
package to channel
immigration, a legal
immigration.
• The EU put emphasizes at
two values solidarity and
humanity we can overcome
the crisis.
• European Union is strong
power in Europe and only
power of Europe.
Prof. Dimitris
Christopoulos
Associate Professor,
Panteion University,
Greece & Vice-President
of the International
Federation for Human
Rights
• Migration is not a problem
because there is no solution
to migration, a deviation is
a problem. A problem is gap
between the existing start
and the desired start.
• Migration is tend to be
identified with poverty by
the public opinion, but it is
not always like that. Actually,
a lot of people who are not
poor, migrate. If we see
who migrates now, they are
definitely not the poorest,
because the poorest cannot
even able to migrate and
leave the country, migration
means money.
• We have severalcases of
countries inviting migrants,
such as Belgium, Netherlands,
and Germanyafterthe Second
WorldWar. But generally
peoplemovewithoutinvitation.
2120
13. Questions?
What is the Role ofthe
University inYouth
Entrepreneurship?
From internship to
job – challenges and
opportunities?
What are the ideal
parameters of doing
an internship?
Achieving employability of
students in a challenging
environment?
How do we become
high achievers?
Creative indistruies? Job and creating job?
Youth (un)emoloyment
and Education issues
2322
14. How universities can play a role
in youth entrepreneurship?
Mr. Kevin
J. Aspegren
President of the
American University
in Bulgaria (AUBG)
• Classified entrepreneurs
as those who connected
producers with consumers,
with the motive of earning
profits.
• Entrepreneurial mindset is
specific state of mind which
orientates human conduct
towards entrepreneurial
activities and outcomes.
• Youth entrepreneurship
prepares young people
to be responsible,
enterprising individuals
and it also contributes to
economic development and
sustainable communities.
Dr. Martine Alonso
Marquis
Director, Pat Cox -
Humanity in Actin
Fellowship in the
European Parliament
• The following paradox
appears: high youth
unemployment co-exists
Dr. Dori Pavloska –
Gjorgjieska
Professor at
MIT University
• Employment - very often by
internship companies or self-
employment;
• Most useful skills: project
management, English
language, communication
and organizational skills,
sales, marketing, promotion,
teamwork, market research;
• How to deliver such an
education?
-- Conceptualization: Explicit
knowledge processed
through theory (in-class
learning)
-- Experimentation: conceptual
knowledge becomes
grounded (in-lab learning)
-- Experience: practical
application of tacit
knowledge, reinforcing
tacit knowledge gained
from experimentation (in-
field learning)
-- Reflection:bringsinherent
tacit knowledge to the
surface(competencegaining)
Discussion and conclusions:
• Active role of the
universities towards youth
entrepreneurship - lessons at
high schools; the university
services and lessons open
up to the community,
mentoring and counseling for
people who do not attend at
university, different kind of
competitions during
the year (startup
weekends);
• Need to develop University
Career Centers; Make
sure future graduates in
Europe enhance their EU
employability tool box;
Internships: a tool in your
box (use smartly); Need for
EU legislation on internship
frameworks (need for action,
mobilization);
• Combine explicit and tacit
knowledge, theory and
practice; Follow labor
market needs; Strong career
offices, dedicated to building
stakeholders networks;
Quality standards;
• Motivation isveryimportant
forestablishing relationship
between CSOs and Universities;
• What should we always keep
in mind?
-- Keep the local context at
the heart of your program;
-- Don’t lose sight of who
your beneficiaries are;
-- Be aware that female
entrepreneurs may have
specific needs;
-- Remember that cultural
attitudes to risk-taking can
be pivotal.
with increased difficulties
in filling vacancies; and
existence of labor market
mismatches, due to
inadequate skills, limited
geographic mobility or
inadequate wage conditions.
• Over the last decade, a term
called ‘Generation Internship’
appeared and includes higher
education for generations
of age category X-Y-Z for
entering the job market at
times of economic crisis.
• The ideal parameter for
doing internships is during
the studies, an experience
abroad is also considered as
one of the best options.
• In 70 years of life, 23 years
we spend on sleeping, 16
years on working, and yet
people spend more time
planning their holidays than
they do planning their career.
• How do we become high
achievers?
You need a plan. ‘Beginwiththe
end in mind’ – Stephen Covey.
• Mastering the Art of
Networking - From the most
common job search methods,
these following ones are the
top ones, and the Networking
is definitely dominating: -
Job Ads: 8 %; -Search firms:
5%; -Job boards: 5 %; -Direct
contact: 2 %; -Career fairs: 2
%; - Government: 2 % - Other:
2 %; - Networking: 80 %.
• Young people should make it a
goalto expand their network
because a good network is
made ofmanylooseties rather
than a few strong bonds.
2524
15. • Internship are real
professional experiences
and you should find way
for selling this experience.
Second, the internships
should take place during the
studies;
• Proactivity of young people
is today more crucial than
ever and it is more and more
becoming a necessity for
young people to function
like this if they are to have
any chance of finding job
opportunities as well as
creating a good life for
themselves in today` s
modern society in which
egocentrism and caring more
for personal gain than for
the development of healthy
and generally beneficial
communities is unfortunately
becoming a rule rather than
it being an exception.
• It is very important for
universities to adapt
Entrepreneurship education
in their curriculum. Such a
curriculum would prepare
people, particularly young
students, to be responsible,
enterprising individuals who
become entrepreneurs or
entrepreneurial thinkers by
immersing them in real life
learning experiences where
they can take risks, manage
the results, and learn from
the outcomes.
• When each day feels like
the day gone by and the one
to come, it is time to ask
yourself some questions.
“Where you invest your time,
you invest your life”?
• Young people know that a
lot of things happening in
the world affect them, but
they think this influence is
unclear and indirect. The
challenge would be to select
and to train the youth that
are involved as volunteers
since an early age – in order
to become the new leaders
connected at local and world
decisions and changes
and to have the power to
influence the community.
• Тhe leadership is the
volunteer responsibility
assumed to lead the
others for the community
development, to develop the
own personality and to find
the vocational field.
• In order to make the
universities even better
places for gathering
together young people
with entrepreneurial
spirit, the faculties
should implement in
the learning process
more team-projects,
entrepreneurship
competitions, case
studies, discussion
among students and
other interactive
teaching methods.
• Universities can encourage
more studentsto starttheir
own businesses bylaunching
so-called ‘business incubators’
or‘centersofentrepreneurship’.
• I strongly believe that it is
universities` responsibility
to foster entrepreneurship
among the students.
• Universities need to clearly
identify the strategic
part that education
plays in creating a more
entrepreneurial culture in
our modern societies. The
sooner these solutions are
put into action, the more
significant
impact
entrepreneurs
will make.
Creativity as a key for dream employability
Mr. Goce Veleski
Founder of “O my gad”,
Macedonia
• What is creativity?Where
canyoufind it? Howto use it
in anything? Iftime is money,
Mr. Ivan Živković
President of Timok Youth
Center, Zajecar, Serbia
• Creative entrepreneurship
for sustainability of CSO’s.
• Creative industries? Those
industries that are based
on individual creativity,
skill and talent with the
potential to create wealth
and jobs through developing
intellectual property.
• Social enterprise is often
defined as finding business
and market based solutions
sothat meansthattime is
creativity.
• Creativity basically is a seed,
you either grow it or you
through it or feed the birds
with it. The creativity can be
found in everything.
• Youdon’tneedexperiencetobe
employed–maketheemployers
needyou.Stopchasingmoney,
dowhatyouloveandletthe
moneychaseyou.
• Creativity is finding a
solution, find the problem
and solve it (get the solution).
Open your mind and the ideas
will come. Find the perfect job
and keep it or if it’s not your
perfect job quit it right away.
If you get in the comfort zone,
it is basically over for you.
to systemic social issues,
such as social exclusion,
long-term unemployment
and sustainability.
• Expanding fields such as
creative industries and social
economy, have a key role in
localdevelopment and process,
we must continue with creation
of supportive environment
and innovative programs for
their sustainability and youth
employability. Such initiatives
rely on the creativity ofyoung
people to improve their social
status and economic situation.
2726
16. Discussion and conclusions:
• If we want to keep moving
forwards equity and
sustainability, we have no
other choice than to be
creative and innovative!
• Creativity, innovation and
faith – key points for success.
• Be optimist, take the
chance and learn from the
experienced people.
• In orderto staycompetitivefor
the labourmarket, an individual
needsto reach and graspthe
creative potentialwhich on
dailybases is usuallydormant,
sleepingwithforgotten
childhood’sfreedoms.
• Creative force is limitless,
bound only by imagination,
using it wisely is definitely
one of the keys to dream, and
sustainable employability,
and should be cherished!
• Rural youth should open
their minds and show their
knowledge and creativity,
increase employability and
take an active role to pursue
a change in the community!
• If you cannot find what you
are looking for in the world,
you have to create it.
• We shall not fool ourselves
that we have nothing to lose
when we have everything to
lose in a situation of deciding
to rebate our own value. Our
work is a product of our skills,
our knowledge, and our time.
Our time constitutes our life.
• Today more than ever,
we live in the age of the
unlimited. Unlimited access
to information, unlimited
opportunities to education, to
start a business from scratch,
to introduce an innovation,
to develop a project, to give
a chance to an idea, to pave
your own way up and make
a success out of you. We do
not need to be employed by
somebody else, to be picked
up out of many, to be chosen
in a selection process, to be
defined by a position and
designed according to job
requirements!
• It does not matter what we
want, what we plan, what we
think or dream about until we
get down to work and make
it happen.
• Today I woke up finding
myself belonging to the 22.1%
of unemployed young people
in Europe and the unknown
percentage of individuals in
the world that refuse to stay
passive and behave like a
victim of the circumstances.
We are more than statistics,
more than labor force, more
than employees!
• The value of our productivity,
imagination and time is not
to be measured only with
money. We were given our
gifts to give them away
and this is the ultimate
satisfaction we can get in
the pursuance of a career.
Our dream employability
is up to our creativity and
willingness to test it. “I am
the master of my fate.
I am the captain of my
soul” - by Hemingway.
• Often the simplest
solutions are the most
effective ones and they
can happen when we
focus on the solution
rather than on the
problem.
• Allyoung people haveto
be empowered in order
to usetheircreativity,
to supportthemto find
theirbest intheirskills
and competences,to
encouragethemto learn
newthings and usetheir
knowledge in orderto become
an employee oreven an
entrepreneur.
• The creativity’s potential
is a tool and approach for
youth workers so can foster
employability!
• Creativity is the creative
abilities that help to create
and implement new ideas
that do not fit into traditional
patterns.
• Creativity is not only
creative, but also the ability
of the new view of the
situation or the problem.
In order to develop and
progress, the people need to
be creative.
• It is always necessary to look
forward because, some ideas
Mr. Saša Cvetojević
Entrepreneur, Angel
investor and Founder of
ZIP incubator Croatia
• Creativityisimportantbut
notthekeyforemployability
–executionisthekeyfor
employability.Ideasand
creativitywithoutexecutionare
notworthy.
• Ifyou are doingyourjob only
formoney,youwillnot getto
the point. Ifyou do not have
passion, ifyou do not have love
inwhatyou do,youwillnot get.
• Ifyou are not creative – copy,
but copywith pride. Coping
in history, most of the things
what we have are made with
coping. But it is not coping, it is
improving. Today on internet
you have allthe knowledge in
the world and most of it you
can get it for free.
• Bethe best inyourjob. LISTEN,
READ, LEARN!
can
be good
nowadays,
but not tomorrow.
• The flexibility plays
important role because it
can be base ofthe production
different ideas, and can be
helpfulin work, as wellas
to keep the decision-making
ability - the abilityto such
operations ofthinking, the
analysis and synthesis.The
creativity is unthinkable
without the abilityto add new
items to the project, thereby
making it more perfect.
2928
17. Politics and media:
a view behind the curtain
Questions?
What are the attitudes of
young people from
SEE toward EU?
Are the radical ideologies
(not only ideologies but
also political stands)
threat to democratic
process and why
is that?
What is threat to
democracy?
What is radical today
in our region?
Who creates the
reality?
We are creating the reality
….but the question how?
The road ahead?
Creation of our
own model
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18. Lost in democratic transition – political
challenges and perspectives
Mr. Dane Taleski
PhD Political Sciences
from Central European
University Budapest
• The central point for
collective society dispose
different opinions and
preferences and the three
most important values
according to the inquiries
to the young people in the
regions are:
• First important value on the
Balkans - personal dignity;
-- Second important value -
fighting spirit, correctness,
altruism, tolerance, honesty;
-- Third important value –
social prestige
• The personaldignityisvalued
asthefirst importantvalue
bythe most countries during
the research,the, correctness,
tolerance,honestyandaltruism
asthe second and social
prestige andfighting spirit as
thethird importantvalue
• According to the confidence
in the institutions: the media
(Albania), religious leaders
(Bosnia and Herzegovina),
European Court of Human
rights (Bulgaria), police
(Croatia), EU (Macedonia),
church (Romania) and
educational institutions
(Slovenia) are rated as
intuitions with the highest
confidence by the people.
• Generally speaking, this is a
worrying sign about the next
generation and it shows that
this tolerance and acceptance
of diversities is very limited.
• There isworrying signalofthis
dissatisfaction ofyoung people
ofdemocracyintheircountry.
• Here is the answer why the
young people do not believe in
the political parties, because
they do not feel represented.
• What is interesting forthe
young in SEE region is that the
young people who are in EU
show less support from young
people who are not in EU.
• We have to figure that it
cannot be prevent, and if we
want to build united Europe
we should see the labor
mobility as an advantage.
• Youth is potentially a factor
for change – a potential
that needs encouragement
and support – first of all,
from within their societies,
but, secondly, also from
international and other
European partners and
actors. The research results
indicate that a majority of
young people do not feel
that their interests are
taken seriously either by
democratic and political
institutions or by their leaders
in the countries of SEE.
Discussion and conclusions:
• Most important values
among the young people
on the Balkans: morality,
solidarity, education,
security;
• Understanding of
volunteering is very important
for the young people;
• In order our societies to be
sustainable we have to be
tolerant;
• A different young people in
SEE have strong social ties;
• Indemocracythepolitical
partyiscollectiveaction–
representativedemocracy.Ifwe
donottrustinpoliticalparties
howwewillorganizethe
politicallifeanddemocracy?
Are the radical ideologies a threat to democracy?
Mr. Ramadan
Ramadani
President of NISMA
Institute, Skopje,
Macedonia
• Populism is flirting
(manipulation) with the
political views and stands.
• This manipulation in essence
is core of manipulating with
motions. Manipulations
with love, hate, fear or
hope. Manipulation is only
improvisation of articulation.
• Manipulation with
nationalism, manipulation
with religion and
manipulation with patriotism
all of these are threat of
democracy. Manipulation
with religion manifestation is
affecting on the secularity of
the country.
• Moral responsibility would
consist of people and
organization knowing the
core principles of democracy
not of manipulation.
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19. Mr. Filip Balunovic
Political scientist, Serbia
• Radical ideologies are
chance for democratizing the
undemocratic structure of
our society today.
• The true happiness is radical
act – radical act means
finding what is possible in
the sphere of impossible
and only on this way we can
reach happiness.
• The right ideas has never
challenge the capitalist order
and capitalist systematic
essence framework, but has
been more often use as more
guardian of system.
• What is radical today in our
region? What kind of acts
and thought we should
produce to challenge the
roots of our societies here on
the Balkans? And what kind
of roots are Balkan roots?
These roots are bloody roots
made upon wars. The legacy
of these roots can be found
in ethnic cleansing, mass
murders and genocide. So
the roots of our society are
highly criminal. Therefore
how we can challenge the
roots of our system?
Discussion and conclusions:
• In Balkans we have weaker
traditional democratic
institutions and also we
have weak history of having
legal state;
• Any kind of religious politics
is playing on the card of
identity, any politics that is
playing on identity cannot be
universal. The radical politics
are universal. The identity
politics are excluding type
of politics. Identity groups
cannot be the radical politics;
• We need kind of decentralized
resistance with regards to the
relations of domination;
• Each answer in each society
is unique and we should
strive towards suitable
solutions to the needs
of our societies.
What we need
is consistent
politics in the
region;
• Good example
of self -
management
“DITA” – the
workers
decided to overtake the
factory, the factory is own
by the workers. This can be
model for following;
• Primarily,weshouldstart
makingcooperationbetweenus
inordertoexchangeourgoods;
• You have to decide either
to be satisfied or happy. It
doesn’t mean that you will
reach the happiness. That
is risk, but the revolution is
risky job. Be brave, risk fail.
Try again, risk the fail.
• The dialogue with radical
groups has to be maintained
to convince them that their
ideology is no solution
whatsoever and integrate
them back in the democratic
society. Only bythis
democracywill survive and
show its strength.
Who builds the reality – we or the media?
Mr. Borjan
Jovanovski
Editor in Chief, NOVA TV
• Media doesn’t create our
reality, they just shape our
reality. You don’t have to
believe in media.
• It’s up to the activism of
young people and the civic
society to make a concept
from the new trend called
citizen journalism which
has to be in interaction with
professional journalism.
• The key factor for creating
/explaining the reality is
situated in the investigative
journalism. Moreover
investigative journalism is
key to explain the reality.
• The citizen journalism is
future of journalism. The
future of the media is for
everyone to be their own
Mr. Mirza Softić
Novinar.me; European
Journalism Centre
• The media often choose
which truth should be
shared.
• On one side, we create the
media, we create the context
as a population. People
create the context in which
the media present the things,
so basically we create the
reality.
• Conclusions:
-- Remember that you are the
one who creates your own
reality and future
-- Investigate
-- Take responsbility
-- Don’t blame anyone
-- Be happy
editor and chef to choose the
journalist, the media and the
topic you are interested in.
• Freedom of the media is
a responsibility of any
journalist and it’s obliged
by law to respect norms
and regulative but the lack
of quality and the control
imposed by the state which
have some political interest
or the private owners who
had finical profits many
journalist in the region are
allowed to violate the law.
• There are professionaland
non-professionalmedia, and
not dependent orindependent.
Professionaljournalism means
that besides the fact thatyou
are dependent bymanyfactors
ofthe societyyou are able to
provide professionalproduct.
Discussion and conclusions:
• Like human beans we have
to choose so maybe, we like
media to create the reality.
Truth is someone inthe middle.
We have to fight fortruth;
• It is uptoyou.To getthe proper
and relevant information about
the reality(to getthe picture of
reality). We createthe reality,
becausewe are reality;
• We really should appreciate
the social media because
some of us are here because
of the social media;
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20. • In the region we have problem
with people who do not read;
• According to Freedom House
and Reporters without
borders, Croatia, Serbia and
Slovenia have freedom of
speech. In Croatia there are
good independent media (e.g.
Index.hr);
• The fact that the people are
social media users doesn’t
make them journalist or even
relevant sources of reality;
• Responsibility of media is not
making business;
• The future of the journalism
are media which are the paid
and control by the citizens
and public interests;
• The donors are not influencing
directlythe media, butthey
decideaboutthemediaagenda;
• We need interaction between
journalist, media and citizens.
And NGOs are very important
for mobilizing the citizens to
cooperate with the media.
The key is interaction.
• We in the Balkans need
relaxation!
• In a modern daysociety, such
as ours, it is evident that
he who controls the media
controls ‘the reality’. With
different media (socialand
traditional) targeting different
groups, which more than
naivelytrust what theysee,
howthe government portrays
realitythrough media is
inevitablyfortheirown benefit.
• Little attention has been
given to the opportunities
offered by the media to have
greater and more positive
impact on parents at a time
when, by all accounts, such
support is badly needed.
Media is controlling our life
and mind also large changes
are happening rapidly by this
major element so we need
to study it so it can have a
positive impact in our lives.
• We need to manage to create
a connection between media
in several countries, so it
could lead to a better given
information in any form!
• By taking in consideration
Harold’s theory we can
create a balance between
time – biased media and
space – biased media. Time
– biased media can help us
take that kind of information
that doesn’t generate
information in a short time
and stays with us as a
partner in forming ourselves
as individuals.
• The media are the tools in
our hands. We choose how
to use it. If we use it in the
right way, for the benefit of
the whole society, then this
world will become a much
better place to live.
Challenges or new beginnings?
Mr. Marko
Vidojković
Fanatic participant
in 1996/1997 protests
in Serbia
• Every person who
participated in the protests
against Slobodan Milosevic
regime, was used for
political benefits.
Mr. Anatstas
Vangeli
Fanatic participant of
#protestiram, 2015
protests in Skopje
• May2015 should be seen as
the point intimewhenforthe
firsttime in MK’s contemporary
historylocalagencychallenged
power, structures and
teleologicalthinking.
• The pick of civic movements
in Macedonia of self-
organized protest were
the Student’s movement
trying to overcome the
problem of fragmentation/
depoliticization of causes,
also practicing in direct
democracy meaning they
were organized in plenum
(plenum-like decision
making, no leaders, no official
‘representatives’).
• New politics vs. the Old
-- The Old: hegemony of those
• Young people in the region –
you have to live your life and
to try to do best for yourself.
• We must not lie our self in
what kind of system we live.
The world is for young people!
• The engine of the society
in the end is the youth and
it has to move towards
challenging the system
and achieving new
progressive beginnings.
who have accumulated
more resources (not
necessarily meaning those
in power), ‘rational choice,’
clientelism, fixed identities;
-- The New: empowerment,
counter-hegemony, idealism,
transcending boundaries
between different groups
(give the microphone to some
grannywho never before was
asked about her opinion);
• Some key tenets of the new
politics
-- Decentralization of the
protests
-- Grassroots radicaldemocracy
• Connection with
transnational movements
• “Women’s revolution” +
feminized democracy
• Movement “beyond
ethnicity” – the movement
enrich the citizens.
• Conflictistherootofall
dialecticsandwithoutconflict
wecannotbetterrealityandwe
cannotreachbetterconclusions.
• The road ahead – creation of
our own model
Discussions and research:
• Just because we come from
the Balkans…. we are actually
advantaged with coming
new ideas. There are a lot of
challenges here as economic
periphery, brain drain … and
that’s way we need solution
that will come from us.
Therefore the transition was
so hard, because we look in
the ideas somewhere;
• There is no bad time for
mobilizing and starting
changes. But to mobilize
for what?
• The venue at the end of
day is society. We need to
move beyond this goals and
objectives;
• 1. Movement as type of group
of certain individuals;
2.MovementinthesocietyHow
to keepthe movement?We
shouldtofocus onthe second –
movement inthe society;
• Political parties, movements,
organizations are instruments
for developing our ideas;
• Rationality after emotionality
for bringing people up it is
important;
• If in the core group is
intellectual base, than the
rationality side is inside of
the movement;
• Students are the brain and
the future ofthe society and
therefore they have to be the
engine ofthe society. Students
should be in permanent
movement in their society.
Young people (students) are
the future ofthe country, than
they should act like this;
• We have to be aware that
between the politicians are
people. We have learn how to
distinguish people who are
willing to do something and
people who do not care.
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22. Conference effectiveness Action Planing
Results from the conducted poll after IYC 2015
56%
44%
89%
11%
62%
38%
Inspired to act
As a result of attending a
InternationalYouth Conference 2015:
• 85% were inspired to found an initiative
• 68% were inspired to get involved with
an initiative
Skills
As a result of
InternationalYouth Conference 2015:
89% gained a new skill, insight or best
practice that improved their work
Collaboration
As a result of
InternationalYouth Conference:
62% made connections with regional
young leaders with whom they have
collaborated on an initiative
Balkan
brain drain
Digital
destiny
Urban
innovation
Gamification
& Education
Circular
econcomy
Rural
entreprenurship
Foot causes
ofthe refuge
crises
Balkan
ValuesVS.
European
Values?
Nationalism
Sport &
Reconcilation
Act with
integrity
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23. THANK YOU!
THE INTERNATIONALYOUTH CONFERENCE WOULD
NOT BE POSSIBLE WITHOUTYOU!
Youth Alliance Krusevo, the organizer ofthe International
Youth Conference “European Values forthe Future of
Southeastern European Countries”, would like to thanks
first of allto the Stability Pact for South-Eastern Europe
sponsored by Germanyforthe continuous support. A special
gratitude goes to our long term partner and supporter of
our activities, Friedrich Ebert Foundation, Office Skopje.
Furthermore, the polish group supported bythe Polish
Embassy in Skopje brought to the conference fresh energy,
dynamic and diverisity. Hereby, thanks to the Embasy.
Also, we would like to thank to all partners, institutions
and participants for their contributions and dedication
before and during the project event.
A special thanks to the International Preparatory Group:
Iztok Zver; Jasmina Cerneka; Nemanja Zivković; Senad
Alibegovic; Illie Chiorchina; Sanja Sisovic and Silvia Crocitta.
Gratitude to all staff and volunteers without whom the
InternationalYouth Conference would not have been so
perfectly organised!
Youth Alliance Krusevo
“Mise Eftim” 1A, 7550 Krusevo, FYR Macedonia
Tel: +389 (0) 48 476 766 – Fax: +389 (0) 400 767
www.youthalliance.org.mk
krusevoyouth@on.net.mk
This publication is based on the 13th InternationalYouth Conference
“European Values for the Future of Southeastern European Countries”
2015, that served as a forum for discussions and reflections of
young leaders from SEE as one of the main creative and productive
forces of the region, whose ideals and aspirations will underpin the
development of a prosperous, democratic and stable region in the
framework of the European Union.
The Conference was organized by Youth Alliance - Krusevo in
partnership with Friedrich Ebert Foundation, Office Skopje, supported
by Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe sponsored by Germany and
Polish Embassy in Skopje.
Coordination, writing & editing:
Youth Alliance Krusevo
str. Mise Eftim 1a, 7550 Krusevo
www.youthalliance.org.mk
krusevoyouth@on.net.mk
You can find this brochure and other information, results and
outcomes form the IYC 2015 online at: www.krusevoconference.org.mk
Reproduction is authorized. For any use or reproduction of individual
photos, permission must be sought directly from the copyright
holders.
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