Panel: The Young and the development; Organizer: The programme for development of the United Nations (UNDP)

Young people should be encouraged in the process we are going through

The position of the young people in Macedonia was taken into consideration on the panel “The Young and the development”. The keynote speakers were Adelina Marku from the University for Eastern Europe from Tetovo; Emilijan Stankovic from the Agency for Young and Sport; Aleksandar Pajkovski from “Duna computers” and the chairperson was Ljupco Zikov. They tried to focus their attention on the current situation in the country, presenting part of their gained experiences in order to motivate their audience, the young people in attendance to start thinking about their position, for the changes of the conditions in Macedonia, that is, to make their country a place which can develop into a better place to live in. Adelina Marku presented the manner in which the lectures are conducted at the University of Eastern Europe, naming the university “an island in the total that surrounds it”. She stated the positive characteristics that lectures can evoke with students: creativity, motivation, necessity for cooperation and mutual work and also the organizational habit and culture of the students. She was assured that this can positively influence the culture of living in the country and can cause some changes too. “The sense for work of the young people in Macedonia is on a low level. At the university, we try to create a programme that will motivate both their work and study. The student’s organizations create projects to apply for international projects in the country, and also they cooperate with civic associations”-said Marku. 

Emilijan Stankovic, when talking about the work of the Agency for Young and Sport and its influence to the position of the young people in the state, revealed the fact that the state gives 0.23% of the budget, of which only 10%, i.e. 12 million denars are aimed for the young and the sport sector. The agency provides the financing of the activities, through the cooperation with the international organizations, with projects, which are financed by different sources, one of which is the World Bank. Stankovic also emphasized that they have prepared a strategy for the Young in Republic Macedonia. The strategy is already submitted to the government and waits for its adoption and submition to the Parliament during the following year. Olivera Avramovska, the representative of UNDP, which is an organization whose programs are focused on the development and encouraging of the young in their attempts to put their personal potentials into the professional development, has announced the forming of a students’ body under the role model of the UN, which on its hand has to be able properly influence the development of the young. “The young people should be encouraged in their participation and role in the process in which Macedonia is going through at the moment”, stated Avramovska.

Aleksandar Pajkovski, the director of the private company “Duna Computers”, on this occasion presented his 10year-long road of the process of forming the business in the country, emphasizing that he himself was one of the people that wanted to leave the country, but today his example of a successful businessman who manages a company comprised of a lot of young people from different ethnical origin, seems to be enthusiastic in the drawing of a picture for Macedonia as country which allows good condition for the developing of the artistic abilities of the young people. “ The positive examples that motivate and encourage should be presented on regular everyday basis. Macedonia is a good place for investing” – stated Pajkovski

Ljupco Zikov considers the reforming processes in Macedonia as compromised, but he also thinks that there is a need for their lowering to the ground, lifting of the educational level and the level of common education, informing, and also for the dedication of the young to their country. One of the present listeners, Stevce Decev, an activist in the civic sector, stated that as he believed, there are not enough mechanisms that will enable usage of the potential of the young, and he also said that young people are marginalized group in the programs of the political parties. ”The development of a strategy for the young should be parallel with the development of the state, the young should be given opportunities to volunteer in the business sector and also a chance to participate directly in the political processes”-said Decev.