Activism among young people in Montenegro is not at a satisfactory level, and it is possible to encourage it with constant formal and informal education, said the executive director of the non-governmental organization (NGO) Prima, Aida Perović Ivanović.
In an interview for the PR Center on the occasion of the International Youth Day on August 12, she said that the same young people are involved in various forms of activism, stating that she does not mean political activism "which is dominant".
"I want to see young people in activism that concerns their rights, needs and problems. I want young people who work on themselves, depending on different levels of education. I want young people who support each other, through the bodies that will represent them, public debates, public debates, the civil sector or through a stronger influence on institutions," said Perović Ivanović.
According to him, activism among young people can be encouraged through constant informal and formal education.
"I would like to see more programs and motivated lecturers in formal education, who give wings to young people. I would like to see more institutions with open doors for the needs, problems and ideas of young people. We need to see young people as part of the solution, not as part of the problem," said Perović Ivanović.
She said that in this respect the NGO Prima is working to strengthen the motivation, activism and informal education of young people and, as she stated, she believes that this can be a good incentive for their activism.
Speaking about the position of young people in Montenegro, Perović Ivanović assessed that it is not at an enviable level.
"We have witnessed that some things have improved in the last five, six years, thanks to the work on youth policies, and the fact that a large part of the attention of both the civil sector and youth-related institutions focused on youth strategies and the new Youth Law, which we are waiting for to come to life", she stated.
On the other hand, as she added, the position of young people is bad, "because it is a story that has yet to come to life".
"In the first place, what is missing is for the institutions to understand in a serious way all the needs and problems of young people", pointed out Perović Ivanović.
She believes that among the problems faced by young people are unemployment, unequal opportunities among young people, unequal access to education, various forms of informal education, scholarships.
"I think that young people are not at the threshold of information that could help them direct themselves in a desired direction or a direction that could improve their position," Perović Ivanović said.
According to her, the institutions are doing many good things, "but there are holes that should be filled".
"One of the things Prima is working on, and we think it's a big area that needs to be better covered by institutions, is peer violence. The focus should be on young people who are victims of violence, as well as on those who commit violence," said Perović Ivanović.
She stated that NGO Prima implements three projects related to young people.
"One project is nearing the end, we are finishing it with a manual, which is extremely useful. The manual treats the problem of gender-based peer violence, and will be published in Serbian and English," said Perović Ivanović.
As she clarified, the manual will be available until the end of August for free download on the websites of all organizations from the 17 countries that participated in the project.
"We are also starting with a regional project - Youth Bank HUB for the Western Balkans and Turkey, which was supported by the European Commission. Within the framework of that project, we will work on greater participation of young people, as well as on the establishment of youth banks in the region and Montenegro," stated Perović Ivanović.
As she said, the project "We all stand up against hate speech" is also current.
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