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INTERVIEW, Goran Buldioski, European Youth Center – Budapest
The future is in each young man
Everyone complains that about not being employed, not having what to do, waiting for a job, do not having connections etc. But no one (or just few) decides to work something, even without money. It can be in a non-governmental organization, or in their quarter, to fix an old basket, to clean the litter in front of their block of flats, in the lawn...
Marijana Ivanova
Goran Buldioski is MCIC “cadre“ and he came here after his engagement at the Youth Council of Macedonia. In the period between 1998-99 he worked for MCIC as a program clerk responsible for the training in the civic society development program, then he went to complete his education in the Georgetown University in Washington D.C. where he got a Certificate for postgraduate studies in Organizational Management and Training.
Then he went to work in the Council of Europe (as an advisor for informal education in the European centers and there are two of them – Strasbourg and Budapest).
Today he works for the European Youth Center Budapest and he is responsible for the various training courses for young people, members of youth non-governmental organizations all around Europe.
We talked to Mr. Buldioski about the youth movement in our country and in the “wide world“, about the youth problems and challenges...
C.W. – What kind of program do you work on, what are its objectives, target groups, projects?
G.B. – The European Youth Center works under patronage of the Council of Europe and a part of the Directorate of Youth and Sport of the Council of Europe (for more information go to www.eycb.coe.int or www.coe.int/youth).
It is a resident training center where young people from all over Europe, mainly from the non-governmental organizations, political youth, leaders of youth projects and sometimes public servants, attend different kinds of training programs, seminars or conferences. In one word the center is one of the focal points of youth organizing in Europe. The Directorate of Youth and Sport has three working priorities for the following three years – the young people promote: intercultural dialogue and peace development, young people participation in the social flows and human rights education.
The Youth Center in Budapest is a carrier of the Human Rights Education Program. Within this program there are a lot of activities, for example publishing the Human Rights Education Manual, then training for trainers in the sphere of Human Rights and Young People Education, a subprogram for violence among young people etc. I am responsible for the subprogram for violence among young people and we have organized a few seminars: Young people against violence – 2001, Violence against young women – 2001, this year we are starting to work with boys as means for violence prevention, violence among sports fans (it is starting in September this year) etc.
Apart from these activities, I have been engaged in many other courses, most often for training trainers who work with young people, organizational management and I give expert support (educational – informal education) in the seminars and courses of the youth non-governmental organizations which are organized in the Center. So far I have taken part in writing a publication (as a co-author) on subject Basics of training (it can be found on www.training-youth.net).
C.W. – Does this program realize any cooperation with Macedonia and the region, and what is it like?
G.B. – The Directorate of Youth and Sport cooperates with the non-governmental organizations of each member country. Thus Macedonia has its representatives in the statutory bodies of the Directorate (who come from the Agency for Youth and Sport of the Republic of Macedonia). But the most important in our work is not the governmental cooperation, but the cooperation and help to the non-governmental youth organizations all over Europe. Although we mainly deal with some international non-governmental organizations, for the last years the focus has been directed towards the national and local youth non-governmental organizations. In the centers (Budapest and Strasbourg) there are regularly participants from Macedonia. Members of Macedonian non-governmental organizations apply for the courses as everyone else, and if they are chosen, they come here. There is a big interest, there are no national quotes but the quality of application is taken into consideration and of course, a secondary criterion is the groups which are trained here to be balanced with regard to sex and geographical location. The relation is between 5 to 10 applicants to each chosen one.
The Directorate of Youth and Sport has a special program for help and support of the national programs for young people and the Ministries (or other units) which work with young people on a national level. Macedonia has been given a Course on Youth Leaders twice so far (in 1997 and 2002).
Beside this, Macedonia has been interested in forming the third European Youth Center in Ohrid (since 1997 the then department of youth at the Ministry of Culture, then the Ministry of Youth and now the Agency of Youth has continued to be interested in this, but unfortunately only verbally, never concretely). The letter of intention for forming this center by the general secretary of the Council of Europe was on the former prime minister’s desk for 1,5 year, but our country never found time, apart from the feasibility study of the Council of Europe to prepare its own and concretely to organize a more serious approach.
C.W. – What is your experience, in comparison with the work in Macedonia and there?
G.B. – High professional standards, in spite of the fact that most often we work with volunteers, better organization. However, all in all, I think that the experiences in Macedonia and what I do now can be compared. The quality of training in the non-governmental sector in Macedonia has continually been growing for the past 5-6 years. Unfortunately, it is not the case with the youth non-governmental organization.
C.W. – How would you evaluate the youth movement/engagement in Macedonia?
G.B. – From what I know, since I have limited information here, the youth organization in Macedonia has never been worse for the past 7-8 years. There is not a youth council or the one that exists has problems with its own legitimacy with regard to the number of young people it comprises, the student organization at the University in Skopje (I do not know about the one in Bitola) is not active about the issues outside the University, the number of quality youth organizations in Macedonia can be counted on fingers, the support is quite limited – the Agency of Youth and Sport has not done anything at all for the past four years (we can wait and see what the new management will do), there are few specialized programs for supporting the projects and the work of the youth organizations (the Open Society Institute of Macedonia Foundation with one program, once or twice a year advertising competitions for projects support, the Institute for Sustainable Communities is starting a new program and the PRONI Institute which trains youth leaders through a formal University program).
This is especially important to be analyzed through the development prism of the rest of the non-governmental organizations. While the others were developing themselves in the past ten years, the youth organizations were sinking deeper and deeper in their own problems and apathy. It is very important to mention that the youth organizations need continuous support, because the change of generations and membership within this organizations happens quite often (every 3-4 years) as people grow and leave the organizations and if there is not anyone to help the new members and managers, the organizations either collapse or they should be taught etc.
C.W. – What are, according to you, the key problems which the young people in Macedonia face and where should we try to find the solution?
G.B. – It is ungrateful for me to discuss this issue. I have been abroad to find my own happiness and working challenges. It is not that abroad it is easier. I think that young people should know this. No one will do anything for them if they do not start doing things for themselves. Everyone complains that about not being employed, not having what to do, waiting for a job, do not having connections etc. But no one (or just few) decides to work something, even without money. It can be in a non-governmental organization, or in their quarter, to fix an old basket, to clean the litter in front of their block of flats, in the lawn...There are so many ways that can make young people useful for themselves. Everyone complains: no money. That is right, there is no money, but young people have something more than money, they have their free time. In their free time they can do a lot of things for themselves and for the others. I can even risk sounding demagogically, but I will say – they persistently do not use the opportunity. There are so many things that can be done “for free” – to clean the litter in front of the building, around it and behind it. To learn something new – in a non-governmental organization or “on the benches in front of their block of flats”. It can be a sport skill – skateboarding or playing basketball or something related to life, books, sex, to help weaker students with their homework etc. I can see that the young people neither enjoy their free time, nor use it. I am not saying that they should completely stop going to the pools and follow all football leagues in Europe, but it should not be the only activity they do, hoping that one day they will get a lot of money for their bets. In the meantime they have lost their youth. Young people are only partly to blame. Unfortunately, there are not many positive models they can emulate. Today we all know how much one has stolen; who has completed a half-suspicious or a suspicious contract with someone and has suddenly bought “a fast car”. How can a young man develop normally? It is certain that he would like to do “something” in order to have “a fast car”, especially if it is allowed.
We have to work systematically with the young people from an early age. They should be given space and time and opportunities to express themselves. Few do it in Macedonia.
The future is in each young man separately. Only he or she should be aware enough (and supported by the environment) to realize it. Thus money will come and something more important – their personal happiness and pleasure which will later turn into happiness and pleasure of the whole community.
Will we live to see this?
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