On a summer evening, I was walking down Balkanska Street in Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. Despite the late hour, I saw that one of the shops selling drinks was still open. The owner of the shop was sitting outside and reading a newspaper under a lamp.
written by Lenka Nedeljkov Srbinoski, Romina Begaj, Serbia
Social media’s impact on mental health among Serbian youth is concerning. Platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat dominate their daily lives, and often promote some unattainable beauty standards and fostering feelings of inadequacy. These platforms serve as spaces where young people compare themselves incessantly to influencers and peers, which can cause anxiety and depression by its users.
written by Tarek Soliman - Better World Foundation, Egypt
Egypt has a young and growing population, with 63.4% of its population under the age of 30. This demographic shift has created significant challenges, including high unemployment rates and limited opportunities for economic mobility.
written by Youssef Hssikou, Morroco
Artificial intelligence has its advantages and disadvantages, like any other innovation. However, AI could control our fate in the future as it has the ability to change it for the better or worse.
written by Jovana Spasovska, North Macedonia
The recent election of Gordana Siljanovska as the first female President of Macedonia arguably marks a huge step towards the full emancipation of women in Balkan politics. Just a generation ago, such a thing seemed unimaginable, that even the male population would vote for a woman as their leader on popular elections. Therefore, this seems… Continue reading Macedonia’s Female Presidency: full emancipation of women
INFO, KOMS
The second regional strategic meeting of the youth umbrella associations of the Western Balkans was held in Belgrade from November 5th to 7th.
written by Dejan Mihajlović, Serbia
“U-Report” is a digital social reporting platform created by UNICEF globally, and it’s available in a digital platform in Serbia as well, representing the voices of young people.
written by Afraa Maiza, Tunisia
If you tried everything and the disease is still there, if you have tried all kinds of medicine and no results, if you have pain in a specific part of the body and you have not found an explanation for it, if you follow a 100% healthy life, and yet you get sick with a serious diseases, if you do not find a reason for your illness, it may be an internal feeling resulting from traumas in life.
INFO, CDER
MEDIActive Youth is an international youth initiative of improving youth media literacy launched in 2015. Within two previous Erasmus+ MEDIActive Youth projects capacities of 22 youth NGOs from Europe and Latin America have been raised, a Transnational Youth Magazine (TYM) has been launched, website www.mediactiveyouth.net and multilingual online courses have been created. The overall objective… Continue reading Transcontinental MEDIActive Youth: Africa on Board Project has started
written by Jana Trajković, Serbia
Nowadays music makes a significant influence over the values and behaviors of young people, serving as an impactful method for cultural expression and ideological dissemination. In the Balkans, turbo folk music, a genre known for its vibrant rhythms and provocative lyrics, has gained immense popularity among teenagers. Turbo-folk emerged in the late 1980s and became… Continue reading The impact of turbo folk music on Balkan youth
written by Matija Carević, Croatia
In an era where information is both abundant and weaponized, the challenge is no longer just to combat propaganda but to understand why it thrives, even after the dramatic shifts that seemed to promise its decline.
written by Olga, Jonas & Jacob, FOXPOPULI, Sweden
The standard of living in Sweden is extremely good. Given that, many would not say that one of the main problems in young people are mental problems…