High school debates crossing borders: Students from North Macedonia discuss challenges with peers from Kosovo and Serbia, EU ambassadors

The traditional debates of the EU Ambassador to North Macedonia with high school students are gaining a new, cross-border, dimension.

On 3 February, two online meetings took place – the first one involving students from Tetovo and Prizren, Kosovo, and the second one pupils from Kumanovo and Vranje, Serbia. The participants, together with EU ambassadors David Geer, Tomaš Szunyog and Sem Fabrizi, and young European ambassadors, discussed mental health and quality learning – issues that have been particularly important during the Covid-19 period and are among the goals of the EU Youth Strategy.

https://twitter.com/AmbassadorEU/status/1357006941353091073

Discussion on the first topic was especially vibrant – for a good reason. All students agreed that the restrictions on their social and educational life were taking an emotional toll on them (one of the participants said that ‘it is social relations that define us as human beings). They were unanimous that it is high time to break the social stigma attached to people who experience mental health issues, to raise public awareness, and to ensure greater support from the schools, especially their teams of psychcologists. One girl insightfully noted that ‘school is not only about academic success; so the triangle school – parents – pupils needs to be worked on’. One participant shared personal experiences of Asperger’s to clarify that a moment of sadness is not the same of depression and that everyone needs to learn to accept their feelings. ‘The point is not to be happy all the time. It is normal to feel sad from time to time’, the student said. Ambassador Geer advised students to listen to their emotions – seeking professional support (if the situation requires) is important, but it is also vital that students are there for their friends and classmates who are facing difficulties, including combating bulling and harassment.

https://twitter.com/EUAmbKS/status/1356940548297416705

Education was also a stimulating subject for the students, not only because of the challenges the online schooling has imposed on them. Blendi Hodai, president of the High School Union of North Macedonia and student in the Tetovo school that was part of the debate, stressed two things: that there is a difference between schooling and education (the former is formal and the latter is life-long), and that teaching is a two-way process, which includes teachers able to transfer knowledge and students willing to learn. Each of the EU ambassadors explained that in the Union, Member States exchange best practices and experience in order to develop the skills and knowledge to enable students to meet the ever changing demands of the labour market and social, economic and technological advances such as digitalisation and the Green Agenda. They stressed the EU’s engagement in the education reforms in the region, noting that there is a mismatch between available skills and jobs, also as a consequence of the brain drain that was affecting the entire region. Ambassador Geer said that education is about bringing added value into society – it should provide students with necessary skills, but also be inclusive and promote life-learning. Hence the EU support for concepts that aim to adjust the curricula to the demands on the labour market and thus help in creating better job opportunities for the young people.

https://twitter.com/FabriziSem/status/1357001623135023104

Proof of the importance the EU attaches to young people is its Youth Strategy. Developed around three words (Engage, Connect, Empower), the Strategy fosters youth participation in democratic life, supports social and civic engagement and aims to ensure that all young people have the necessary resources to take part in society. Mental health and quality learning are among the 11 European Youth Goals, which also include: connecting EU with youth, gender equality, inclusive society, information and constructive dialogue, moving rural youth forward, quality employment for all, space and participation for all, sustainable green Europe, and youth organisations & European programmes.