"Travels in a Beautiful World": Reflections on Youth in Conflict

Home

Kosovo’s Young: The Search for a Better Future

In January 2004, ‘Travels in a Beautiful World’ (TIABW), a project endorsed by the UNHCR and His Holiness the Dalai Lama, visited Kosovo. TIABW seeks to examine and understand the impact of conflict on the hopes and aspirations of young people in post-conflict regions.

The capital of Kosovo, Pristina, immediately strikes the visitor as a city that is progressing and evolving. It bears the same charm as that found in most western European capitals, whilst also displaying the scars of a very recent conflict. Its young people are much the same. The youth of Pristina are fashionable, modern and progressive, but any conversation reveals that conflict has deeply affected the way they think about each other, the world and their futures.

The young people of Pristina are perhaps not representative of the rest of Kosovo; there are no young Serbs in the University; and the price of studying in Pristina excludes virtually all but the wealthiest of young Kosovars. Nonetheless these are some of the most resilient and forward looking young people in Europe. The presence of so many International Organisations in Pristina and the investment that they brought, combined with the vision and drive of these young people, a result of the conflict, have led many of them to be involved with hundreds of varied and interesting projects that aim to rebuild Kosovo.

One of the greatest effects of the conflict on young people Kosovo wide, from the city of Pec/Peja to the village of Kosh, is that they take little for granted. They utilise every opportunity they are given in the present stability to ensure that the future is better for them and their peers. There is little doubt that the majority of them are hopeful for their futures; they doubt that conflict will reoccur; and are confident that an independent Kosovo is inevitable. However, they are also acutely aware that the economy is struggling. The unemployment rate amongst the young population is nearly 60%. Thus, whilst many are hopeful for the future, many remain uncertain of how they will achieve their dreams if the economy cannot sustain them.

Unfortunately, not all ethnic groups enjoy this sense of optimism. Many young Serbs are still very angry and frustrated. Their sense of exclusion is underscored by their limited freedom of movement due to their constant need for protection by an international security force.

Young people of Kosovo, of both ethnicities are trying to make a new start. The UNHCR-supported Clarin Project in the Pec/Peja municipality is one such example: young Albanians, Serbs, Bosniacs and Roma work together to educate their peers on the benefits of a multi-ethnic Kosovo that respects the human rights of everyone. There is little doubt that not all young people are willing to engage in such a project: even within some families views amongst siblings differ significantly. However, whilst a grassroots project such as this will take time, already its effects are astounding. On many occasions we saw young people of all ethnicities working together in an atmosphere where ethnic differences were clearly forgotten. They perceived their future as part of one integrated Kosovo.

The young people of Kosovo see themselves as the key to their own future. They envisage themselves as an active part of the international community and the European Union. There is little doubt that they are motivated, determined and have the potential to fulfil their ambitions. Whilst much work needs to be done to ensure that the fear and mistrust that exists between young people is dealt with, the young people of Kosovo are more than able.

TIABW was in Kosovo in January and February 2004.