THE LACK OF ALTERNATIVE SPACES IN VITIA
Ilustration: Studio Permanent
The municipality of Vitia is located in the southeast of Kosovo and covers an area of approximately 276 km². This municipality includes the town of Vitia and 38 villages. According to the Statistics Agency of Kosovo, the total population of Vitia Municipality in 2021 was about 48 thousand. This municipality has 17 primary and lower secondary schools with 7,438 students and 524 teachers, three secondary schools with 2,464 students and 796 teachers and one kindergarten with 80 children and eight teachers.
Based on research by the GAP Institute, on the topic of the ID’s of Municipalities for the year 2021, in the Municipality of Vitia, 8,037 students attend classes at all levels of pre-university education. Despite the fact that this municipality has registered an increase in the number of the population by 1% since the last population census, due to emigration, the number of students in Vitia schools has dropped significantly, where in the 2019/2020 school year there are 39% less students than in the 2008/09 school year.
Despite the fact that young men and women are a very important asset for society and the country, not enough is being done in the Municipality of Vitia to provide opportunities for the youth. However, the Municipality of Viti currently has a space that offers a program for young men and women. The city where I live, in Viti, does not have many spaces where I, as a young woman, and my peers can express their ideas, creativity or even talent. A place where we can feel socialized, where we can engage and contribute to the development of the community and the city. The lack of engagement of citizens and in particular the lack of engagement of young people affects their performance in school, work and everyday life. The low priority for the creation of conditions for young men and women in the year, can also be seen from the low allocation of the budget for these areas. This situation in which we young people of Viti find ourselves at the moment is very worrying and makes life in the country gloomy.
Therefore, it would be necessary to work towards the creation of infrastructure and programs for the development and empowerment of the youth. The need for investment in these directions is also confirmed by the director for Culture, Youth and Sport in the municipality of Vitija V.S. which states that “The needs of young people are many, but the most important are the provision of various trainings and career orientation, the provision of practical work and the recognition of voluntary work as work experience, the creation of digital spaces and other spaces that were dedicated to them”. However, for all this to be possible, according to the director of the youth department, it is very necessary to allocate the budget from the relevant institutions for spaces in the Municipality of Vitia that young men and women could use, not they leave aside the management and preservation of existing spaces that are often not used for their purpose, to be at the center of youth. I would like there to be more sports halls in the city of Vitia, because physical activities contribute not only to physical development but also to social development. I think it would be very good if more training were offered to us young people of different professions, which would increase our skills, knowledge and morals. I also consider it necessary for the city theater to work more, where I believe, together with my company and other peers, we would enjoy endlessly watching the performances or even participating in those performances. So young men and women need to participate in extracurricular activities in their free time, which in their program should prioritize the well-being of the youth.
Young people should have the opportunity to use public spaces as much as anyone else, if not more, to be involved in the process of creating these spaces based on their needs. This is more important for a municipality like Vitia which, as a result of migration, was facing a decrease in the number of students. According to the Project for Public Spaces young men and women by actively engaging in youth friendly spaces can feel like they have invested in their community and can develop a strong sense of ownership in these places. Consequently they will want to contribute more to these countries. Youth is a very important asset for society. Young people are the ones who prioritize the development of a country. Engaging as many young people as possible in activities makes them more aware of the values these young people possess and also the access to activities contributes to their physical and psychological well-being. Young men and women can be extremely resourceful. So are the future community builders of our cities, business owners, public servants and families. Therefore, policy makers and decision makers must engage the entire community and create spaces focused on young men and women, creating opportunities to engage not only in the neighborhood, the community, but also in the entire municipality of Viti.
The young generations should have the ability to use the public spaces as much as everyone else, if not more, and to be involved in the process of the creation of these spaces based on their needs. This is highly important for a commune like Vitia which as a consequence of migration is dealing with a decrease in the number of students. According to the Project for Public Spaces the youth will be motivated to continue living and working in their country if they are engaged in an active way in friendly spaces where they feel like they are investing in their community and develop a sense of ownership.
About the author: Fjona Iiseni, from Vitia, second year student in the Psychology department in the University of Prishtina.
This grant is supported by Austrian Development Agency
