Written by: Ivan Zahorin, European Solidarity Corps volunteer
For a long time, adults haven’t paid enough attention to the potential and intelligence of young people. But the world has changed. More and more global projects are being launched, and to our surprise, many of them are initiated by young people. Many young individuals are eager to become adults as soon as possible, yet they often overlook the enormous potential of their age. In this article, we will explore several opportunities available to young people in Split and share some interesting facts about them.
Our future makes up 20 % of the Croatia’s population
There is no universally accepted international definition of the youth age group, but for the purpose of statistics in Croatia, young people are considered those aged 15 to 30 years. According to the latest census, they make up 17.2% of Croatia’s population. This represents a decrease of four percent compared to the early 1990s. On the other hand, Croatia is among the 12 European countries with the best quality of life for young people, i.e. the rate of material and social deprivation is lower than three percent. This means that Croatian youth enjoy a quality of life comparable to their peers in Slovenia, Austria, Luxembourg, Poland, Czechia, the Netherlands, Estonia, Malta, Finland, Sweden, and Cyprus.
Looking ahead, digitalization will undoubtedly be at the forefront. We are already living in a digital age and the Internet has long been a part of our daily life – especially for young people. According to the latest Eurostat data, 97% of young people in the EU used the internet daily in 2023, compared to 86% of all individuals. Interestingly, the largest age gap in daily internet usage was recorded in Croatia (20%). Let’s use this year’s International Youth Day celebration to promote the development of digital skills among young people in Croatia!
What is International Youth Day?
International Youth Day, celebrated annually on August 12th, aims to raise awareness of the importance of young people and their contributions to society. This celebration seeks to amplify youth voices, shed light on their issues, and highlight successful practices.
Each year, the celebration features a unique theme, and for 2024, the theme is “From Clicks to Progress: Youth Digital Pathways for Sustainable Development.” This theme emphasizes the crucial connection between digitalization and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), highlighting the significant role young people play in achieving them.
Digital transformation is, in fact, key to achieving the SDGs, with technologies like mobile devices, digital platforms, and AI playing pivotal roles. Data from digital interactions enables informed decision-making, impacting at least 70% of the SDG targets. Despite challenges such as the digital divide, young people, as digital natives, lead the way in adopting technologies and innovations. As the 2030 deadline for achieving the SDGs approaches, youth remain essential in leveraging technology to address global challenges.
Driving rapid development in all sectors, young people are undoubtedly the future. Their potential is fuelled by numerous opportunities to improve their lives and make a positive impact on the world. In line with the theme of International Youth Day, there are many opportunities for young people to use digital tools and platforms to create meaningful change.
Opportunities: Where? What? How?
Youth = the future. This is a statement that is hard to disagree with. Currently, young people are driving rapid progress in many areas of the world. This is due to the abundance of opportunities available to young people who want to start or have already started changing their lives and the world for the better. Here, you can find several ways and places to discover and take advantage of these opportunities:
1. Sunce
Association for Nature, Environment, and Sustainable Development Sunce offers many interesting and valuable opportunities for young people. For example, they organize and lead numerous activities related to recycling, waste sorting, and improving environmental cleanliness. Among the more popular events is ŠIZIKA, where you can learn or improve skills in knitting and sewing using recycled materials. Sunce also organizes a Swap Fair. The name speaks for itself. At this event, you can bring your used but well-preserved items that you no longer need and swap them for something you do need. This event truly helps give items a “second life,” and as a result, saves the environment. Sunce also organizes many educational events and projects for young people, as well as opportunities within the ERASMUS+ program, seminars, and lectures on various environmental topics. During these educational activities, you can meet new people from other countries, discover new cultures, mentalities, and most importantly, different perspectives on certain issues.
2. Croatian Youth Network
Croatian Youth Network is an alliance of 77 youth and youth-serving organizations across Croatia. As a heterogeneous platform, Croatian Youth Network programmatically unites various organizations (advocacy, cultural, environmental, minority, etc.) with a common interest in youth policy development, both nationally and regionally/locally. Specifically, this network allows young people to engage in various volunteer and/or paid activities, through which they can enhance their training, advocacy, and communication skills.
3. European Youth Portal
European Youth Portal is a digital platform where young people from around the world can find numerous opportunities for personal development. Through this portal, you have the opportunity not only to travel almost the entire world, but also to try volunteer work, find a job or internship, and study at some of the best universities in the EU.
Do you have more questions? Find answers by getting involved! Channel your energy in the right direction! Each of us has the power to change the world, and fortunately, our time offers many opportunities to do so. Digitalization, sustainability, raising social issues – all of these can be improved thanks to you! Just do it!