Finding a job and equal treatment in society constitutes the biggest challenge that young people from the Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian communities consider that they are facing in society.
This was said in today's training, where more than 15 students, together with their teachers from the "Mithat Frashëri" vocational high school in Istog, were trained on media education."As a community, it depends on the person, what the person is like, what is his condition, how he speaks or is in society... I heard that someone was bullied just because he was of a different color, they saw him as different... It is enough not to stop us... Let me tell you a concrete case about myself. I couldn't get the job, not because the bosses were racist, but because of the clients, who would say that this waiter is from the community. For this reason, I could not work in a bar... It was difficult, but now I am a bit more open, and look at other things... We had a great time at the training today and received good information about the media. We worked in cooperation with each other", said Shaqiri.
Hajrizaj says that next year he expects to apply to school for auto mechanic, for which he hopes to find a job. The 16-year-old Egyptian, even though he does not go to school, says that he helps his father to work.
"If (father) gets a private job somewhere, I work with him. All chores, yard cleaning and so on. I'm waiting for next year to enroll in another course, I want to be an auto mechanic... Have you ever felt bullied? There have been some cases, yes and no. For example, the bullying they have done, I don't think of it... The training has been very good. We have learned things we did not know. For example, I know there have been fake news stories, but I believed them more. Today I realized that there are many untruths, that there is no reality and we learned not to make mistakes... What demands do you have towards others regarding the rights of your community? To give us the rights in those fields that we want to realize the dream of work, and to give us all a chance. It happened to my uncle, he was not hired even after he finished school, they didn't accept him either in the police or in the FSK", said Hajrizaj.
Ajetaj hopes that in the future he will be given the opportunity to work as a metalworker or wall painter, and not be discriminated against just because he belongs to a non-majority community.
Among other things, Ajetaj emphasizes the fact that there should be training on such topics as often as possible.
Trainings such as today's are necessary to be attended by young people from non-majority communities, says 12th grade student Blerta Qekollaj. She says that the part where fake news was discussed impressed her the most.
Also, Abedin Bujupaj, professor of electrical engineering and at the same time an official of the career center at "Mithat Frashëri" vocational high school in Istog, says that media education is more than necessary, adding that students are in great need of this type of training.
In addition, Bujupaj says that support and inclusion of non-majority communities is needed, both in schools and in employment.
The project "Media education against disinformation for non-majority communities in Kosovo" is supported by the United States Embassy in Prishtina. /KosovaPress/