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You are a president to an international liberal youth organisation. What do you think the biggest challenges to young people are, and what are the challenges to young liberals specifically?
Many young people might be the greatest victims of the global crisis today as the system of international law and respect is being not only threatened but slowly destructed. The young people see the world as a global community, with many values shared across borders, nations and languages. The younger generation shares values and vision for the future in which diversity is normal and human progress is everyone’s imperative. But with the current alarming tendencies they might soon confront a reality that the existing political elites in very many places are willing to set the house on fire.
For us as liberals it is incrementally important to stand up for the human rights and democratic principles that drive our freedom and progress forward and not to allow the socio-political digress to impede the young people of today who are building the future of tomorrow.
Liberals often call for mobility but also for equal rights. What is your take on those matters from the perspective of education, youth unemployment and migration in a time when more and more people turn to national protectionism?
We as liberals stand strong in our conviction of liberal principles for peaceful co-existence and cooperation of states in the highly demanding and speedily moving forward globalized world. When we speak of mobility – it falls right in with our understanding of the concept of open borders. It also has a direct link to education and youth employment. Education is the foundation of a free, democratic society and must be available to every individual. Its purpose is not only to give the individual labor market skills, but also to provide the knowledge and tools to act as a free human being. From a young age, each person should have the opportunity to participate democratically in the society and student democracy is a good way to encourage this. The student’s freedom of speech and freedom of association must be protected within the education system. I believe we should be strongly against any government that uses the education system as a tool to suppress its citizens. Youth mobility not only opens up opportunities to implement the above, but also extends the free market concept to truly liberal exchange of knowledge, labor, culture and promotes inclusion and diversity.
You are participating in a seminar devoted on youth civic inclusion. Why do you believe it is important? Are young people interested in policy making at all and do they have the life experience for politics and civil engagement?
Civil engagement not only impacts the individual and community, but can act as an enabling force for youth involvement in the development and formulation of youth-related policies. Young people engagement relies heavily on the socioeconomic and political environment in which they live. While access to free and open internet, political demonstrations and peacebuilding initiatives can confer long term benefits to both the individual and community.
With full confidence I can tell you that young people are interested in policy-making, it is our task as activists to work together with youth all over the world to boost youth participation in political processes and enhance their civic engagement through various initiatives and channels.
The seminar you are participating in is organised by the Youth Movement for Rights and Freedoms on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the organisation. How do you evaluate your cooperation with Youth MRF on an international level?
Youth MRF has a long history of solid cooperation with IFLRY. Since the first days of their membership, they were one of the strongest youth organizations in our international umbrella organization – setting the scene and leading young people of the region and the world forward. Youth MRF brought to the international playground a lot of experienced young minds willing to share their knowledge, demonstrate excellent political skills and learn from others what they can bring back home to advance Bulgarian politics and youth engagement. Youth MRF is always highly represented at all our statutory events, as well as very active in seminars, trainings, programme activities and online engagement. I am happy to have worked with these wonderful people, and I wish the relations between Youth MRF and the international liberal family to further prosper and strengthen bearing fruits of liberalism for the common good.
