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.
Gentrit Shaqiri, a student in the 12th grade, says that he was not hired as a waiter, because he is a member of the Roma community. He says that as a result of prejudices, he has been denied employment. He points out that as a community they are often bullied, which is why he calls for discrimination to be stopped.
“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.
Among other things, Shaqiri considers that from today’s training he received necessary information regarding the media.
A similar experience is shared by 16-year-old Xhafer Hajrizaj, who says that a family member of his was denied to become part of the Kosova Police or the Kosovo Security Forces, according to him, only because they belong to the non-majority community.
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.
Regarding the training held today, in which misinformation, disinformation and the dynamics of the media were discussed, Hajziraj emphasizes that from now on he will have a critical opinion about what is said in the media.
The student in the 10th grade, Liridon Ajetaj, who has chosen to become a metal worker, also speaks about the discrimination of communities in various aspects. He mentions a case where a friend of his from the Egyptian community with excellent results was left aside in school, after understanding that he is part of a non-majority community.
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.
“In the future, I think to work in this field that I have chosen or as a wall painter… Do you think you will have difficulty finding a job? I believe so, because today there are many racists… In the future I want to have the profession I have now and I hope that I will not have a problem finding a job, that we will not be discriminated against because we belong to the Egyptian community… Today we had a great time, we have learned about fake news. We have learned that we should not trust the media too much… It is much better for us to have trainings like this again and again… A friend of mine is at the economic school in Peja. They did not know there that he belongs to the Egyptian community. He was actually a very good student and they used to talk to him and stay with him, but when they realized that he was part of the Egyptian community, they didn’t stay with him, they left him aside”, said Ajetaj.
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.
“From this training, I was very impressed that we talked about that media may have incorrect information… Do you wish to have this type of training more often? Yes, I want to know what is true and what is not. I want to know all the things”, says Qekollaj.
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.
“Media education is very necessary, especially nowadays when there is fake news. I am very happy to be a part of this training together with the students… The part of working in groups that exchange different information with each other is good for our students… The students really need this kind of training, they are also supported within the school, we hold different sessions… It is good for the community to have inclusiveness both in employment and in education, wherever it may be, but especially in employment it is good not to make differences”, said Bujupaj.
The project “Media education against disinformation for non-majority communities in Kosovo” is supported by the United States Embassy in Prishtina. /KosovaPress/
