Author: Neda Dimova-Prokic

On April 5, 2024, MAAA started with the production of podcasts, as a part of the series titled “The Voice of MAAA", within the project "Alumni encouraging volunteering and extra-curricular activities".

The first episode was titled "Perspectives of Young People in Our Country" and was hosted by Ms. Katerina Topalova, a journalist. The main speakers featured in the episode were Mr. Bojan Kordalov, a communicologist, and Mr. Ivan Durgutov, a young activist.

Topalova, who is also a member of MAAA, said that the voice of MAAA should be heard, because the Association has a multidisciplinary panel of experts, who are willing to give advice on numerous topics. Both Kordalov and Durgutov agreed that in order for young people to have their voices heard, they need to actively participate in creating a society where their voices matter.

Durgutov explains that being a young person nowadays involves frequently facing the question of "why you haven't left your country yet. He says that the reason that he is still staying in the country is his faith in the Macedonian youth. Not only are we equally competent with our European peers, but in many ways we are better. My commitment is to digitize our country, to raise awareness to eradicate acquired stereotypes and to ensure that every time a decision is made about young people, Durgutov points. Durgutov explains that being a young person nowadays involves frequently facing the question of "why you haven't left your country yet.

Kordalov, on the other hand, thinks that today there are many opportunities for the youngsters to travel abroad, visit institutions and organizations of other countries, which was not the case in the past. He is not worried that the Macedonian young people travel abroad, but  the concerning fact is that they don’t want to return to their homeland. ”We don’t have faith as a society in the young people, and the reason for that is that the older people don’t want to lose their privileges and positions, and we must admit this devastating fact as a society”, Kordalov says, adding that there is no perfect society, but unfortunately we have brought ourselves to the point where our society is dysfunctional and therefore our people will naturally leave the country. “The country is not tailored to the needs of young people, he emphasized, adding that only a state that is built according to the needs of young people is a state that is adapted to the needs of all people.

Having acquired new knowledge and many skills, as well as positive practices, after returning from the USA they began to apply in the domain of their work and career. These are only part of the positive personal and social benefits according to Topalova, Durgutov and Kordalov, who also participated in various study programs in the USA.

MAAA's second podcast explores the entrepreneurship opportunities for young people in our country. It was hosted by Ms. Ana Zafirova, a journalist, and the main speakers were two of our members, Mr. Dancho Dimkov, an entrepreneur, founder and owner of few companies, among which Bizz Bee Solution and Ms. Monika Rizovska, an entrepreneur, president of Women in Tech Macedonia and co-founder of Ways2Help.

Dimkov and Rizovska explored North Macedonia's potential for youth entrepreneurship, considering its high youth unemployment rates. They also examined whether the Macedonian educational system motivates young people to pursue entrepreneurship.

Through their inspiring personal stories, the speakers approached the entrepreneurial life path and the experiences they had.

"Entrepreneurship helped me to discover my "why?". Throughout life, certain things drain us and certain things that fill us up. It was the entrepreneurial spirit that forced me to ask myself what gives me energy and to realize that I am one of those people who fulfill the things with which I leave an impact when I do something good. With Ways2Help, we help socially disadvantaged families and those small steps we take helped me get to know myself," Rizoska says.

According to Dimkov, entrepreneurial skills can be learned, but it is the willingness to take risks that pushes forward. That's why he encourages young people to enter that story, not to look for excuses, because when you're young the risk is lower and you learn.

"If you want to do something, you will find a way, if you don't want to do it, you will find an excuse. Because it is much easier to blame the state or the infrastructure for something than to be an entrepreneur and find a way to overcome the challenge. It means hassle, you try, you go around, you skip over problems, you ask for external help, in order to find a way to solve the problems and build a better community for all of us," Dimkov points.

Fortunately, in the frequent competitions, hackathons and accelerators, both Rizovska and Dimkov see a "hungry youth" that wants to create and do beautiful things, but they agree on the challenge of how that youth should be kept in the country and continue to create here, at home.

"All the events that we organize with Women in Tech Macedonia are filled in the shortest possible time, so there is interest and enthusiasm," Rizovska says.

They both hope that this interest will be met with a favorable climate, and they believe that the knowledge they have will be useful to future entrepreneurs who will have to make an impact and make social changes in our country.