Young people in the town of Gjakova have called on fellow youngster snot to leave Kosovo for a better future abroad.

They have started an activity, called “Tree of Youth”, which aims to empower them and express their aspirations about building a life in Kosovo.

Some of the messages on the banners placed on the tree say: “Let the government work and not leave the youth”, “Full of youth, but no work”, and others.

The chairman of the Local Youth Action Council, LYAC, Altin Hafizjaha, told BIRN that it is important to help the young develop the country.

“We have received numerous messages where citizens gave comments, criticisms, advice and at the same time boasted about the youth that our country has, about their potential. They showed that the state, institutions and the whole society should stimulate the youth to stay in Kosovo and contribute,” he said. 

Youth Week started on Wednesday, and will continue its activities until August 12, International Youth Day.

The activity was organized by the LYAC, with its member organization “Activism Roots”, and the Directorate for Youth, Culture and Sports of the Municipality of Gjakova.

Activities planned in the following days include “Youth Cards”, “Young People and Volunteering” and “Youth Night”.

Young Kosovans still have no opportunity to travel freely through different European countries, since Kosovo is the only country in the region that does not have visa liberalization with the EU. 

Although Kosovo has a young population, the main challenge for the country’s youth is employment.

The data of the Statistics Agency of Kosovo, SAK, for the first quarter of 2021, show that the unemployment rate among the 15-24 age group is 48.6 per cent. Other SAK data show that during 2021 alone, 42,728 people emigrated from Kosovo.