Tag: YouthEmpowerment

11November2020
by Darko Soković

Leadership for All

Blog

Leadership isn’t optional – it’s every young person’s duty

If you’ve traveled around the former Yugoslav countries at all, you know conversations with people don’t go as badly as you might initially think. In these chats, the “us vs them” divide isn’t nearly as strong as in the media, or when we’re not together. We often unconsciously make concessions to avoid potentially offending “the other side” – how many times have you called your language “ours” for exactly this reason? And although we all know, consciously or not, who’s responsible for everything that happened, these conversations usually end with some variation of “Who the hell turned us against each other?!” After we hug it out, we typically arrive at the same layman’s consensus: if anything can save us all, it’ll be the youth, the economy, and knowledge.

We’re not the first to think this way in a post-war context. After WWII in 1948, young people from seven European countries came together determined to do everything possible to prevent such conflicts from happening again. They hoped, you see, that they could change the world – one person at a time. Thus was born the Association internationale des étudiants en sciences économiques et commerciales, an international association of economics and business students. Today we know these brilliant young people as AIESEC – the world’s largest youth-led organization, present in 126 countries with nearly 40,000 members, and at least that many more participating in their programs each year.

Impressive. They want to prevent wars, clearly, but what do they actually do there? You sign up and…?

The story of AIESEC is actually a story about leadership. Simply put, difficult times demand a special set of skills from young people to help them navigate an increasingly complex and changing world. This was true in the mid-20th century, and it’s especially true today. Without these skills, it’s impossible to stay relevant in any field. We’re talking about things like:

  • Teamwork skills where you can both lead and follow, while understanding how the team as a whole contributes to set goals

  • Goal-setting – determining necessary resources, who can do what, timelines, and separating personal interests from project interests

  • Communication skills – being able to clearly, unambiguously and focused articulate thoughts and inspire others to action

  • Personal integrity, self-awareness and respect that translates to professionalism, personal responsibility and business acumen

These skills, I believe, were crucial for the global elite that emerged from AIESEC and similar post-war European movements. Today however, AIESEC members say leadership isn’t optional – it’s every young person’s obligation. That’s why their international volunteer, entrepreneurship and talent internship programs focus on developing exactly these skills through structured, multi-month approaches in collaboration with top companies.

AIESEC Serbia is known even outside business circles for at least two projects bigger than themselves: what ambitious young person in Serbia hasn’t heard of – or participated in – Career Days? Who among those with something meaningful to say hasn’t spoken at their annual New Leaders conference or at least dreamed of being there?

AIESEC’s Belgrade office was founded at the Faculty of Economics back in 1953 and long ago stopped being just for econ students. They’re active in Niš, Novi Sad, Kragujevac, across all faculties, and they’re just getting started with big plans for Serbia. Despite this impressive history, “AIESECers” are everywhere today – leading key departments in companies, in executive positions, as leaders in public administration or running their own ventures.

Many HR managers will tell you: seeing AIESEC on a CV is a valuable and important recommendation signaling you’re dealing with a dead-serious candidate. These young people – and I’ve personally confirmed this many times – thirst for knowledge and achievement. When we as employers give them that chance, they repay it many times over – to themselves, to us, to the company and the community.

Usually all we need to do is point them to opportunities – AIESECers are trained to grab them. Just watch them go.

10November2020
by Darko Soković

I Want to Create

Blog

We need companies that don’t just meet expectations—but exceed them, going beyond what the market even demands.

For days, I’ve been reading reactions to the video “I Don’t Want to Leave,” where a group of successful young people from Bosnia and Herzegovina explain—in a deep, affected male voice (?)—why they choose to stay in the country. The campaign is backed by a youth association, supported by companies and media, including the outlet you’re reading now. And why not? Every year, BiH loses 150,000 people searching for better working conditions and a life with dignity. Serbia has even done the math: each highly educated emigrant costs the state nearly 70,000 KM—the amount invested in their education from elementary school to university. The figure in BiH is comparable. So any initiative offering potential solutions deserves praise.

But here’s the catch. Instead of giving us, say, three weak reasons to stay, the video lists at least thirty reasons to leave! Just as you start wondering whether the point is to make the bleakness even bleaker or to offer a new narrative and a glimmer of hope, the online comments don’t hold back. The blame falls on the ruling class, the opposition, the ’90s generation, retirees—and even the youth themselves: “You’d rather live off your parents’ pensions and drink three coffees a day. Get up, take initiative—who will if not you young folks?” says some anonymous internet loudmouth. At first, I thought only a rare few were on that path, but the work of hundreds of young (and not-so-young) individuals and companies has convinced me otherwise. The combined GDP of all Western Balkan economies is less than €100 billion—about the same as Slovakia’s—yet we have 12 million more people than that small country. Things can’t get worse, so the only possible direction is forward.

The same goes for corporate social responsibility: a donation here or a responsible action there won’t fix decades of systemic gaps. We need companies that don’t just do their jobs—but do them exceptionally, beyond what’s expected, beyond what the market demands—so we can leap into the future in giant strides.

Who even knew about Tuzla’s airport before Wizz Air started flying there? Or imagined a plane ticket to a European destination could cost just a hundred marks? The airline didn’t do anything revolutionary—it just offered the same quality service it provides across Europe, doing its job better than it had to. Or take the recent introduction of 4G in BiH: a country that got fast mobile internet among the last in Europe, where only 15% of the population uses mobile payments. In Croatia, that figure exceeds 50% and surged after faster internet arrived. The telecoms here didn’t perform miracles—they just pushed the state to let them deliver excellent service, and eventually succeeded. Similarly, Sarajevo’s PR agency Represent Communications, the British Council, and the Center for Investigative Reporting earned LGBTIQ Index awards not because they had to, but because they chose excellence in fighting discrimination and fostering inclusion—simply because they wanted to.

It’s hard not to feel hopeless—years of traveling this region have taught me that. When I say, as a 35-year-old, that I’d never leave this part of the world, reactions range from disgust to admiration. When I mention that I moved to Sarajevo before turning 30—without any family ties or pressure to do so—few understand why.

So my answer to that anonymous online critic is simple: Create something more than an illiterate comment, my friend. Build something of your own, something that improves this country and employs people, something you do not because you’re forced to, but because you want to. Then we’ll talk. It’s not about what I won’t do—not even #Idontwanttoleave—but what I will do: I want to create. Here. Now. Every day. Until we’ve built the BiH and the region we actually want.

27May2019
by Darko Soković

Three and a Half Collapsed Walls—Or a New Generation?

Blog

Three and a half support walls on Corridor 10, swallowed by the earth. Two weeks’ worth of savings from slashed pensions. The last presidential elections. Each of these things cost around €10.8 million. A lot or a little? What would you do with that money?

That’s how much all Serbian companies combined invested last year in corporate social responsibility (CSR). While philanthropy isn’t new here, international companies post-2000 brought fresh business practices, including CSR. The gist? A company operates in a community, extracts value (profit, knowledge, resources, talent), and “gives back”—usually by funding a humanitarian project, sending a kid to a competition, or covering someone’s medical bills. A single issue gets solved, PR packages it neatly, the public nods, and everyone wins.

But the idea of “owing” society isn’t new. 200 years ago, during the Industrial Revolution, pioneers like John H. Patterson (founder of NCR) realized worker welfare boosted productivity. They introduced safety standards, healthcare, paid leave, and profit-sharing. And they didn’t stop at factory gates—they built legacies. Where would the University of Belgrade’s rector sit today if Miša Anastasijević, the Danube shipping magnate, hadn’t donated the very building that now houses the Rectorate?

Beyond Charity: The New CSR

Today in Serbia—despite VAT on every donation—some companies are flipping the script. Their investments are strategic, long-term, and transformative.

Take young people: if you’re under 30 here, you’ve likely graduated, live with parents, plan to emigrate, and can’t find work. Enter Coca-Cola’s “Support for Youth” program. Alongside initiatives for students, interns, and future managers, it helps thousands annually bridge the education-business gap. Though Coca-Cola contributes just 1% of Serbia’s GDP, it bets on youth shaping their professional identities—and thus, the country’s future.

Or education: Five years ago, kids learned dial-up internet in IT class. Ask a sixth-grader today? Scratch, Python, and robotics—thanks to Microsoft, the Petlja Foundation, and Digital Serbia. Since last year, IT is mandatory in 5th grade, with a revamped 6th-grade curriculum. Microsoft trained 1,200 IT teachers nationwide in algorithmic literacy, fueling Serbia’s booming tech export sector for the next decade.

And sustainability: Where would 3.5 million cans from 120+ festivals end up? Belgrade’s Ball factory (through its Recan Foundation) recycled them, educating 2 million people on recycling’s importance.

The Point? Strategy Over Guilt

These companies—and a handful of others—get it: PR-driven charity is weak. €10.8 million won’t patch our infrastructure, healthcare, or education, let alone fix them (that’s the state’s job). The goal isn’t “paying a debt” anymore—it’s investing in a better Serbia.

So they spend those millions in ways that multiply returns: a generation that won’t let the country collapse. Figuratively or literally.