The representative of the NGO Mladiinfo Montenegro attended the online conference “How to shape the future after the crisis”, organized by the European Training Foundation in cooperation with UNICEF, the Office for Central Europe and Asia.
Participants are from Romania, Croatia, Turkey, Northern Macedonia, Serbia, Kyrgyzstan, Azerbaijan, Tajikistan, Belarus, Bulgaria and Montenegro. Topics covered by the conference are: Freedom of movement (study), student mobility and migration (work abroad).
The first question refers to mobility, ie what comes to the minds of the participants when it comes to this word.
Participant Borna Stiglets said that she considers travel the most important, especially the Erasmus plus program, and the projects in which she participated, which provided her with mobility, getting to know cultures, people and gaining new knowledge and experiences. She said that she will work at sea this summer, but due to the bad tourist season, she had a problem finding a job.
Nikolija Pehcevska also pointed out travel and emphasized that for her it means connecting with people, but also free movement within the borders of the European Union. She finished high school and needs to go to the Netherlands to study. The University of the Netherlands offered her the opportunity to study online, which she refused but wants to go to the Netherlands and hopes that soon the borders will be open to everyone. Pechevska believes that a large number of students will refuse to study abroad, even when the restrictions are lifted, and she sees fear as the main factor in that.
Isaac Mustopulo, on the other hand, is a person with a disability and has been hit hard by the crisis. As a first problem, he emphasizes that he cannot use public transportation due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and that this has made him feel like he is trapped in a box, and that he sympathizes with his friends who have the same problem as him. Isaac believes that in his state, the school must provide him with a teacher for each subject and the professors come to his home address. He says he has a good experience with distance learning. Isaac loves film very much and is part of the school team that participates in the workshops. He was very active at school, and the measures hit him hard because he is now only confined to the house, to sit and do nothing.
Ilya Barkovski from Belarus, who is studying in Lithuania, however, did not get a visa and is facing financial problems.
Daniel G also emphasized that travel is important to him and that it is the first association with mobility. He sees the importance of traveling in broadening his horizons, getting to know different cultures, which provides an opportunity to compare with his country. Daniel paid $ 3,000 for the Work and Travel program, however, due to border closures part of the money went into non-refundability because he was denied a J1 visa.
Sofija Božić is a student from Serbia who has faced administrative problems, but also a new way of learning that is different from the one she is used to. She shared the experiences of her friends who are at universities in France and America. He says that the universities are closed and that learning is completely reduced to online lectures.
Alikhan Kusherbayev from Kazakhstan prefers summer when people usually go to the river or the beach, however, Covid-19 has made it impossible to go anywhere or even to his home village because public transport has been suspended. He especially loves cycling, but in the city where he lives, there is no cycling infrastructure in Kazakhstan. Before the crisis began, he talked to citizens and municipal authorities about infrastructure, however, the Covid crisis halted everything. He also stated that it is very difficult to present problems online.
Abdullev Sultan is a student who has just finished high school, but due to the new crisis, he is not able to study outside the borders of his home country.
The Sultan does not prefer online study but personal interaction.
Meka Abdimalikovna complains about limited mobility, about the health system in her country, which she says is problematic. Mecca said it is very difficult to find a job now.
Begum Merve Demirsoy from Turkey points out that distance learning is complicated, especially since not all people have devices or internet access. The entire student population had to move out of campus and return to their homes. The students did not have exams and only got very low grades which they complained about, and are asking for the exams to be repeated due to poor results.
Matej Milosievski likes to participate in public events and visit galleries and museums, but that is not possible at all now.
Overall, one of the main problems for everyone is limited mobility.
Next question – What are the advantages and disadvantages of virtual mobility?
Abutab Abbasova is currently working, but she misses business trips and it is psychologically difficult for her to fall into isolation, which causes depression. She teaches students virtually what is a problem for her because she has not done so in the past. It prefers close contact between people.
Abdulloev Sultonbem believes that this is an ideal opportunity for people k
Isaac Mustopulo, on the other hand, is a person with a disability and has been hit hard by the crisis. As a first problem, he emphasizes that he cannot use public transportation due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and that this has made him feel like he is trapped in a box, and that he sympathizes with his friends who have the same problem as him. Isaac believes that in his state, the school must provide him with a teacher for each subject and the professors come to his home address. He says he has a good experience with distance learning. Isaac loves film very much and is part of the school team that participates in the workshops. He was very active at school, and the measures hit him hard because he is now only confined to the house, to sit and do nothing.
Ilya Barkovski from Belarus, who is studying in Lithuania, however, did not get a visa and is facing financial problems.
Daniel G also emphasized that travel is important to him and that it is the first association with mobility. He sees the importance of traveling in broadening his horizons, getting to know different cultures, which provides an opportunity to compare with his country. Daniel paid $ 3,000 for the Work and Travel program, however, due to border closures part of the money went into non-refundability because he was denied a J1 visa.
Sofija Božić is a student from Serbia who has faced administrative problems, but also a new way of learning that is different from the one she is used to. She shared the experiences of her friends who are at universities in France and America. He says that the universities are closed and that learning is completely reduced to online lectures.
Alikhan Kusherbayev from Kazakhstan prefers summer when people usually go to the river or the beach, however, Covid-19 has made it impossible to go anywhere or even to his home village because public transport has been suspended. He especially loves cycling, but in the city where he lives, there is no cycling infrastructure in Kazakhstan. Before the crisis began, he talked to citizens and municipal authorities about infrastructure, however, the Covid crisis halted everything. He also stated that it is very difficult to present problems online.
Abdullev Sultan is a student who has just finished high school, but due to the new crisis, he is not able to study outside the borders of his home country.
The Sultan does not prefer online study but personal interaction.
Meka Abdimalikovna complains about limited mobility, about the health system in her country, which she says is problematic. Mecca said it is very difficult to find a job now.
Begum Merve Demirsoy from Turkey points out that distance learning is complicated, especially since not all people have devices or internet access. The entire student population had to move out of campus and return to their homes. The students did not have exams and only got very low grades which they complained about, and are asking for the exams to be repeated due to poor results.
Matej Milosievski likes to participate in public events and visit galleries and museums, but that is not possible at all now.
Overall, one of the main problems for everyone is limited mobility.
Next question – What are the advantages and disadvantages of virtual mobility?
Abutab Abbasova is currently working, but she misses business trips and it is psychologically difficult for her to fall into isolation, which causes depression. She teaches students virtually what is a problem for her because she has not done so in the past. It prefers close contact between people.
Abdulloev Sultonbem believes that this is an ideal opportunity for people who like to study on their own.
Borna Stiglets says that the big problem in this situation is that a person cannot go where he wants, and it specifically caused anxiety and fear in her, and virtual classrooms helped her a lot because they restored her sense of reality and kept her occupied.
In general, all participants are of the opinion that the Covid-19 crisis prevents people from moving freely, circulating, performing daily activities to which they are accustomed, but on the other hand people have learned new technologies that they may not have encountered before, a new way of communication , and most importantly, during the Covid-19 crisis, people became more considerate of nature, and at the same time more supportive.