They try to connect with them by uploading videos to Tik Tok, talking about issues that interest them, and adjusting their communication strategy. This is one of those battles that political leaders absolutely want to win, as they make up a significant percentage of active voters. But it’s also a difficult audience.

A few days before the elections on May 21, “K” talked to five young people working in different fields to find out what issues they really care about, whether they are on the agenda of political parties and whether there is, after all, a pre-election speech convincing.

Modestos Gavalas, 22

“What all young people care about is the cost of living”

Modestos from a young age wanted to offer his help to others and act in the context of the group. They were the first signs of his later interaction with the public. Today he is the chairman of the Thessaloniki Municipal Youth Council and a practicing lawyer: “I will start with what I think concerns all young people. This the cost of livingdifficulty in Supermarket, increased prices And high rentespecially in big cities. If we compare rent with salary provided that it is very difficult to lead a decent life,” he comments. The second question he raises is unemployment and job offers. “It is very difficult to enter the labor market, especially if you want to do a job that suits your interests and your degree and can offer you a decent salary. This is also the reason why many young people go abroad,” he said. According to him, these are questions that are heard in the election speeches of all parliamentary parties, but they are approached “with caution”. promises, vague plans and unconvincing plans“. The 22-year-old man emphasizes that his generation has experienced three crises one after another and is educating mistrust onto the political stage. Finally, she spoke about her topic Educationstating that while politicians are debating some issues such as university police and the minimum admissions base, important issues such as university infrastructure and lack of logistical equipment are missing from the discussion.

Elita Fasula, 25 years old

“Hard words need to be said about the environment”

A member of the Fridays for Future global environmental movement, Elita Fasula has been fighting from a young age to make citizens aware of the magnitude of the climate crisis, while at the same time she is an AUTH PhD student. . As he states, he would like to hear from the parties a very clear position on their issue. booty but also her just energy transition. Instead, the Elite points out that once a party has taken a position, its leader may change it in a speech or interview solely to satisfy a section of the public. “If we want to be honest with citizens about the state of the environment, we have to speak tough words,” he notes, and finds parties are raising climate crisis and climate neutrality goals, but not to the extent that they should be. the marginal situation that we are experiencing. “Before the elections, the reason for the encirclement is at least low. It focuses mainly on the energy crisis, but without an in-depth discussion of the causes and ways to deal with it, ”he says, and cites as an example the debate of political leaders, during which ecology was discussed along with the energy crisis, forcing everyone to deal with the second track. In addition to the environment, Elite as a young woman is concerned about the problem high rentusually stating that despite the fact that she is 25 years old, she still lives with her parents, unable to meet the high cost of living. She is also concerned about the fact that her problems social Security and especially her mental health during this pre-election period were excluded from public discussion.

Vasya Aletra, 28 years old

“If I saw a female leader, I would identify myself differently”

The diversified Vasya Aletra, having completed her biology studies and received a master’s degree, is currently working as a career consultant. He is very active in gender rights And empowerment of women and produces his own podcasts on these topics. “I have not seen that the topics that concern me are discussed, at least in the way I would like. I mostly hear sounds and things that don’t make me feel safe.“, he notes, adding that especially after the debate she feels disappointed. First of all, he comments on the fact that in a conversation with the political instructor they were all men of a certain age. “I am discouraged by the lack of women. If I saw a female leader, I would identify myself differently […] As in most fields, in politics we see women in lower positions. The higher you climb in the hierarchy, the more female voices are lost. There is a glass ceiling there, too,” he emphasizes, highlighting Greece’s poor performance on gender equality indicators. “In the future, my goal is to stay in Greece and I would like to get a push for that. For something to change,” says Vasya, indicating, however, that this is her problem too. flight of young professionals treated epidermally. “All the researchers known to me who graduated from the Faculty of Biology have gone abroad. I compare myself to them and feel offended. I have so many interests and I would like to continue my studies in graduate school, but what if working in a coffee shop brings me more money?»

Marina Katsarov, 27 years old

“Political discourse is outdated, it focuses on old-fashioned political exercises”

Journalism student Marina Katzaros studies political speech as she participates in, among other things, a research project on the speech of politicians on television, news websites and newspapers. When asked whether the election speech closes the interests of such a young person as herself, the answer immediately comes: “No!”. “The way in which policy statements and what each party stands for and promises is conveyed is rather outdated and focused on old-fashioned politics. It is not addressed to the young man and his interests, to how he can be included in labor market and what are his options. I think that most often political discourse is addressed to people aged 45 and older,” he states. Being engaged in radio and music, Marina shows a special interest in culture. However, even there he feels that he is covered by speeches and announcements of the election campaign. “Culture is an area that we forget about during the pre-election period. But culture shapes our culture, how we treat other people fills us with moral values.” Marina would love to hear about measures to support young artists, as well as measures to create art spaces, which, as she notes, are usually the result of private initiative and individual efforts. Finally, there is the issue Educationnoting that even there the conversation is reduced to specific issues, and important issues fall out of the political discourse, such as the lack of logistics.

Sofiane Tsalopulu, 24 years old

“Candidates are performing at voluntary actions, which we have not seen before the pre-election period”

After the debate, Sofiane Tsalopoulou was left looking at the TV screen, realizing, as she says, that no political leader had covered her issues and problems at all. She expected to hear about a number of questions, such as wage, V safety, Wednesday but also other issues such as Foreign policy. However, the way they were approached did not convince her. “I feel like they’re talking about it in the hunt for votes, they’re approaching questions in a way that gives the impression and plays some parts of what they say on TV.” The young woman noticed that topics such as Human rights, refugee and migrant rights, and gender rights. She studied occupational therapy herself and is very interested in the issues that concern her. youth empowerment And volunteering, as he is in charge of the branch of the organization “United Societies of the Balkans” in Halkidiki. “Suddenly, volunteers like beach cleanups have candidates. “Some may be volunteers, but most of them didn’t show up until the pre-election period,” he notes.