VOICES August 2022 by Volunteers Centre Skopje: VOICES magazine

august 2022

voices MAGAZINE FOR ALL YOUNG PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD

Editorial

Едиторијал

Speaking about hydration, did you know that people in Mexican village consume significantly more CocaCola than anywhere else? I hope they remember to brush their teeth!

Зборувајќи за хидратацијата, дали знаевте дека луѓето во едно мексиканско село консумираат значително повеќе „Кока-Кола“ од кое било друго место? Се надевам дека ќе се сетат да ги мијат забите!

ugust is here as you can see from the weather and from the new Voices edition! Are you already getting enough from this sun or are you craving even more? Remember to stay hydrated and enjoy this weather, it’s not lasting forever.

Also, you can have look at how we carried out one of our many projects, "No H8 Speech", which has an important message to everyone in this online period. If you feel worried about prices skyrocketing and you are unsure what is going on in this economical situation, we have an overview regarding inflation which can help you understand it better. Being in this heat is not easy, but in a matter of time winter is coming. So enjoy this summer, take all out from little things and don’t forget to use sunscreen! Jasse Heikkilä

вгуст е тука како што можете да видите по времето и од новото издание на „Воисес“! Дали веќе ви е доволно од жешкото сонце или сакате уште? Не заборавајте да пиете течностии и да уживате во убавото време, оти нема да трае вечно.

Исто така, можете да погледнете како го реализиравме еден од нашите многубројни проекти, „No H8 Speech“, кој има важна порака до сите во овој онлајн период. Ако се чувствувате загрижени за вртоглавото покачување на цените и не сте сигурни што се случува во оваа економска ситуација, имаме преглед во врска со инфлацијата што може да ви помогне подобро да ја разберете. Да се биде во оваа жештина не е лесно, но со тек на време доаѓа зимата. Затоа уживајте во ова лето, тргнете се од сите работи што ве оптоваруваат и не заборавајте да користите крема за сончање! Јасе Хејкила

VCS DIRECTOR: Nikola Stankoski COORDINATORS: Andrej Naumovski Goran Adamovski Goran Galabov Selina Niemi Ewelina Chańska Jolanta Ciopcińska

VOLUNTEERS: Lucile Guéguen José Rodrigues Aleksandra Kanasiuk Jasse Heikkilä Angelina Berndt Marie Kiel Ruben Meirlaen Robin Lambrechts

EXTERNAL WRITERS: Martina Danilovska Emma Utrilla Perez Dragana Andreevska TRANSLATORS: Dora Arifi Hristina Taseska

DESIGNERS: Selina Niemi José Rodrigues Aleksandra Kanasiuk Angelina Berndt Marie Kiel Jasse Heikkilä Robin Lambrechts Ruben Meirlaen Ewelina Chańska Emma Utrilla Perez

CONTACT: Volunteers Centre Skopje Emil Zola 3/3-1, 1000, Skopje +389 22 772 095 vcs_contact@yahoo.com www.vcs.org.mk

PROOFREADERS: Elen Wright-Stead Edward Stead

VOICES magazine is coordinated, designed and created by ESC and local volunteers with support of Erasmus+ program.

content

VOICES August 2022 - issue 8

topic of the month 4

Hip-hop from yurts

Хип-хоп од јурти

Aleksandra Kanasiuk Александра Канасиук

interview 24

The place of the new generation Ruben Meirlaen

reportage 6

Why same amount of money is less valuable today than yesterday Jasse Heikkilä

H2O – Balm for the soul

The life of ants is actually quite interesting

San Cristobal de Las Casas - The mexican town that drank more coke than water

Angelina Berndt

Robin Lambrechts

Lucile Guéguen

Mirror, mirror on the wall…

Inside the mind of a psychopath. Could you possibly be one?

Marie Kiel

Dragana Andreevska

culture 7

A catalan log that poops candy and presents Emma Utrilla Perez

erasmus+ 16

„Marriage of cultures” - YE, an experience that unites Martina Danilovska

„Marriage of cultures” - младинска размена, искуство кое обединува

Мартина Даниловска

8 days in Ljubojno with “No H8 Speech” Ewelina Chańska

opinion 18

No ideas

Pa ide

José Rodrigues José Rodrigues

COVER: Yang Shuo | Unsplash

VOICES - 3

topic of the month

Hip-hop U from yurts

laanbaatar – the name of the capital of Mongolia means ‘Red Hero’, ironically called Utaanbaatar which means ‘Smoke Hero’. Mongolia has one of the most considerable urbanization rates in central Asia. Nearly half of the country’s population lives in Ulaanbaatar. Congestion, air pollution, corruption, alcoholism, and unemployment are not the only problems of this city. Surrounding Ulaanbaatar are ‘ger’ districts – infrastructurally unequipped residential areas far from the city’s main arteries. It combines traditional yurts and basic homes inhabited mainly by the poor working class. Nearly 70 % of Ulaanbaatar’s population lives there. In these areas, even drinking water and electricity is limited. Most of the wellknown Mongolian rappers come from ger districts. One-third of the Mongolian population has less than 34 years old. Rap is one of the most popular music genres in such a young society. Since the collapse of the Soviet

Mongolia. What are the first things that come to your mind? Nothing? For me - nomads gallop throughout the grasslands on one of the best horses in the world. Falconry. Living in the middle of nowhere in yurts. But what if I tell you that Mongolia has quite a vibrant hip-hop scene?

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тема на месецот

Union, Mongolia changed its political system from communism to democracy. After years of censorship in music, the country opened up to western culture. People started sharing mix tapes of US rappers, and Ulaanbaatar’s hip-hop scene exploded. Big Gee is one of the players on the Mongolian rap stage. He comes from a low-income family in the yurt district. Often they had no access to fresh water, so as a child, the rapper had to carry it from kilometers away. He wanted to be like his grandfather – a journalist and poet, so he started to write his first poems. After 1996, when he first listened to hip-hop music, he came up with the idea of putting his poetry to the beat. Big Gee is an example of a morally good hooligan from ger district. In his rap, he is trying to teach young people how to live a morally good life. The rapper knows hip-hop has a significant role in

shaping society, so politicians try using artists to bolster their campaigns. Big Gee said: “Rap is like a weapon. We can’t sell our weapon to fake people.” Mongolians have a vast level of cultural pride. Hip-hop became, for them, a prolongation of the steppe. In rap, like on a step – you are free. You can freely express yourself. They are connected to the place of origin, land, and natural environment. When Mongolians migrate to the city, that connection is taken away. A representative of young Mongolian rappers who migrated into the city is Pacrap. In his art, he often uses the topic of current protests in Ulaanbaatar, the social problems of the working class, and the everyday hardships of living in Mongolia. For many in Ulaanbaatar’s rapidly changing environment, hip-hop is a voice of their concerns openly in a way they couldn’t years ago. In the art of young generation rappers, we can see more and more inspiration from trap music, like references to violence, guns, or drugs, which is entirely different from before. But it

doesn’t change the fact that Mongolian rappers are still passionate about their heritage. In the music and clips, we could still see an overrepresentation of historical and cultural symbolism – Chan, falcons, throat signing to traditional instruments. Or even association with classic Mongolian literature – like in the song “Tears of Sukhbaatar.” When I first heard about Mongolian rap, I didn’t expect so high quality. Even though I cannot understand and finding a translation of the lyrics is tricky, the sound is pleasant and doesn’t differ from Western standards. Catchy bits and surprisingly good flow this is what, in my opinion, characterize that music. Highly recommend getting out from the music genre bubble and checking it with your own ears.

Aleksandra Kanasiuk Sources: Dział Zagraniczny | Czemu to hip hop wyraża najlepiej współczesną tożsamość Mongołów (Dział Zagraniczny Podcast#133) Alex de Mora | Straight Outta Ulaanbaatar HuckMag.com | Inside Mongolia’s vibrant hip hop scene

VOICES - 5

reportage

Y hy same amount

of money is less valuable today than yesterday Inflation in a nutshell

Inflation is defined as a continuous increase in the overall level of prices for goods and services in a region and is measured as an annual percentage change. To put it another way, as inflation rises, every dollar you have has purchased a smaller share of goods or services. When prices increase, and alternatively, when the value of money falls, you have inflation.

ou have probably seen that prices are rising; the same amount of money you spent on groceries is not enough anymore. But why is that? Because of inflation. Europe has been at its highest level of inflation in decades, and there are many reasons for that. Economists generally think that the higher rates of inflation and hyperinflation are caused by the unrestrained increase of the money supply. The consensus view is that a long continuous period of inflation is caused by the money supply rising faster than the rate of growth in the economy. Covid did set up some people in an even worse situation with money, and the European central bank tried to save that by pushing more money on the move. They put too much money on the move, which is one of many reasons to feed inflation. Another reason is the demand-pull effect. It occurs when an increase in the supply of money and credit stimulates the overall demand for goods and services to increase more rapidly than the economy’s production capacity. This raises demand, which causes price hikes. More money leads to happier consumers since more individuals have more money. Consequently, more money is spent, which raises prices. Higher demand and a less adaptable supply lead to a demand-supply mismatch, which increases costs. To fix this situation and lower inflation, central banks will raise interest rates, reducing the number of new loans. When people take fewer loans, they will spend less too. That will bring balance to supply and demand.

Sources: ecb.europa.eu: mitä on inflaatio Nordea säästäminen ja sijoittaminen, inflaatio

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Inflation affects economies in several positive and unfavorable ways. The negative consequences of inflation include an increase in the opportunity cost of carrying money, doubt about future inflation, which may deter investment and savings, and, if inflation were fast enough, shortages of goods as consumers begin hoarding out of concern that costs will increase in the future. At the same time, people who own tangible assets like real estate or stockpiled commodities valued in their home currency may prefer to see some inflation since it will increase the value of their possessions, which they can sell for more money. The hyperinflation that hit the German Weimar Republic in the early 1920s is a wellknown example of inflation. The countries that won World War I wanted reparations from Germany, but this was impossible because German paper money was worthless because of government borrowing. Germany made an effort to produce paper money to buy foreign currencies and pay off its debts. Due to this policy, the German mark depreciated quickly, and hyperinflation followed the progression. German consumers reacted to the cycle by trying to spend their money as soon as possible, realizing that the longer they waited, the less valuable it would become. Money kept pouring into the economy, and its value fell so low that people started taping useless bills to their walls. Similar circumstances occurred in Zimbabwe between 2007 and 2008 and Peru in 1990. Jasse Heikkilä

култура

A CATALAN LOG THAT POOPS CANDY AND PRESENTS H

ave you ever heard about a log that pops candy and presents at Christmas? Tió de Nadal is one of the most bizarre traditions in Catalonia. Also known as Caga Tió (popping record) is a tree trunk that visits Catalan kids instead of Santa Claus. He has been given the leftovers since the 8th of December, such as tangerine skin or eggshells. It is also essential to provide him with water so he can be prepared to pop candy the day before Christmas. The more you feed him, the more Christmas presents he will give you! This cheerful character wears the traditional clothing of Catalonia, a “barretina” that is a red hat and is covered by a checkered blanket so that he isn’t cold at night. When the 24th of December comes, Catalan kids are given sticks to beat him up while singing the “Caga Tió” song to get him to “poo” some presents. Here is an example of such a song:

Catalan: Caga tió, tió de nadal, no caguis arengades que són salades, caga torrons, que són molt bons, i si no, et donaré un cop de bastó… pum pum pum!

English: Christmas log, do not poop

salted sardines, which are salty, poop “torrons,” which are very good, and if you don’t poop well, I will hit you with a stick… pump pump pump! Some typical presents are candy, sweets, turró nougat and maybe a little gift. This was a particular tradition back in the days when the fireplace was an essential part of family life. Tió was related to nature and was a source of heat and light in winter. Originally, Tió was put near the fireplace and was burned on the day of Christmas, yet this ritual is no longer used because of the lack of fireplaces in modern houses. Another curious and iconic figure of the Catalan traditions is the” caganer,” which means “the shitter.” And it is attributed to a native figure in the act of defecation. This eccentric character is put in the nativity scene and represents fertilization. It is an old idea from the days when the land was more closely related to the daily lives of all humans. Emma Utrilla Perez

VOICES - 7

reportage

H2O - Balm for the soul J

ust being around water can be balm for the soul. Constance, my hometown, is located at the coast of a lake and whenever I felt stressed, I used to sit next to the water. While watching soft waves rolling onto the shore, listening to the rhythmic gurgling of water, and observing the reflecting sun on the surface of the lake, I always calmed down eventually. Only after moving away from home, I noticed how much being around water actually impacts my mood and my mental wellbeing. I was already starting to think I might have a problem with water addiction when I found out, that I am in fact an ordinary girl and the influence of water on our mental health has been scientifically proven.

“Blue spaces: why time spent near water is the secret of happiness”. But what is so special about water that it has such an immense power over us?

In urban planning and design, it has been known for quiet some time, that “blue spaces” – areas, which are dominated by surface waters – result in a major improvement of overall health and increase the quality of living drastically.

The blue colour associated with water plays a crucial role in the psychological effect of it. Ravi Mehta and Juliet Zhu from the University of British Columbia published an article in the Science magazine about the impact of colours on our cognitive ability. In accordance with one of their studies they stated that the blue enhances creativity and therefore helps with problemsolving competences. They also add that blue made the participants feel more secure and confident in their own abilities and also helped with keeping a cool head.

As a part of the “BlueHealth Project” the University of Exeter has been studying the impact of living close to big waterbodies on our mental condition and the results so far are shocking. According to their research people, who live less than a kilometre away from coasts, are 22% less likely to experience the symptoms of mental disorders than the ones living 50+km away. “Proximity to water – especially the sea – is associated with many positive measures of physical and mental wellbeing from higher levels or vitamin D to better social relations,” states Elle Hunt, Guardian journalist, in her article

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Not only the colour of waterbodies contributes to the impact of water on our mind, but also the sound of water has an immense potential to be used for our advantage. Whenever I can listen to the sound of burbling water, the rhythmic lapping of waves or even just soft

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rain, I am out like a light. For me there is nothing more relaxing. “These slow, whooshing noises are the sounds of non-threats, which is why they work to calm people,” says Orfeu Buxton, an associate

professor of biobehavioural health at Pennsylvania State University. “It’s like they’re saying: ‘Don’t worry, don’t worry, don’t worry.” The sound of gurgling water is often used as a “white noise,” a noise containing many frequencies with equal intensities, and can help us sleep by drowning out other sounds disturbing our sleep. A lot of modern sleeping devices already use the power of water for the purpose of helping us to sleep better and deeper.

The biologist Dr. Wallace J. Nichols has looked further into the positive impacts water can have on us and how we can use them. In his book “Blue Mind” he states that water can not have a calming and destressing effect on us, but also enhances our creative thinking and our motivation to exercise. The background of this is the so called “Blue mind theory”. According to it there are three states of mind – red, blue and grey mind. The red mind describes a state of anxiety, overstimulation and can trigger a fight or flight response, while the blue mind is dominated by calmness and inner peace. The blue mind is state we want to achieve in order to recharge and balance out the red mind, which – in Nichol’s opinion – is the most common state in our modern world. Red mind and blue mind combined and balanced out finally lead to a good and happy life. But there is also the grey mind, which is characterized by detachment, dissatisfaction and lethargy – something Nichols wants to avoid at all costs. In order to profit from the advantages of water it is essential be around it as often as possible. One can use every kind of water available as long as it is clean and safe. On one hand there are natural water sources such as lakes, rivers and the sea (“wild waters”), on

the other the artificial ones like fountains (“urban water”), a bathtub (“domestic water”) or even water in the form of art, poetry and television (“virtual water”).

So, in case you feel a little down, unmotivated, stressed or upset, remember the Slovakian proverb “Pure water is the world’s first and foremost medicine” and try to implement water into your daily life. Take a bubble bath, visit a river, lake or even the sea, watch a fountain or listen to the sound of waves – who knows, maybe just adding a bit of water could turn your day to the better. Angelina Berndt Main sources: “Blue Mind: How Water Makes You Happier, More Connected and Better at What You Do” by Wallace J. Nichols; “Blue spaces: why time spent near water is the secret of happiness” by Elle Hunt; “Does living by the coast improve health and wellbeing?” in Health & Place; “The BlueHealth Project” by the University of Exeter

“people, who live less than a kilometre away from coasts, are 22% less likely to experience the symptoms of mental disorders” VOICES - 9

topic of the month

Хип-хоп од јурти

Монголија. Кои се првите нешта кои ви паѓаат на ум? Ништо? За мене – номади кои галопираат низ пасиштата на едни од најдобрите коњи на светот. Соколарство. Живеење во средината на никаде во јурти. Но, што ако ви кажам дека Монголија има баш енергична хипхоп сцена?

10 - VOICES

тема на месецот

лаанбаатар – името на главниот град на Монголија значи „Црвен Херој“, иронично наречен Утаанбаатар, што значи „Димен херој“. Монголија ги има едни од нејголемите стапки на урбанизација во централна Азија. Речиси половина од популацијата живее во Улаанбаатар. Метежот, загадениот воздух, корупцијата, алкохолизмот и невработеноста не се единствените проблеми на овој град. Обиколувајќи го Улаанбаатар се „гер“ области – инфрастуктурно неопремени станбени области далеку од главните артерии на градот. Ги комбинираат традиционалните јурти и обичните домови населени главно од страна на сиромашната работничка класа. Приближно 70% од популацијата на Улаанбаатар живее таму. Во овие области, дури и пиењето вода и струјата се ограничени. Повеќето од добро познатите Монголски рапери доаѓаат од гер области. Една третина од Монголската популација има помалку од 34 години. Во едно такво младо општество, рапот е еден од најпознатите музички жанрови. По распадот на Советскиот Сојуз, Монголија го промени својот политички систем од комунизам во демократија. По години цензура во музиката, државата се отвори кон западната култура. Луѓето почнаа да споделуваат микстејпови од Американски рапери и Улаанбаатарската хип-хоп сцена експлодира. Биг Ги е еден од играчите на Монголската рап сцена. Тој доаѓа од фамилија со ниски примања во јуртската област. Честопати тие немале пристап до свежа вода, па како дете, раперот морал да ја носи од далечина со километри. Тој посакувал да биде

како неговиот дедо – новинар и поет, па започнал да ги пишува своите први поеми. После 1996, кога првпат слушнал хип-хоп музика, дошол до идејата да ја стави својата поезија во ритам. Биг Ги е пример за морално добар хулиган од гер областа. Во неговиот рап, тој се обидува да ги научи младите луѓе како да живеат морално добар живот. Раперот знае дека хип-хопот има значајна улога во обликувањето на општеството, па политичарите се обидуваат да користат артисти да ги зајакнат своите кампањи. Биг Ги кажа: „Рапот е како оружје. Не можеме да го продаваме нашето оружје на лажни луѓе.“ Монголците имаат огромно ниво на културна гордост. Хип-хоп стана, за нив, пролонгирање на степот. Во рапот, како во степ – сте слободни. Можете слободно да се изразувате. Тие се поврзани со местото на потекло, земјиштето и природната околина. Кога Монголците мигрираат во градот, таа поврзаност е одземена од нив. Претставник на младите Монголски рапери кои мигрирале во градот е Пакрап. Во неговата уметност, тој често ја користи темата на моменталните протести

во Улаанбаатар, социјалните проблеми на работничката класа и секојдневните патешествија од живеењето во Монголија. За многумина во Улаанбаатарската брзо променлива околина, хипхопот е искажувач на нивните грижи отворено на начин на кој тие не можеле пред многу години. Во уметноста на младата генерација на рапери, можеме да видиме се повеќе и повеќе инспирација од трап музиката, како референции кон насилство, пиштоли или дрога, што е комплетно поинаку од порано. Но тоа не го менува фактот дека Монголските рапери се сè уште стравствени за своето потекло. Во музиката и спотовите, можеме да видиме преголема застапеност на историски и културен симболизам – Чан, соколи, пеење со грлото на традиционални инструменти. Дури и асоцијација со класичната Монголска литература – како во песната „Солзи на Сукхбаатар“ (“Tears of Sukhbaatar.”) Кога првпат слушнав за Монголскиот рап, не очекував толку висок квалитет. Иако не можам да разберам исто толку често и да пронајдам превод на стиховите, звукот е пријатен и не се разликува од Западните стандарди. Привлечни битови и изненадно добар проток, ова е тоа што, според мое мислење, ја карактеризира таа музика. Топло ви препорачувам да излезете од меурот на типичниот музичкиот жанр и да слушнете со свои уши. Александра Канасиук Превод: Христина Тасеска Извори: Dział Zagraniczny | Czemu to hip hop wyraża najlepiej współczesną tożsamość Mongołów (Dział Zagraniczny Podcast#133) Alex de Mora | Straight Outta Ulaanbaatar HuckMag.com | Inside Mongolia’s vibrant hip hop scene

VOICES - 11

reportage

The life of ants can actually be quite interesting

An animal you will see on daily basis and everywhere you go is most definitely an ant. They might look like little useless insects but if you learn a few things about them, you may like them.

nts are insects of the family Formicidae. They are omnivores, so they eat almost everything, plants and meat. They live in large groups, also called colonies. Their average life plan is between several weeks to several years. Their size is between 0,08 to 1 inch so they are very small. Ants lay eggs. If the egg is inseminated, the progeny will be female, if not it will be male. Ants develop by complete metamorphosis with the larva stages passing through a pupal stage before starting their life as a fully grown-up ant. The larva is completely immobile, so their food is carried by workers. Winged male ants (drones) emerge from pupae along with the usually winged females. Some species, including the army ants, have wingless queens. Just like all newborns the larvae need to be kept at neverchanging temperatures to ensure proper development, and so often are moved around within the colony.

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Did you know you can actually eat ants and their babies? To make Mexican escamoles for example, you need the eggs of two species of ants. They are considered a form of insect caviar and can sell as much as US$50 per kg going to US$200 per kg because they are seasonal and hard to find too. In Santander, Colombia, hormigas colonas (large-bottomed ants) are toasted alive and eaten. Did you get hungry when reading this? Maybe you can try the following recipe?

epicurious.com | Pear Salad with Chiangbai Ants Ants live in colonies. The colonies can change in size. Some of them exist about only a few dozen of ants but other ones can exist about millions or more. The larger colonies consist of various castes of sterile, wingless females. The most of them are workers and soldiers, the other ones have their own specific job. Most colonies also have some fertile males and one or more female fertile females. A colony is described as a ‘superorganism’, that’s because it operates as a unified entity, and they work together to support their colony.

One Amazon species cooperatively builds extensive traps from plant fiber. These traps have many holes and, when an insect steps on one, hundreds of ants inside use the opening to seize it with their jaws. Another species, the yellow crazy ant can form so-called supercolonies that house multiple queens. On Australia’s Christmas Island, the accidental introduction of yellow crazy ants has led to a destructive infestation. The ants are a significant threat to the island’s population of red crabs, which are displaced by the ants from their burrows or killed as they pass though.

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10 cool facts about ants 1

There are over 12,000 ant species worldwide.

The Bullet ant is said to have the most painful sting in the world. They got their name because of the fact their sting can be compared being hit by a bullet.

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Fire ants cause over $ 3 billion worth of damage a year. Ants are the longest living insects.

The ant is one of the world’s strongest creatures although in relation to its size. One ant can carry 50 times its own bodyweight, and they’ll even work together to move bigger objects. Just to have an idea, let’s say you weigh like 70kg, it means you could carry 3,500kg

Ants still hold the record for the fastest movement in animal kingdom. The aptly named species of trap jaw ant, can close its jaws at 140mph, which it uses to kill its prey or injure predators.

Ants can be found on every continent, except Antarctica. Ironic really, when you consider the name…

8 9

Ants are social insects which live in colonies

Ants don’t have ears and some of them don’t even have eyes.

The largest ant’s nest ever found was over 3,700 miles wide. It was found in Argentina back in the year 2000, in this colony there were housing 33 ant populations which had merged into one giant supercolony, with millions of nests and billions of workers. Robin Lambrechts

Sources: Wikipedia | Ant National Geographic | Ants

VOICES - 13

reportage

San Cristobal De Las Casas

The Mexican town that drank more Coke than water San Cristobal de las Casas is a picturesque mountain town in the state of Chiapas, Mexico. Heavily influenced by both Spanish colonization and the Mayan culture, the city is home to one of the largest indigenous populations in Mexico. But San Cristobal de las Casas also holds a ghastly world record in terms of soda consumption, especially coke.

14 - VOICES

репортажа

oca-Cola's operations rely on access to vast supplies of water. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, a regular cola contains about 89 percent water. The world’s leading provider of soft drinks opened its first bottling franchise in Mexico in the 1920s. In addition to its proximity with the United States, the country was then known for the extensive availability and the quality of its fresh water. By 1934, there were already eight Coca-Cola bottlers spread around the country. Mexico's soda industry quickly emerged from the middle of the twentieth century when the economy began to liberalize. Coca-Cola progressively became a big part of Mexicans’ daily life. As Mexico joined the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in 1994, tariffs on many commodities exported by the United States were eliminated. It soon became cheaper to buy coke in the country. In 2001, Mexico surpassed the United States for the title of the country with the highest percapita consumption of Coca-Cola products. In some of the country’s poorest states, Coca-Cola is king, and so it is in Chiapas. On the edge of San Cristobal de las Casas, lies a hulking Coca-Cola bottling plant. Built in 1994, the then Latin America’s largest Coca-Cola plant, which has been having permission to draw water from one of the main groundwater sources in the country, attracts widespread criticism. In 2016, the company was estimated to use over one million liters of water a day. Coca-Cola’s operations are blamed by the locals to have dried out the aquifer. In the area yet known for its constant downpours and abundant springs, potable water has become increasingly scarce and expensive. During the dry season, all of the rain that replenishes the aquifer is much less than it used to be, mainly as a result of global warming. But the water shortages faced by the town are largely due to the overexploitation of the spring by the multinational. As a consequence, the residents regularly have to ration their water use. Some collect rainwater in cisterns and store it in plastic bags. One of the indigenous communities inhabiting the Mexican town has to walk two hours to get clean drinking water. Although some households have running water a few times a week, many residents are forced to buy extra water from private tanker trucks or simply drink the far more readily available beverage: Coca-Cola.

Many inhabitants are left with no choice to turn to soft drinks for basic hydration. According to a study conducted by Cimsur, the sugary drink consumption rate in Chiapas is more than five times higher than the national rate of 150 liters per person per year. In San Cristobal de las Casas, the average resident drinks more than two liters of Coca-Cola a day. Even very young children are accustomed to drinking carbonated beverages: according to a study conducted in an indigenous community, three percent of babies under six months and 15 percent of children aged one or two regularly drink soft drinks.

four hundred people and contributes around two hundred million dollars to the state economy, making one of the main economic forces in the region. Therefore, some residents are torn between working for the company to make a living and denouncing the horrendous practices of the multinational.

Coca-Cola’s penetration of the local market has also been aided by aggressive marketing strategies specifically targeting vulnerable Chiapas residents. The company used to produce huge billboards depicting indigenous models and religious references with slogans Unsurprisingly, the effect on public health written in local languages. By forming has been devastating. By drinking soda, emotional ties with the product, Cocachildren ingest between 315 and 420 Cola soon created addictions to the percent more than the maximum inhabitants of San Cristobal de las amount of daily intake of Casas: “Because I like it; it fills me sugars recommended by up; I miss it when I don’t drink world organizations. The “Because I like it; I can’t stop drinking it.” consumption of high it; it fills me up; amounts of sugar is associated with health Lucile Guéguen I miss it when issues such as diabetes, I don’t drink Sources: hypertension, heart NY times: Chiapas Coca Cola it; I can’t stop disease, dyslipidemia, diabetes aqua pancreatitis, obesity, and drinking it” NY times: Mexico Coca Cola liver dysfunction. In Chiapas, diabetes diabetes is the second-leading Mexico News Daily: With average daily consumption of 22 liters of Coca cause of death after heart disease. Cola Chiapas leads the world Even diabetics can’t imagine life without Truth Out: Coca Cola sucks wells dry in Chiapas sugary drinks. Since bottles of Coca-Cola arrived in the Mexican town, the soda has been deeply intertwined with the local culture. Some residents believe that the carbonated soda has the power to heal the sick. "It is considered as a holy drink. It helps purify the soul. This is the power of CocaCola", trumpets one of them. It is also used for religious rites: in St. John the Baptist church, Coca-Cola bottles are used for decoration, and even to perform religious ceremonies. No wonder why the church is now colloquially known as the "Coca-Cola Church". Coke also began to replace pozol and pox, two traditional nutritious drinks very popular among Mayan communities, the former made of fermented corn dough and corn, and the latter being a liquor made of sugar cane, corn, and wheat.

forcing residents do buy water Vimeo: Sous l’emprise du Coca / 30’ / Public Sénat / 2016 Praxismakesperfectblog: Coca Colization San Cristobal De Las Casas Chiapas Mexico

The omnipotence and omnipresence of the iconic red label brand have created a town revolving around the soft beverage drink. The company employs about

VOICES - 15

erasmus+

Marriage of cultures

An experience that unites “An Erasmus+ project is not just a week in your life but your life in a week”

ecently, the team and I from Macedonia came back from a beautiful Erasmus experience. We were a part of the Youth Exchange “Marriage of Cultures” in Portugal, where we spent seven days full of friendship and fun but also getting to know the cultures of the participating countries. Our task was to present the wedding traditions of our country. Together with Muhamed, Andrijana, Simona, and Stojan, who were part of the team, we showed what a typical Macedonian wedding looks like with a touch of old traditional customs. We had the chance to see what it is like in the other countries that participated in the project, the Czech Republic, Turkey, Latvia, and of course, the hosts, Portugal. We were all surprised by other customs, but at the same time, we found lots of similarities. Besides that, we contributed to the success of this project by developing our ideas on how cultural diversity can help our success and the success of our community. Through the activities that included team building, we improved our innovations and relationships, and most importantly, we got closer by sharing our own experiences, opinions, and knowledge. One of the organizers of this project, Vasko Joshevski, who helped us with preparations and arrival to Portugal and was excellent in leading the activities, told us one amazing sentence that completely describes this experience: “An Erasmus project is not just a week in your life but your life in a week.” The team I spent that week with is a clutch of wonderful people who have become great friends and collaborators. I wanted each of them to share something about our adventure. I asked Muhamed which part of the project he enjoyed the most. Muhamed Enuz: “The moment when I started meeting people from different backgrounds where everyone 16 - VOICES

had something to share. Except for the many exciting wedding traditions I learned about, I enjoyed it when we worked in groups outside of our national team. The collaboration there was great. I also enjoyed the long nights we spent playing games and talking about life. We cared about each other, and I felt like we were one big family.” This was Andrijana’s first experience with a Youth Exchange outside of Macedonia. What are her impressions? Andrijana Smiljkovska: “Youth Exchanges are a priceless experience that widens our horizons. The chance to meet people from other countries and learn about their culture and lifestyle is of great importance. The exchange also allows us to fight against every type of prejudice and to understand that diversity is what unites us. “ I asked Stojan as our team leader, how the team functioned and progressed? Stojan Stojchevski: “‘Marriage of cultures’ was a unique project with goals of outstanding importance, managed by young people from all around Europe who were unconditionally ready to make a difference.” Therefore, I am proud to say that the Macedonian team, of which I was a team leader, has shown exceptional

interest in the topic and great understanding and appreciation of differences among the participants of over six nationalities and cultures. The Macedonian team has also demonstrated a significant expansion of their professional connections. It has established international links through which we can continue to work on spreading the project’s goals to the local communities. Simona shared a few words about what surprised her the most. Simona Fidanovska: “The project was great. We were all included in the activities. The team dynamic is what surprised me the most because we were all working like we already knew each other and not like it was our first project together.” Martina Danilovska

еразмус+

Marriage of cultures

Искуство кое обединува “Еразмус+ проект не е само една недела во вашиот живот, туку е вашиот живот во една недела“

долгите вечери кои ги поминувавме играјќи игри и разговарајќи за животот. Се грижевме едни за други и навистина имав чувство дека сме едно големо семејство.“

еодамна јас и тимот од Македонија се вративме од едно одлично Еразмус искуство. Бевме дел од младинската размена „Marriage Of Cultures” во Португалија каде поминавме 7 дена полни со дружба, забава но и запознавање со културите на земјите учесници. Нашата задача првично беше да се претстават свадбените традиции на земјата од која доаѓаме. Заедно со Мухамед, Андријана, Симона и Стојан, кои беа дел од тимот, прикажавме како изгледа една вообичаена македонска свадба со примеси од некои стари обичаи. Имавме можност да видиме како тоа изгледа во другите земји кои учествуваа: Чешка, Турција, Латвија и, секако, домаќините Португалија. Сите бевме изненадени од туѓите обичаи, но истовремено можевме да најдеме и многу сличности.

Покрај тоа, придонесовме за успехот на овој проект со тоа што ги развивавме нашите идеи како културните разлики можат да придонесат на нашиот личен успех и успехот на заедницата од која доаѓаме. Низ активностите кои вклучуваа тимска работа ги подобрувавме иновациите, односите и најважно од сé, се зближивме споделувајќи ги своите лични искуства, ставови и знаења. Еден од организаторите на овој проект, Васко Јошевски, кој многу ни помогна за спремањето и пристигнувањето таму, и беше одличен во водењето на активностите ни кажа една преубава реченица која целосно го опиша ова наше искуство, а таа гласеше: „Еразмус проектите не се само една недела во вашиот живот, туку вашиот живот во една недела.“ Тимот со кој ја поминав таа недела е спојка на прекрасни луѓе кои се покажаа како одлични пријатели и соработници. Токму затоа сакав и секој од нив да сподели нешто од оваа наша авантура. Го прашав Мухамед во кој дел на проектот најмногу уживал: „Моментот кога почнав да се запознавам со луѓето од различни позадини од кои секој имаше да сподели нешто. Освен многуте итересни традиции кои ги научив за венчавките во другите земји, уживав кога работевме во групи надвор од нашите национални тимови. Соработката таму беше одлична. Уживав и во

На Андријана и беше прво искуство на младинска размена надвор од Македонија. Кои се нејзините импресии: „Младинската размена е бесценето искуство бидејќи ги отвора хоризонтите на секој млад човек. Можноста да се запознаат луѓе од други држави, да се научи нешто за нивната култура и животен стил е од огромно значење. Размената исто така ни овозможува да се бориме против секаков тип на предрасуди и да разбереме дека разликите всушност нè обединуваат.“ Го прашав и Стојан како наш тим лидер дали е задоволен од тоа како тимот функционираше и напредуваше: „Marriage of Cultures” беше уникатен проект со цели од исклучителна важност, управувани од млади луѓе од цела Европа кои беа безусловно подготвени да направат разлика. Затоа, со гордост можам да кажам дека македонскиот тим, чиј лидер бев јас, покажа исклучителен интерес за темата и големо разбирање и ценење на разликите меѓу учесниците од над шест националности и култури. Македонскиот тим, исто така, покажа значително проширување на нивните професионални врски и воспостави меѓународни врски преку кои можеме да продолжиме да работиме на ширење на целите на проектот до локалните заедници.“ И Симона што најмногу те изненади од овој проект: „Проектот помина одлично, сите бевме вклучени во активностите. Тимската динамика е таа што ме воодушеви затоа што сите работевме како веќе да се познаваме а не како да ни е прв заеднички проект.“ Мартина Даниловска VOICES - 17

opinion

NO IDEAS

t happened! After five months and five articles, the thing that I was afraid of during this project occurred – I didn't know what kind of topic I would write. I can't say that I entirely run out of ideas; I couldn't figure out what sounds interesting to me or what I like. Some of the ideas I thought to write about at the beginning of the month weren't manageable for two main reasons. Touching political topics (one of the things that are forbidden to write) or don't have images to properly illustrate the article (that is the most common cause, especially when you want to talk about someone). Writing an article isn't always easy as I imagined when I started writing for Voices. In the beginning, I had thousands of ideas per minute, but now I'm stuck without any topic to write about. So I'm writing about the situation that happened to me. I don't know what caused my writer's block. When I finally started to write and do the research,

18 - VOICES

a new idea came to my mind, so I needed to delete everything I wrote. I looked for some inspiration on YouTube, Netflix, some newspapers, and many other places and ended up almost every single time with nothing. I'm not a person who expresses himself because I'm not particularly eager to bother others with my problems and everything else. Talking about writing is even more challenging. But I'm starting to improve and step out of my comfort zone while writing this post. Like the others, this article was close to being deleted, but I thought: "WHY? There is no reason to do that - you are just expressing that you can't find an interesting topic to write about." If you ask me: "Are you afraid that will happen again next month?" My answer is a simple NO. There's always something to write, even if it looks dumb or seems to be a very random thing.

There is always a solution. Look at me, I wrote about my problem of not having a single clue what I should write about and ended up with this. But don't worry, next month the article will be more enjoyable. To finish this article well, I will leave the tips shared by content creators if a creative block happens to you too: •Get out of the routine – try to do something new. •Get inspired by other people – one of the best ways to get new ideas. •Write some random words that come to your mind and pick one topic. •Watch/listen to something new or that you like to get inspired. José Rodrigues

мислење

PA IDE K

jo ka ndodhur! Pas pesë muajsh dhe pesë artikujsh, ndodhi ajo që kisha frikë gjatë këtij projekti – nuk e dija se çfarë lloj teme do të shkruaja. Nuk mund të them se më kanë mbaruar fare idetë; Nuk arrija të kuptoja se çfarë më tingëllon interesante apo çfarë më pëlqen. Disa nga idetë për të cilat mendova të shkruaj në fillim të muajit nuk ishin të menaxhueshme për dy arsye kryesore. Prekja e temave politike (një nga gjërat që është e ndaluar të shkruhen) ose nuk ka imazhe për të ilustruar siç duhet artikullin (ky është shkaku më i zakonshëm, veçanërisht kur doni të flisni për dikë). Të shkruash një artikull nuk është gjithmonë e lehtë siç e imagjinoja kur fillova të shkruaj për Voices. Në fillim kisha mijëra ide në minutë, por tani kam mbetur pa ndonjë temë për të shkruar. Kështu që po shkruaj për situatën që më ndodhi.

Nuk e di se çfarë e shkaktoi bllokimin e shkrimit tim. Kur më në fund fillova të shkruaj dhe të bëj kërkime, më erdhi në mendje një ide e re, kështu që më duhej të fshija gjithçka që shkrova. Kërkova një frymëzim në YouTube, Netflix, disa gazeta dhe shumë vende të tjera dhe përfundoja pothuajse çdo herë pa asgjë. Unë nuk jam një person që shpreh veten, sepse nuk jam veçanërisht i etur të shqetësoj të tjerët me problemet e mia dhe gjithçka tjetër. Të flasësh për të shkruar është edhe më sfiduese. Por unë jam duke filluar të përmirësohem dhe të dal nga zona ime e rehatisë ndërsa shkruaj këtë postim. Ashtu si të tjerët, edhe ky artikull ishte gati të fshihej, por unë mendova: "PSE? Nuk ka arsye për ta bërë këtë - thjesht po shpreheni se nuk mund të gjeni një temë interesante për të shkruar."

Nëse më pyet: "Ke frikë se do të ndodhë përsëri muajin tjetër?" Përgjigja ime është një JO e thjeshtë. Gjithmonë ka diçka për të shkruar, edhe nëse duket budalla ose duket se është një gjë shumë e rastësishme. Gjithmonë ka një zgjidhje. Më shiko, unë shkrova për problemin tim për të mos pasur asnjë ide se çfarë duhet të shkruaj dhe përfundova me këtë. Por mos u shqetësoni, muajin tjetër artikulli do të jetë më i këndshëm. Për ta përfunduar mirë këtë artikull, do të lë këshillat e dhëna nga krijuesit e përmbajtjes nëse ju ndodh edhe juve një bllokim krijues: •Dilni nga rutina – përpiquni të bëni diçka të re. •Frymëzohuni nga njerëzit e tjerë – një nga mënyrat më të mira për të marrë ide të reja. •Shkruani disa fjalë të rastësishme që ju vijnë në mendje dhe zgjidhni një temë. •Shikoni/dëgjoni diçka të re ose që ju pëlqen të frymëzoheni. José Rodrigues Përktheu: Dora Arifi

VOICES - 19

erasmus+

“

... IT CAN BE YOUR COMPASS IN THE DARKEST TIME”

8 days in Ljubojno with “No H8 Speech”

It was June, early summer in Macedonia, when over 30 participants from Croatia, Denmark, Portugal, Slovenia, and a hosting country, came together to combat one of the most recent and present in our daily lives problem – hate speech. Between 11.06 and 20.06, picturesque village of Ljubojno at Prespa lake was a main stage for implementation of the project „No Hate Speech: Increasing Competencies of Young People to Use Media and Theater Based Tools to Combat Hate Speech: Step 2”.

e are living in the times where online world allows humanity to perform more actions than it is allowed offline. Anonymity supports freedom. Why is it a chance and a threat in the same time? People feel more encouraged to expose their talents without exposing faces behind it and still to be seen and heard, and receive feedback. In the same time, the amount of hate speech is rising as people feel they can’t be punished as long as they stay anonymous – thus, they feel free to do and say whatever they wish to. For this reason, young and motivated people of different countries and backgrounds came together on far-away-from-city youth exchange, to exchange the experiences and find a solution. Solution, which can’t heal the whole world at once, but surely can heal the worlds of individuals.

20 - VOICES

text: Ewelina Chańska pictures: Kiril Gochevski

Sharing a house together, in a small village where only a bench on main square, one restaurant and one shop connect local community, brought participants of the project even closer together. A rural place, where locals don’t have as many opportunities as big cities have, suddenly became a place, where a lot of “big” things were happening. The energy of locals and internationals came together to make this project unforgettable. During those eight days, we were not only working on how to fight against hate speech, but also experiencing a place, that being said it is small, it is facing not that smaller problems in comparison to big places the participants are coming from. We took into our hearts that here and now it is our place of action, and time to make an impact. Among many empowering activities we took part in, we also became video makers. Participants in four different groups were working on four different videos. One group was exploring village, climbing hills, interviewing local people, to create a promotional video of Ljubojno, while the other was filming a movie from dog’s perspective – making not only locals but also stray animals happy and curious. Third group made a one-shot video focusing on the topic of how people coming from different Balkan countries can unite together preventing hate speech caused by one of the “burning” topic – football rivalry. The last group created a song about hope on having a better world free of hate speech, which long time after will be sounding on the little streets of Ljubojno and, (hopefully), will go viral.

“

“HOPE WILL TAKE YOU AND A STRANGER FOR A WALK...

Hop e i s h a v i n g a mid n i g h t t a lk , h op e i s fr e e d om and f r e e d om is h op e

Hope i s clea n m ountai ns an d c lea n sea , hope i s be i ng whatever you wa n t to be .

еразмус+

“I’m thrilled that I was given the chance to get involved in the second part of the Erasmus+ project “No Hate Speech”, this time in Ljubojno, Macedonia, as it was an unforgettable experience. I had an amazing time in this amusing mountain village with rich spirit and shared great experiences with very friendly and honest people. The program was exceptional and using various methods and activities (like theatre) during the process, helped us to better understand certain real life situations and how to deal with and battle against hate speech. A lot of the activities and discussions led us to answering a lot of questions about the causes and consequences of hate speech and overall taught us how to work as a team. Apart from the program we had lots of energizers, fun workshops and plenty of free time to explore the village or hike. We also had the chance to visit a few local festivals which enriched our knowledge and taught us about rural life and typical Macedonian traditions and cuisine. As a group, we also took part in a local event by singing a song and locals got to try food and snacks from different countries. The greatest part of this project was that I got to meet wonderful people from around the world and share special memories with them that I will never forget!” – said Marija Stamenova, Macedonian participant. During this project our group was invited to participate in Festival of traditional Prespa specialties, as part of the event “Meet Prespa”, in neighbouring village Brajchino. We had a chance to meet EU ambassador, Mr. David Geer, who gave welcome speech and expressed his enthusiasm about how Erasmus+ projects financed by EU are implemented by VCS, through which young people connect and have equal opportunities to learn about European values. Final event of this Erasmus+ project literally took a stage of Ljubojno – team leaders of each country group gave small speeches on the stage in the centre of the village, which usually hosts local events. Through this International Culture Evening we wanted to provide an opportunity for young people from rural areas to become part of our world. We went international, giving a glimpse of Croatian, Danish, Latvian, Portuguese, Slovenian perspectives, and promoting European values and opportunities that Erasmus+ programme offers. After our presentation, and a heart-warming song, locals and internationals, together, carried on celebrating the beauty of this uniting and taughtful evening with the concert of local band from Bitola, Sound Waves. To end, and to give you a little bit of the feelings we shared in Ljubojno, small piece of our song should speak the word:

“Nature, beautiful eyes, deep conversations, trustful smiles, I know at home there’s much to do, but in Ljubojno you are you.” VOICES - 21

reportage

mirror Mirror ON THE WALL... How many times a day do you look in the mirror? How often do you check you reflection in shiny surfaces or windows? Fact is most people are constantly aware of how they look, checking if their hair looks identical to when they left home, if their outfit sits right or how posture and physique attribute to their overall image. When you walk through life, you’re simply confronted with your physical appearance to the point it can impact your experience of life.

22 - VOICES

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hile society itself is a major factor in upbringing, keeping and rewarding this awareness of looks, medias like advertisements or social media enhance pressure on individuals by portraying bodies in a sexualized way. This may be used to access targeted groups more easily - true to the motto ‘sex sells’. It then creates an ideal individuals feel pressured to perpetuate - they emulate this sexualization, they ‘self-sexualize’. Social Media like Instagram or Snapchat act as a catalysator for this true to their platforms being traditionally used for self-portrayal. This leads to the sexualization of them on the internet by a nearly unidentifiable audience - bodies and looks in those pictures become a fantasy sold, they become object of desire. This can be defined as a never-ending circle of objectification and selfobjectification. Objectification is “(…) a notion central to feminist theory. Which can be roughly defined as the seeing and/or treating a person, usually a woman, as an object.” (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philoshophy) many add that objectification may be a consequence of sexual goals (of men). It occurs when body or body parts are alienated from the being and are viewed as object (of sexual desire) disregarding the subject. One of the most important analysis’s up to date are Nussbaum’s seven features: instrumentality, denial of autonomy, inertness, fungibility, violability, ownership and denial of subjectivity. Langton adds: reduction to body, reduction to appearance and silencing. Тhey describe in detail what objection can look like and create a scheme to identity it. Even though objectification may seem like a harsh word used for an even harsher feminist truth, studies reflect the reality for many women: “one Australian study on a sample of 81 women found that in the timespan of one week, each woman reported being targeted for objectification between 3 to 4 times on average and witnessing sexual objectification of other women 9 to 10 times on average”. Another example is that in a study 94% of sampled undergraduate women report unwanted objectifying sexual comments and behaviours at least once in the timespan of a semester.

Self-objectification on the other hand describes the internalization of this phenomena: individuals perceive themselves as something to be looked at and evaluated based on their appearance. Bartky states that “by being too closely identified with [their body]… [their] entire being is identified with the body, a thing which… has been regarded as less inherently human than the mind or personality”. There is a special focus on women in this theory as gender roles and patriarchal society determine objectification itself - meaning western society places a sexual focus on women’s bodies rather than abilities. This doesn’t exclude men from the conversation, especially as the popularity of fitness culture has grown rapidly. Though the impact physical appearance has on experiencing life differs based on gender. Women’s bodies also are getting more often reduced to the sole purpose of visual pleasure. In many women self-objectification can be expressed in ‘self-surveillance’ which has gained popularity in social media as “the male gaze” recently. The Encyclopedia of Body Image and Human Appearance edited by Thomas F. Cash defines it: “Self-surveillance has become con ceptualized as the manifestation of self-objectification because it captures the habitual body monitoring that accompanies the adoption of an observer’s standpoint on one’s own body.”. Objectification may trigger several mental health issues: roughly they can be categorized firstly, as direct objectification experiences and secondly, as the internalisation of named experiences as well as self-objectification. Primary consequences of objectification and self-objectification are anxiety about physical safety or body related disturbances which can range from body shame to body dissatisfaction and appearance anxiety. Mercurio and Landry state in 2008 that it also affects general indicators of wellbeing as well as satisfaction with life. Secondary consequences can be such as disordered eating behavior, sexual dysfunction, negative attitudes toward breastfeeding, self-harm or depression.

Additionally, objectification and especially self-objectification are seemingly endless topics which intertwine with close to every single social issue. An example is that racism affects the objectification of women and men of color. This roots in the oversexualization of people of color, which is a problem assigned to today’s systemic racism and the brutal colonial history of the global west. Overall, there is still too little coverage about issues concerning marginalized groups as studies have been mostly carried out on white women and didn’t put other living realities into account. Even though it has been a known issue and many studies have been published since, it will take some time to carry out long term studies and to have an indepth insight about how objectification surfaces and impacts marginalized groups. It is important to highlight that many important feminist figures like Martha Nussbaum don’t try to extinguish dressing up, caring for your looks or being sexual. Nussbaum states that: “(…) I do not think there is anything wrong in all these women participating in practices that are playful, that are fun, that are sexy. The only problem comes when that blurs into defining yourself as unequal, and of unequal dignity and worth.” The most important part will always lay in the perception of yourself. You’re a subject, an individual which contributes to society and life itself, far before you become an object for anyone else’s needs and wishes or before your looks surpass your character. You should try to put this into account before judging yourself and judging other people. Marie Kiel Sources: Self-objectification in women predicts approval motivation in online selfpresentation - Sjilei Chen, A.P. van Tilburg, Patrick J. Leman Feminist Perspective on Objectification Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy Sexual Objectification of Women: Advances to Theory abd Research - Dawn M. Szymanski, Lauren B. Moffitt, Erika R. Carr The Objectification of Women with Martha Nussbaum - Literal Magazine

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interview

The Place of the New Generation! With Europe House formerly being EU info centre, this more youth directed approach is a breath of fresh air, for both the youth and the European institutions. Many things were changed and tweaked to make this a more direct ear to young people who have something to say. At one point, the shift in thought from Brussels’ side moved towards youth and involving more youth in the activities. And as such, the idea of transforming the info center into a Europe House, where focus will be youth.

“I think the growing trend of demand to places like Europe House can be linked to the fact we didn’t hear the voice of youth that much earlier, but now they are involved in what we’re doing. And we do not try to impose our thoughts on what we think is best for them, but it’s the other way around, where we listen to what they have to say and involve them not only in the activities at Europe House here, but also in the activities of the European delegation here in the country. With the expanding of locations, we would have a network of Europe Houses throughout the country. Why am I saying this? The reason being is that we saw that through the activities offered through Europe House, youth became more inspired, more engaged, and more connected. And connected is important for the regional aspect of the country, in each of the segments that they cover, because it’s not only the city that they represent, but also the region within that city falls under. There are different cities and youth from the different parts of that region.”

So, this concept is almost three years old now, and from the very beginning, mostly the target was youth and trying to get youth engaged, involved, and connected through youth.”

By bringing youth together, engaging and empowering them as one group, they get brought closer to each other, and so they can see they are not that different after all. Not only within Macedonia, but also as the youth of the western-Balkans.

After meeting Rozita Talevska Hristovska (Key expert at Europe House Skopje) at an event of Erasmus+, and listening to her story about Europe House, I knew immediately: “I need to learn more about this, and so do more people” So, I met up with Rozita again for an interview, Europe House, what’s in a name?

urope House, “The place of the new generation” as she said herself. An accessible place where youth can have their voices heard regarding their concerns and needs. Right now, they have three locations across Macedonia, being Skopje, Kriva Palanka and Strumica, and more are on their way. “Finding ways to animate, involve and activate young people are our main focal points. Not only in Skopje Europe House, but we also managed to spread our wings into other parts of the country as well. This was made possible by the fact that our previous activities that we have presented, or we involved youth in, were very successful and very youth friendly.”

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As mentioned earlier, the Europe House network is growing, with several more locations coming soon in different parts and regions of the country. This gives a clear sign of their work being appreciated but also seen as needed and helpful to the community in the brief 3 years Europe House has been operative.

интервју “We started off with doing cross border debates, which was the first initiative, like, I think it was two years ago, but cross border debates with high schools. So high school students from our country, with high school students, let’s say, from Albania. And we did this online, unfortunately, because of the covid. But regardless of that, it was a very successful exercise where we again connected youth from two sides of the borders and again, all with the goal to see that they have more similarities than they have differences, think the same, have similar issues but also the same desires and needs.” By doing such cross-border events, Europe House managed to make a stronger connection between youth from all over the Balkans. By thoroughly listening to what is important to WB6 youth nowadays (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Montenegro, Kosovo and Serbia) in regional youth conferences, topics like mental health, regional cooperation and climate change, but also bringing EU Youth Strategy through the 11 European Youth Goals closer to youth all throughout these regions. The shift that happened from the Europe Info Point has been a great thing. By now there are also Europe Houses in Prishtina, Tirana and recently Podgorica which means there is already a literal interconnection between 4 countries already, which is making regional cooperation more accessible. “The message I have for youth reading this, please keep on dreaming, because dreams do come true, but you must truly believe in it. We used to dream of this too, and see now, we made it happen the way we wanted it to be and more. And come to Europe house, we’ll gladly help you forward and help you chase those dreams!” Ruben Meirlaen Photos: Europe House

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reportage

Inside the mind of a psychopath Could you possibly be one?

According to a 2017 study led by the University of Wisconsin-Madison, psychopaths have reduced connections in the areas of the brain that control fear, anxiety, empathy, and sentimentality. Psychopathy is typically diagnosed using a 20-item checklist called the Hare Psychopathy Checklist.

n our everyday lives, we often use the words “psychopath” or “psychotic” when referring to a person or situation that is outside the borders of normality. But what exactly is a psychopath, and how can we tell them apart from the rest of the crowd? Psychopathy falls into the spectrum of personality disorders characterized by antisocial behaviour and lack of empathy. What does this mean? A psychopath is a person who has a lack of empathy, display of emotions, and absence of consciousness overall. Common traits of psychopaths are a grandiose sense of self-worth (though it should not be confused with a narcissistic personality disorder), pathological lying, manipulation, lack of remorse or guilt, empathy, and other behavioural problems. These people are not the serial killers we see in movies. Though it is possible, it is rarely a case that this personality disorder can turn into this kind of danger. Not every psychopath is a dangerous person to society in terms of harming other people and the laws. Still, when they decide to, they are the dangerous organized criminals that are rarely caught because of their calculating and calm nature. Most psychopaths, because they care too much about how people perceive them, are very charismatic, and it is tough to differentiate them. 26 - VOICES

Most people of power and authority show psychopathic tendencies. So they are charming. To the outside world, they seem to have their life under control, manipulating others without realizing it to get what they want. But what is going on in the inner world inside their minds? Is a

psychopath born or made? Psychopaths’ brains show differences in structure and function According to a study by the University of WisconsinMadison, psychopaths have reduced connections in their brains between the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) and the amygdala.

The vmPFC is responsible for sentimentality, empathy, and guilt and the amygdala mediates fear and anxiety. So this is the reason psychopaths lack empathy, guilt, and consciousness. So it is not that these people wake up and choose not to have emotions of this kind, but it is just that they are not capable of feeling like the rest of us. Psychopathy and Sociopathy often get confused, so here is the main difference between them. While we saw that psychopathy is a brain dysfunction usually inherited, sociopaths are made and trained to become the way they are, usually because of trauma, tough childhood, or other environmental issues while growing up and developing. So sociopaths lose their ability to behave normally and generally react to things over time because of different external factors, while psychopaths are born that way. In conclusion, psychopaths are born, and because of their brain dysfunctions, they cannot feel empathy, guilt, or anxiety. They are calm and collected, which is why they fall into the dangerous personality types. If you want to check if somebody you know or encounter is a psychopath, then I suggest ticking the Hare psychopathy Checklist online. Dragana Andreevska

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Our monthly magazine has a very simple, yet powerful, mission to be the voice of youth. And how do we do that? We encourage young people to take an active part in today’s society through journalism and designing by giving them a platform to express themselves. VOICES is produced in Skopje, Macedonia, and published online every month and four times per year as a printed edition.

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