Why do you want to participate?

I was inspired by the values of Youth Freedom about fighting for freedom and collaborating to achieve it. I have always been passionate about politics and especially human rights. I am currently living in the Netherlands but I come from Hungary where I grew up and have seen the abuse of political power and the rejection of practiced basic human rights (limiting strike, and currently the right to assemble ) as well as undermining international relations (quitting the ICC). I have been to protests to protect the teachers and education and I am closely following organizations such as Amnesty or Patent in Hungary and actively contributing with my votes. I believe my interest in history, geography and politics as well as my current studies in Architectural Engineering can lead me to have a broad understanding on issues and how to fight them. I aspire to have a voice and act towards achieving meaningful things through collaboration with others with different backgrounds and perspectives.

What does freedom mean to you?

Freedom to me is a foundation, not a privilege. Everyone of any background should have freedom as their right, just as living. Freedom is the basis to building something beautifully, because then and only then can a society flourish and a country thrive. A state should have freedom from others and bear the responsibility to give freedom to it’s people, as well as the freedom to practice their rights equally. As a European Union citizen freedom to me is granted, not only just in my country, to live move study and work, and I cherish the opportunities it has given me. I wish for everyone in the world to have freedom and would love to be part of working towards it.

What are the biggest challenges?

The freedom for young people is limited and determined by their roots, where they come from and are currently living. The scale of challenges deeply vary from one situation to the next. To some, it is a struggle to have the freedom to walk on the streets, under active war zone, as Palestine, or to have a voice, as women in Afghanistan. In Hungary, the freedom of choosing careers for young people is limited, due to the situation with teachers and education, certain subjects are lacking the workforce and examinations are not offered therefore paths they can choose are limited. Overall I would say the biggest challenge for young people is growing up, choosing their future career, because often their financial background or their state’s political situation is deeply influenced by and limits their options, equal opportunities for all are not achieved.

Do you have a message?

“For to be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.” - Nelson Mandela I strongly feel that in order to truly achieve freedom it has to be granted to all, otherwise it’s not a right but a privilege and freedom cannot be practiced on individual level, it has to be a constitutional right. Moreover, even when we have freedom we must enable others in their freedom and respect and support each other in doing so.