- President Pellegrini emphasized the values of young people and their vision of Slovakia.
- The year 2026 will be focused on the young people’s view of our country.
- Young people draw attention to the negative atmosphere as a reason for possible departure.
- The growth of children’s mental problems causes the need to solve social networks.
- They called the lack of experts in child psychiatry an alarming problem.
It is our duty to listen to young people, what kind of country they want. This was stated by the President of the Slovak Republic, Peter Pellegrini on the occasion of evaluating the year of better relations and World Children’s Day at Bratislava Castle. Commissioner for Children Jozef Mikloško explained that the year 2026 will be carried in the spirit of the vision of Slovakia through the eyes of young people. He recalled that this year was dedicated to building better relationships, as they are the key to improving children’s mental health.
“Each of us should ask our conscience if we have fulfilled what we promised here a year ago. I tried to have better relationships around me, maybe I made a mistake somewhere, but I tried to follow the intentions we talked about here a year ago.” said the president.
He also appreciated the commitment of young people and the work of the children’s commissioner. “Young people are growing up in Slovakia who, despite their age, know how to say directly and from the heart what they feel, what they would like, what they are afraid of and how we should work to make things look better in Slovakia.” stated. He also called for society to return to solidarity between generations.
He also drew attention to the growing mental problems of young people caused by social networks and suggested opening a professional discussion on the possible restriction of their use for children under 13 years old. At the same time, he said that next year he wants to hold a debate about the future of Slovakia directly with young people. He also emphasized the need to address child poverty.
“We have to ask our conscience if it is normal that in the 21st century we have children in Slovakia who have nothing to eat, nothing to drink, where to wash or where to sleep. These are huge challenges and it is good not to close our eyes to them, but to look for solutions.” he added.
Mikloško stated that throughout the year young people drew attention mainly to negativism in society, which, according to research, most influences their decision on whether to stay in Slovakia. As he pointed out, right bad relationships and a negative atmosphere were the most common reasons for young people to consider leaving. “From better relations, we want to move on to the question of what kind of Slovakia young people imagine so that they want to live here,” he pointed out.
He clarified that the year 2026 will begin with a new survey among young people about how they imagine Slovakia, what they value in it and what motivates them to stay in the country. The results will be the topic of the session of the Parliament of Children and Youth in March and subsequent discussions in the regions.
According to Miklošek, groups of children living in extreme poverty, Roma children, children from Ukraine and other endangered groups will also be a priority. He also recalled the lack of experts in the field of child psychiatry, describing the situation as alarming. In this context, he once again praised the creation of a supra-ministerial group in the field of children’s mental health.
