BELLSPIRATION CLUB - Luka Radičević, Serbia/Slovenia: I fell in love with volunteering and youth activism (Part 2/4)

1) Luka, in the previous interview you mentioned that you received an award for the activist of the generation of the high school "Svetozar Markovic" in Nis, which you deserved by engaging in several school sections and clubs, but also as a program coordinator of the youth association "Aktilum". you later continued to justify your engagement in various activities. How important is youth activism for a young man who builds his personality? Can you tell us how all that diverse activism built you?

Frankly, I don't know exactly how it happened and where the desire came from, but I couldn't wait to turn 15 and get the legal right to volunteer. I guess it was "natural" for me, since I have been involved in sports from a young age, and I was lucky that Niš hosted the European Handball Championships for men and women in 2012 and the World Handball Championship for women in 2013. At the European Championships, as an enthusiastic boy who got the opportunity to watch his favorite players live, I stood in the so-called trellis - a human tunnel through which players pass when entering the field. The World Championship was a completely different experience, as I helped out in the press sector as the youngest volunteer at the championship. That was the moment when I fell in love with volunteering and, later, youth activism in general, and the rest is history. In those years, my biggest impression and contribution of my engagement that I saw was tied to the moment - doing something good for the community, meeting new and interesting people, "having a good time" in the volunteer center, etc. As time went on, I became aware of the long-term aspect as well, and it was only at the university that I actually realized how much youth activism had built me ​​as a person. If I mention just a few things, no matter how simple they sound, I think it means a lot to young people during development, and that is to be able to adequately formulate an oral or written request or email, know how to plan and write a project and budget proposal, acquire experience in organizing events and, perhaps most importantly - to have self-confidence and not hesitate to ask questions. Furthermore, youth activism is extremely important for young people because through volunteer work they can find their passion and what drives them, which, in my opinion, must be the goal and aspiration of each of us. The world of youth activism is full of (new) challenges and it is not always easy, but that is exactly the charm. It is good for a young person to force themself to step out of their comfort zone from time to time because that is the only way to grow when we face unknown situations and are forced to cope on the go. Youth activism helps young people build and discover both their own and the potential of the environment they are in.

2) I know a lot of active young people, but also, that other passive group. Do you have any advice for them on how to get out of the comfort zone? Maybe share a motivational message about it?

This is a great question and builds very well on my answer to the previous one. The interesting thing I noticed during my volunteer years in high school is that more or less the same group of people volunteered at all the events in the city. I assumed, and later checked with acquaintances from other places and countries, that this is mostly the case everywhere. I think this portrays the existence of an active and passive group of young people quite nicely. As much as it was great for us that we already knew each other in advance and continued to socialize and have fun from one event to another, it was not the most favorable case scenario for our city. The fact is that there will always be active and passive young people, but I think we should rather strive for a division into active and less active - then we can be satisfied. My advice for young people who do not want or may not have enough courage to get out of their comfort zone is to find what drives them and just follow that drive. We can be happy that in recent years we have clearly seen the growth of the non-governmental sector in the Western Balkans, and there are more opportunities for youth activism than ever before - everyone, regardless of their interests, can find the right kind of activism for themselves. If, however, it still doesn’t exist and you are the first who wants to deal with a certain issue - the better because then you can start a new story and set standards, pave the way for some new young people to pursue their dreams. If this isn’t motivating enough, I’d also like to share a motivational message that I always remember when I’m hesitant to do something (sometimes I find it hard to get out of my comfort zone, too, and that’s perfectly normal) - the moment when you wonder whether you should jump or not is just the one when you have to jump, because otherwise, you might stay in the same place for your entire life. It only takes a second of tremendous courage, which can lead to great things. Remember, just a single second!

3) I really like your favorite motivational quote that says that it is not enough to take the first step, but to jump because we are still one foot in the "old" place. I think it’s more of a lifestyle that not everyone has because it requires a lot of courage and confidence.
Where did Luke get his self-confidence, courage and how did he build them?

I'm glad you like the quote, Belma. Courage and self-confidence can be quite "ticklish" topics, precisely because they are difficult to achieve and maintain. I think that these two qualities are built gradually and require a lot of time and one-on-one work with yourself. Luka was a very insecure young man, to whom even pushing himself out of his comfort zone did not help him relax. Although my voice was shaking at presentations at school, in front of the people I had been with in the class for years, I decided to try my luck at the debate. I remember a lump in my throat when I was presenting my arguments at the first meeting of the debate club of my high school. Despite the fact that I was engaged in debate for a long time and at the end of high school I got the opportunity to actually lead debate workshops and meetings for people younger than myself, my voice still did not stop trembling. I tried different techniques and tricks, but they didn't bear fruit - I was always nervous before and during speeches. I didn't know how to control it, and since the workshop participants should not hear the "debater's" voice shaking as he speaks (it automatically reduces credibility and gives a bad impression), I decided to hide it the best I could. Is it even possible to hide something like this? How to do it? It’s simple, you just have to fool yourself. Ignoring the existence of fear and suppressing it, it slowly but surely disappeared over time. Seeing that this "trick" helped me solve the public speaking problem, I decided to "cheat" my way to self-confidence as well. I already had my own playlist of motivational videos I watched and songs I listened to feel more confident, which helped me in the short term (and I sometimes use it today as well), but required solitude and confinement within four walls every couple of weeks in order to "fill" myself with self-confidence for the next period. I managed to deceive myself because I didn’t want others to see that I was insecure and lacking self-confidence. So I started, in a way, pretending to be a brave and confident person to the outside world, which required a lot more work and effort than watching motivational videos. The good thing is that this kind of effort was well worth it. Over time, I realized that the only obstacle was in my head, and that only my thinking was the cause of my lack of courage and self-confidence, not my qualities and abilities. Then I didn't need motivational clips anymore. However, I must emphasize that although this worked for me personally, it does not mean it will work for others as well. In order to tackle the issue of lacking courage and self-confidence, one must be really introspective and know themself well enough to have an idea of what might and what might not work.

4) Time management! How do you manage to balance all those obligations and activities 24 hours a day?

Isn't this the eternal question? I have to admit that I like and despise this question at the same time - among other things, time management is the reason why I am being late with these interviews. Honestly, especially lately, 24 hours a day is too little for me. The ideal length of the day for me would be anywhere between 34 and 38 hours. This way, since it is, you know, impossible, sleep suffers the most. There are always periods when it just doesn't work any other way, but that's why I would like to emphasize right away that this is not very praiseworthy or healthy. I'm used to sleeping less during the night because my body simply doesn't need more than an average of 5 hours of sleep a night. It helps me finish all the obligations I have, as they are mostly in different fields, so each of them requires a certain amount of time. In this regard, I would like to make a digression and recommend readers of Bellspiration three TED talks: "Inside the mind of a master procrastinator" by Tim Urban and "The surprising habits of original thinkers" by Adam Grant and "The psychology of your future self" by Dan Gilbert. When a person gives themself too many obligations, even good time management cannot save them. Since this has often happened to me, I am now trying to organize myself even better than before and reduce the number of obligations, especially since I am near the end of my undergraduate studies, which are an absolute priority. Speaking of priorities, these are the key to good time management. However, we must not forget that the highest instances on the list of priorities are actually health and happiness because if that is not the case, there is no efficiency/productivity/success in any sense. I used to forget about that quite often, so perhaps I'm not the best person to advise someone on how to manage their time. What is a mitigating circumstance for me is that not all activities require investing time in them on a daily basis, so I would still advise people who are similar to me and who find the day short to plan time on a weekly basis, which is often more efficient and clear than planning day after day.

5) Of all the achievements so far in your life, which ones are you most proud of?

Honestly, I don't know how to answer this question, because it's very difficult for me to single out one achievement, both because of the fact that I look at success as a "never-ending" cycle and progress, and because I remember life through details. Let me explain - in the Serbian language and literature class in high school, our headmaster asked us after analyzing a book whether the essence or details are remembered in life. I did not hesitate for a second, raised my hand, and explained how the essence is what is indeed remembered in life, while details are mostly remembered only in the short term. For example, when my high school team won 2nd place at the international competition "Stars of Science" in Romania (which is one of my favorite achievements), immediately after returning home, I vividly recounted and retold everyone the experiences from the trip. Later on, I started forgetting, and all that remained was winning the 2nd prize. At least that's what I thought then. However, if I were to go back to that class and have the opportunity to answer the same question, the answer would now definitely be that life is remembered through details. The essence is, in a way, what we leave behind, to future generations, but the details are what actually counts and what makes life meaningful and valuable - what brings a smile to your face. In that spirit, the achievement I am most proud of is not studying abroad, winning awards at competitions and scientific reviews, publishing papers in prestigious proceedings, but simply the fact that I did not allow the "world" to rotten me or dim my light, the fact that physical distance only brought me even closer to my family, girlfriend and true friends. Anyway, that’s for people dear to me to judge, while doing my best to keep it that way is on me.

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CONTACT LUKA:

IG: https://www.instagram.com/lukatalks/ FB: https://www.facebook.com/lukatalks98 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/mwlite/in/lukaradicevic Academia: https://uni-lj.academia.edu/lukaradicevic

Previous parts of Luka's interview:

Interview PART 1/4: https://bellspiration.blogspot.com/2021/05/bellspiration-club-luka-radicevic.html

Nekoliko zanimljivih linkova o Luki:

https://niskevesti.rs/12400-luka-radicevic-nis-ima-perspektivu/
https://niskevesti.rs/niski-talenti-luka-radicevic-spaja-ljubljanu-i-nis/
https://www.festivalnauke.org/start/evropa-u-malom/slovenija/muzika-ceslja-novcica-i-balona

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