Hello dear listeners,

In this episode we talked with Dr. Ivan Ivanov a professor of international politics from North Macedonia, and the Director of the School for Young Leaders, an intensive international programme that helps young people learn leadership skills, now in its 17th year, with over 650 alumni around the world.

Ivan grew-up believing young people have enormous potential but learned that potential doesn't turn into influence on its own. It needs opportunity, encouragement, and someone willing to take young people's ideas seriously.

He defends that younger generations are curious and want to learn and participate, but they show up in their own ways. Growing up in the midst of economic crises, a pandemic, and constant uncertainty, they become pragmatics. That’s not a flaw but maybe more of a survival strategy. Ivan argues for a "new pragmatism", supporting young people in having ambitious values paired with honest, realistic paths toward them. “Idealism without action is performance; pragmatism without values is opportunism”.

We talked about hierarchy and how structures give us accountability. But young people are far less willing to accept authority just because of a title. They want competence, consistency, honesty and a leader that can listen. Leadership training many times focuses on public speaking, Ivan said, but rarely teaches young people to ask good questions or hear someone whose experience differs from their own.

There as a theme that kept coming back during the episode, fear versus hope: how much of today's political language runs on fear, and how fear is exactly what stops us from listening to each other.

His advice to youth workers was simple and a little uncomfortable: stop letting young people "choose the colour of the poster," and start giving them real budgets, deadlines, and room to fail and reflect.

Ivan left us with something youth workers can take as inspiration: technology can inform young people, but it will never teach them how to be human. That's still our job.

School for Young Leaders

International Center Alliance Of Civilizations

For any ideas, comments, or suggestions, feel free to email us at talkingyouthworkpodcast@gmail.com.

This episode is part of the Inception of Learning project, funded by the Erasmus+ Youth Programme, which supports youth workers, trainers, and educators in the context of Generation Z and Generation Alpha.

#YouthWork #Leadership #IvanIvanov #SchoolofYoungLeaders #GenZ #GenAlpha

Hello dear listeners,

We are back with another conversation that will make you look at young people (and at yourself ) quite differently!

In this episode we talked with Dr. David Yeager, professor of psychology at the University of Texas at Austin and author of the book “10 to 25: The Science of Motivating Young People”, and we explored what really drives the motivation of young people and how adults can become more effective in their lives.

A central idea that David brought to our conversation was that young people are not disconnected or irrational, they are deeply sensitive to status and respect. Not in a superficial, social-media-likes kind of way, but in a profound, evolutionary sense: the need to be seen as competent, valued, and capable of making wise choices.

When adults fail to honour this need, they lose their influence before the conversation even begins.

David challenges what he calls the "neurobiological incompetence model", the widespread belief that teenage brains are simply too driven by hormones and impulse to think clearly.

He argues this model is not only inaccurate, but actively harmful, as it leads adults to adopt a communication style he calls grown-splaining: imposing adult logic onto young people and blaming them when it doesn't land.

The alternative he proposes is what he calls the mentor mindset, holding high standards while offering genuine support, and believing, truly believing, that young people are capable of meeting them. As he reminds us, a young person will do extraordinary things for an adult whose opinion they care about.

In a world where sophisticated marketing algorithms are competing for young people's attention far more effectively than most educators, David's message is both enlightening and hopeful: human connection remains irreplaceable. No AI, no app, no perfectly crafted campaign can substitute for a trusted adult in a young person's life.

You can check David's book 10 to 25: The Science of Motivating Young People.

For any ideas, comments, or suggestions, feel free to email us at talkingyouthworkpodcast@gmail.com.

This episode is part of the Inception of Learning project, funded by the Erasmus+ Youth Programme, which supports youth workers, trainers, and educators in the context of Generation Z and Generation Alpha.

#YouthWork #MentorMindset #DavidYeager #Motivation #GenZ #GenAlpha

Hello dear listeners,

In this episode, we talked with Elena Avramosvska, a researcher with over 10 years of experience studying democracy, political participation, and gender equality, with a special focus on Generation Z across Europe.

The conversation was rich, nuanced and at times surprising. Elena challenged the common narrative that young people are simply apolitical or disengaged. The reality, is far more complex: Generation Z is not uninterested in politics, they are deeply disillusioned with the politics they are getting.

They feel unrepresented, and when something truly resonates with their lived experience, they can mobilise quickly and powerfully.

One of the most striking findings from her research is how socioeconomic anxieties have overtaken climate change as the dominant concern among young people across Europe. Housing, job insecurity, healthcare, and even pensions are now top of mind (yes, pensions) reflecting a profound and somewhat unexpected sense of long-term uncertainty.

As Elena explains, this generation feels they have done everything right, (finished their education, found work, tried to be good citizens) and yet the system doesn't seem to be holding up its end of the bargain.

We also explored the growing gender divide in political attitudes. Young women are moving towards more progressive positions, while young men lean increasingly towards the right. Yet beneath this apparent polarisation, Elena finds something more hopeful: both groups share the same diagnosis. They see the same broken system, the same economic insecurity. Where they differ is in how they interpret what that means for their own lives, and what should be done about it.

Authenticity, Elena notes, matters enormously, young people can tell when they're being talked about rather than talked to.

For youth workers, her message is clear: stop thinking about how to "activate" young people and start thinking about how to genuinely connect with their real, everyday concerns. Trust is built locally, one meaningful relationship at a time.

It was a truly inspiring conversation — we hope you enjoy it!

Here is the link to the study about gender divides among Gen Z.

For any ideas, comments, or suggestions, feel free to email us at talkingyouthworkpodcast@gmail.com.

This episode is part of the Inception of Learning project, funded by the Erasmus+ Youth Programme, which supports youth workers, trainers, and educators in delivering high-quality learning experiences for young people in the context of Generation Z and Generation Alpha.

#YouthWork # ElenaAvramovska #PoliticalParticipation #Democracy