The environment in which 14 to 15-year-olds live in the city of Elbasan; concerns, hopes and their role models is the title of the study report carried out with experts in the field.

The study, conducted by INAC with the help of focus groups and online interviews, has revealed that the epicenter of the life of the age group studied and the expectations of them are centered on schooling, so their main concern is school results and their difficulties. In the right measure, this concern can serve as a catalyst to improve outcomes or redirect efforts where they belong. So this outcome should not necessarily be viewed negatively.

On the other hand, the other results are worrying: 1 in 3 young people say that this age group often has problems with bullying at school, smoking and suffering from anxiety and stress, problems that extend to 62%-73%, albeit with less frequency. Bullying, prejudice and verbal violence are reported to be most common among boys, while they admit in discussions that there are also violent women. Almost half of them say they use alcohol and hashish, but 16%-17% of young people say this behavior is common.

Although less common, problems with heavy drug use and involvement in criminal groups are mentioned as a problem by at least 1 in 3 young people. It should be emphasized that the statements are perceptions about the reality of young people in the city of Elbasan, not necessarily the personal experiences of the respondents. The measurement assesses the perception of their concerns or those of their peers around them in order to give us a general picture of young people in the city of Elbasan.

In the discussions with the young people, the differences between the young people at the end of the 9-year school period and the young people in secondary school are emphasized. The disruptive behaviors mentioned above seem to have their beginnings at the age of 9, but are more common among adolescents in high school. Reasons cited for young people’s bad behavior include inadequate family education or problems in the family, bullying, the lure of money and fame, the lure of bad company, depression, the adolescent desire for adrenaline, the desire to try new things, etc. Harassment or physical insecurity on the street, in the neighborhood or at school is mentioned as an incident by 62% of young people and is perceived as a frequent occurrence by 1 in 4 young people.

The clearest differences in relation to harassment or physical insecurity on the street can be found in the number of those who state that this never happens, as 40% of boys state that this never happens, compared to 25% of girls. In discussion groups with girls, it was only emphasized that their peers are more often harassed on the street than at school. They claim that a large proportion of girls are bullied by boys and adult men, slightly more than by their peers. On the other hand, the discussion groups with boys confirm that the harassment of girls by their peers is problematic, regardless of whether these girls are the same age or even younger. Unfortunately, the girls themselves blame their peers for street harassment, but also for cases of human trafficking. Influenced by the opinions of adults, they focus on blaming provocative girls in terms of dress and behavior, leaving aside the real culprits for these incidents when judging them. The girls claim that police support is insensitive due to the existing mentality, their fear of speaking out and the shame of being judged.