The expectations of students towards fresh power are high. Source: FreepikOn 15 October 2023, parliamentary elections were held, in which the coalition of opposition groups prevailed. Many social groups in Poland anticipate changes, and for any they seem even necessary. 1 of these communities is young people, only entering adulthood, and in peculiar students – effectively avoided by the governing organization for the last 8 years.
Currently, the situation of young people in Poland is not the best. The ever-increasing prices or costly dormitories, where they are hard to get a place, make it hard to stay on their own, especially for day students who frequently do not have the right conditions and, above all, time to work to cover the essential costs. Without the aid of the family, it is hard to find an alternate that would let specified studies to take place. In addition, many social problems have emerged in fresh years, specified as increasing awareness of intellectual wellness problems and the situation of young people belonging to the LGBTQ+ community. These issues are not adequately regulated and at all times appropriate social groups or foundations dealing with the subject item the request for appropriate changes. The coffin nail of the PIS government turned out to be the removal of women's right to abortion in 2020, despite protests by people from almost all environment.
To make my observations credible, I asked private and public university students what they thought about the request for change. I besides looked at how the reforms introduced under the Law and Justice and what expectations they had for the fresh government.
The settlement of the regulation of the Law and Justice – what did they truly do for the young generation?
For 8 years, we have observed the regulation of the United Right, the vast majority being judged negatively by young people. In fact, the only initiative straight addressed to them, which actually entered into force, was the Income taxation Exemption Act applicable from 1 August 2019 for people under the age of 26. It is hard to meet with her greater criticism – it is both a large relief for workers and an additional incentive for employers to hire candidates at an early age. However, as it turns out, that is definitely not enough. I asked my interlocutors if they thought reforms had been beneficial for young people from 2015 to 2023. More than half of them pointed out that there was no specified project, which is already making you think.
Another evidence that young adults were not besides much of an object of interest to the government of Mateusz Morawiecki is electoral attendance. The October elections to the Sejm and the legislature were record-breaking in this respect. However, it is worth leaning over the youngest age group active – as many as 68.8% of eligible from 18 to 29. It is easy to announcement a immense increase – 4 years earlier it was only 46.4%, so not even half. Another interesting thing is that out of all the groups that entered the Sejm, in this age bracket the PiS took the last place, getting only 14.9% of their votes. These factors perfectly illustrate how much needs to be improved today.
What are the expectations?
The issue I was most curious in was the changes young people needed. Almost all of my colleagues stressed the request to increase the availability of inexpensive housing. There were mentioned immense rental and rent costs, especially in large cities – and there are universities (my interlocutors learn in Poznań, Krakow, Wroclaw or Gdańsk, among others). If nothing changes in this regard, many students simply will not be able to afford to buy or rent an flat or even a area in the state.
A hard and highly underestimated problem for all students was the practice or internship. They'd alternatively have them paid, just like any another job. Especially since in many directions they take place for six months, which makes it completely impossible to take up a job.
– The Left in her election program said that all internships for students should be paid, due to the fact that it is besides a form of work for which we devote our time. It is not erstwhile a work specified as "give, bring, sweep" and "still do this and that until x", so a student should have paid for it whether it is simply a practice or an internship – it is the voice of 1 of the students of Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań.
Other crucial issues are the social plane I have already cited. The present generation no longer wants a conservative and progressive society, which is in large contradiction with the model of life promoted by right-wing groups.
– Generational change is the only solution. Mentality must change. Young people are much more liberal, both in terms of worldview and economics. However, as long as we are ruled by a generation raised until 1989, it will be hard to change that," stressed the student of the Faculty of Political Sciences and Journalism of the UAM.
The fight against hatred speech, the regulation of legal issues for LGBTQ+ communities, the universally available intellectual care, the abolition of a complete ban on abortion, acceptance of all minorities – these are just any of the most frequently cited problems, and it is not hard to find much more.
The perfect summary of the fact that young people want to be yet noticed by politicians is that since the first session of the Sejm there has been a increasing interest in politics (just look at the YouTube display). Let us hope that in time this will besides work the another way around, and the issues that are crucial to young people will be dealt with successively by the applicable representatives.
Coalition agreement with plans for the future – will it inactive be beautiful?
Fortunately, the coalition agreement, signed on 10 November by the Civic Coalition, the 3rd Road and the fresh Left, shows that a large part of the problems previously identified were seen by these groups. They proposed in the paper a twelve actions "in keeping with the will of voters". Among the common programming arrangements were points on the most crucial in the position of young social affairs: wellness protection (including state-funded and free intellectual and psychiatric care), strengthening women's rights (mainly the annulment of the 2020 Constitutional Court's judgement or equalisation of their position in the labour market), public prosecution for speech and hatefulness, or expanding the availability of housing. It was these issues that were leading the way among my interlocutors and they were pointed out as the most crucial ones. another crucial problems were, for example, depoliticising universities, expanding state spending on the academic environment, ensuring efficient public transport, reducing taxes for workers, or better conditions for self-entrepreneurship.
At the moment, we do not yet know much about how crucial changes should be introduced for young people and small is said about this at the session of the Sejm. However, it should be remembered that the fresh government of the KO, the 3rd Way and the Left has not yet been officially sworn in, and it is likely that most of these projects will only get there erstwhile the Law and Justices are yet removed from power. Now you should be patient.
GARCHIAN OIL
