ANJA
SERBIA
29 YEARS
"I’m not able to
tell when I started
identifying as an activist, as I have always
had that sense of
justice in me."
When asked about the need for younger generations to get involved in contemporary social issues, Anja responds with a smile and gestures behind her back. She notes that the entire district of Novi Beograd, where the interview took place, including its buildings and streets, would not exist if young people had not rolled up their sleeves and worked on the construction of the quarter from the ground up in the immediate aftermath of World War II. It was the twenty-something generation then that sought to overcome the obstacles of a conflicted past and strove to establish a legacy in the formation of a new future.
Anja is convinced that these days it falls upon her generation to spearhead the integration process of the Western Balkans Six into the European Union. Being a dual passport holder, Anja is privileged to perceive The Berlin Process from two distinct perspectives: As both a resident of Serbia during the candidacy period, and as a citizen of Croatia with all the advantages afforded by an EU passport. It is precisely this gap between the two realities that drive Anjas’ advocacy work.
What other activists may have acquired as a skill set over time, Anja was fortunate to have as her character: From an early age, Anja exhibited an intrinsic sense of justice. She was a vocal child who demanded equity from an early age on. Anja’s mother recalls that, even the kindergarten teacher joked she would one day become an advocate. And in a sense, she is. Today Anja is a political scientist, an activist, and a feminist. She primarily works with young people on matters pertaining to reconciliation and peace building, youth policy, and advocacy. Simultaneously, she is pursuing a second master’s degree in European Integration.
Growing up in Belgrad, as the daughter of a Dalmatian mother in a secure network of a loving extended family, shaped her understanding of the importance of bonding and family. It is therefore no surprise that when talking about the greatest achievements of her activism, Anja points out that the most significant outcome is not the certifications or degrees she has attained. It is the profound connections and friendships that she has forged along this journey.
Anja’s guiding principle is to seek unity in diversity. Consequently, she currently employs her abilities to facilitate collaboration amongst young women from Belgrade and Pristina, who work collectively on political projects with the goal of learning one another’s languages and bonding over cultures, aspirations, and overall way of life. To Anja this represents a beautiful process of unification, which she intends to further develop in the future.
When asked about one piece of advice she holds for the younger generation, it is this: “If there’s something you are passionate about in life, go for it. Don’t care about if it's the most popular or lucrative thing to do - in the end it will pay off. Because if you put in the energy and find purpose in it, you will not only benefit greatly as an individual, you will also be able to see the change in your immediate surrounding or even on a broader scale than that. Moreover, you will find like-minded people on the way who will be your greatest support and maybe even become your best friends.”
