YOUTH 2020 - The position of young people in Slovenia

48 overall, andwhichdoes not get alongwith its parents, hasworse health, and dabbles in drugs. More ageism is also felt by young social activists. Second, the figure shows that ageismhas shrunk somewhat in the last two years; almost 50% of young people felt discriminated against based on their age in 2018, which is almost 10 percentage points more than in 2020. Third, other forms of discrimination are much less present among Slove- nia’s youth, some almost vanishingly so (e.g. gender discrimination is felt by only 7.8% in 2020). It goes without saying that even low levels of certain forms of discrimi- nation can be quite painful and are not less important. It is completely plausible that the less statistically common forms of discrimination can have even worse consequences for the victimized minority. This is, for example, how one of our interviewees put it. “A month ago, my mom and I were at the bank, opening a new account for her. We took our place in the line behind an older man at a safe distance of a meter and a half. He looked at us and said that Hitler should still be with us so as to kill people like me and my mom. I got this feeling … I could not believe someone can behave as badly. We did not do anything to this man, and he did not even know us, but still said what he said.” (Brendon, 18 years old, young rapper and immigrant from Priština) Nevertheless, a different interviewee with Roma background opines that the living conditions for Roma people in Slovenia are quite good. “Discrimination against the Roma is definitely present, as it is in foreign countries, but such discrimination is much more prevalent abroad. Roma are oppressed everywhere. Still, of all the places I have been to, Slovenia is the best! Even though there is some discrimination here, people accept you as their own. If you show them what your character is, and if you are a love- ly person, they will be even kinder to you.” (Benjamin, 22 years old, Roma)