Bledar Zuta

"I want the young people from Hermodsdal to take over the world"

- Children should dream big. But you can’t dream of things that you don’t know exist. I can’t ask you to think of a colour that doesn't exist. It's not possible. Young people need to be given as much knowledge as possible so that they can dream big dreams.

- I work for the City of Malmö as a Development Manager at CTC — Communities That Care — and we help create proper conditions for children and young people in the long term. My areas of responsibility include Hermodsdal and Gullviksborg. It’s where I grew up and where I want to create change. You should be proud of where you come from. There are very few who have ways out of these districts and I want to change that. You should want to be here, that's my goal in life.

- The biggest mistake you can make with young people today is not listening to them. I don’t want young people from here to grow up and be angry and feel unfairly treated. When I was growing up, I hated everything that had to do with "projects". It made me angry, but that was because no one was listening to us.

- In life, we get to choose certain things and other things are chosen for us. Some young people have to help bring in money for the household and don’t have the opportunity to study. Some children learn to take on adult responsibilities far too soon. You are only a child once, but you will always be an adult when you become one. No parent wants their children to feel bad, but there are parents who don’t know what’s good or bad for their kids.

- When young people reach their dreams, I become happy. A young person from here moved abroad to study and it made me happy. It may sound silly when I say that I was happy that someone moved away from here, but I want to give young people more power and more opportunities. I want them to have more freedom to decide their own lives. Someone from here can become a doctor, cure cancer or develop a vaccine. Someone else can become a great writer. I want the young people from Hermodsdal to take over the world. They have that potential! And if I can positively influence someone even in a small way, I am the happiest man in the world.