Youth in the Baltic states - leaving or not?

ENIn a world full of crises, taking care of human resources is especially important. Societies exist with and for people, relying on various resources. The current article focuses on human resources, which are facing problems in the Baltic States. Poverty and emigration are connected – in case of being poor it is easier to leave, because there is not much to lose. Moving out of the country is not forbidden, of course; being out temporarily is even useful, as it gives a different perspective and new knowledges. In an ideal world young people are coming back, which is not always the case. But migration-readiness can be influenced proactively. In this article, authors analyze the social-pedagogical point of view in the context of wellbeing. Empirical data comes from the secondary data analysis: authors conducted an analysis of two published reports, found on the Internet. The aim is to focus on wellbeing and social-pedagogical prevention, to find answers for two questions: what influences emigration readiness; and/or can certain activities prevent emigration? To get a picture about the situation of the youth in the Baltic States, the authors chose the secondary data – the statistics from two published texts: Yusupov (2022), and Eiduka, Kläsons and Saarnik (2019). Content analysis was used for secondary data analysis. It was found that at least three factors have an important influence on emigration readiness: poverty; a feeling of not belonging, and problems with education/employment. Leaving from home is not easy. Every story is different; problems have several aspects; people’s backgrounds are unique. During and after the moving-process some critical thinking is obligatory: what is good for what? Vagabond in one country hardly gets the position of the tourist in foreign country very soon. Some of them are ready to work for a better future, some are not.To change the place of living needs special logistics, which is not the strongest competence of vagabonds. If one cannot cope at home country, hardly it will be possible outside – in the case of the same level of education and finances. There is a price for everything: staying or leaving need recourses - material, social and emotional capital: Having, Loving and Being are connected both for vagabonds and for tourists. Easiest is to count finances, emotions are kind of private field. In reality wellbeing starts from emotions: one can have material security, but is still not happy – in case of homesickness, for example. It is important to know about personality aspects. This wisdom may help to make the right decision. Here, the social pedagogy – as a tool for socialization, can help. One of the prevention of social problems is critical thinking, which is based on relevant information. In the context of emigration-readiness, people should know at first themselves, because the style of coping depends on the subjective aspects. The negative aspects from different fields support the readiness to leave. Social pedagogy cannot change the facts: salary, size of flat etc., but relations and attitudes can be influenced through prevention. Keywords: the Baltic States, emigration, social problems, wellbeing, youth, social pedagogy. [From the publication]