On 5 April, during the regional visit to Daugavpils, President of Latvia Egils Levits took part in the second discussion of ‘#Satversme100: future values’ at the Daugavpils State Gymnasium. Focus of this youth debate was on choices we are faced with when trying to balance our care for preservation of natural resources for future generations and their right to individual prosperity.
Participants of the discussion looked at issues like construction of wind farms and nuclear power stations, waste separation, feeding of wild animals, restriction of private property rights, collective responsibility, public participation, prosperity and many other issues from the constitutional perspective.
According to youngsters, people have to learn to give up their comfort in the name of environment and the dream of greener future. Santa Bule from Daugavpils Secondary School 12 said, ‘the dream of greener future can only be achieved if people change their attitude towards waste separation, i.e., get rid of I-alone-will-not-change-anything attitude. Building greener future requires patience and commitment.’
President of Latvia praised youngsters for exploring the nature of challenges and underlined, ‘problems start when people have to give something up for the environment; it is all in our value system’.
Youngsters emphasised that rights provided in the constitution come with specific responsibilities. ‘Latvians can feel privileged because we put a lot of effort into conservation and preservation of natural resources, while there are some countries in the world for whom environmental considerations are no longer a choice but rather a must that comes before other personal priorities,’ Timurs Ragozins, a pupil of Daugavpils Secondary School 9, said during the discussion.
Anželika Litvinoviča from Daugavpils State Gymnasium thinks that ‘climate crisis requires collective, integrated and immediate action’.
‘Humans are part of nature and by destroying our environment we put the future of our species in danger. It is great to see that young people are aware of this problem,’ President Levits said.
President also urged young people to remember that ‘usually we think of something material when talking about well-being, but it can also include, for example, a stroll along the winding banks of Daugava’.
President of Latvia was joined by nine youngsters: Santa Bule from Daugavpils Secondary School 12, Arnita Bernāne from Daugavpils State Gymnasium, Anželika Litvinoviča from Daugavpils State Gymnasium, Vladimirs Bazans from Daugavpils Technological Secondary School-Lyceum, Milēna Kaštaļjana from Daugavpils Technological Secondary School-Lyceum, Elizabete Križanovska from Daugavpils State Gymnasium, Ņikita Zirjanova from Daugavpils Technological Secondary School-Lyceum, Ieva Lozjuka from Daugavpils Technological Secondary School-Lyceum, and Timurs Ragozins from Daugavpils Secondary School 9.
Background:
Debate series ‘#Satversme100: future values’ is an important step towards empowering young people to take more active stake in shaping Latvia’s future. The aim of the debate is to help young people formulate their views, engage in conversations and listen to other views about issues important for all. Series of conversations about legal dilemmas of Satversme will continue throughout the year and take place in all regions: Vidzeme, Latgale, Zemgale, Kurzeme and Sēlija. The kick-off debate took place on 15 February 2022 at the Riga Castle. The closing event will take place in February of 2023, in Riga.
Debate will be recorder to create a summary of findings and outcomes that will then be integrated into all types of learning and information sources.
Series of discussions are organised by Presidential Chancery and Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences, NGO Quo Tu domā? and European Movement Latvia.
