Family and youth
Give children and families more political weight and autonomy.
If we are lucky, children learn only foreign languages through online applications and games. More often than not, the content they are fed is highly politicised, radicalising children long before schools introduce civic education.
We also often hear that Europe is an aging continent and that there are not enough children to keep our population stable. With unaffordable housing and too few stable employment opportunities, we shouldn’t be surprised that more Slovenes are leaving the country than are returning.
Volt Slovenija proposes reforms for housing and labour markets. In addition, we would want to strengthen the voice of youth and improve conditions for families:
Youth policy
Lower the voting age to 16 years similar to some other EU member states.
Introduce civic education as soon as children begin using smartphones. We cannot let social media instill their idea of political and democratic consciousness in our children before they learn about it in school.
Initiate a high-school programme, that enables the possibility of spending one school year abroad in another EU member state and allows students to organize their stay. From learning how to apply for financial support, to finding a participating school and host family.
Mailboxes in schools to signal harassment, bullying and violence. Some schools already use such mailboxes, but it would be worthwhile to institute this country-level.
Ensure schools are up to par with technological developments. We need to teach basic digital literacy, including the principles of programming, how the internet works and how artificial intelligence can influence our future.
Family-friendly policies
Copy Finland’s BabyBox model providing a starter kit for babies with clothes, hygiene products and other necessities provided mothers do a medical examination during pregnancy and parents seek health and educational information.
Expand high-quality free school lunches as a complement to a high-quality free education including one vegetarian option.
Ensure employees can modify working hours depending on both childcare and care for the elderly without jeopardizing their career similar to provisions in the German law for non-discrimination of and flexibility to demand part-time work.
(version 07-2025)