I lead a full life. It is hard to make a short list of all the things I do. I dance hip-hop and jazz three evenings a week. I enjoy dancing with other people and forgetting my everyday worries. I also play the piano, draw people and animals in my sketchbook, and use my sewing machine to alter my clothes. My girlfriends and I often spend time along the River Aare, where we play cards or volleyball, skate, have picnics, listen to music, or just talk.
Having so many interests is a good thing, in my view. But it can also be a hindrance, because I have no plans on what to do after I leave school. A law degree sounds interesting. Or maybe I could study medicine. Whatever I decide, I want to add my voice to the fight against inequality. For the moment, this means taking part in street demonstrations. I need to express my views in some way or other, given that I am not yet entitled to vote. I don’t understand why I still have to wait two years. We have already studied politics at school, so I am well aware of how government works. At 18, I will just have a little more life experience.
Olivia Aeschlimann
Born in 2005 and living in Berne, where she is a pupil at Kirchenfeld upper-secondary school. Olivia enjoys listening to the radio station SRF 3, because she likes its mixture of music and information.
The portraits of all 16 young people interviewed
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