Youth engagement in regional hubs like Ignalina is shifting toward creative industries and student-led cultural revival. According to Gintautė Šriūbėnaitė, chair of the Ignalina District Students’ Association, local youth are fighting “dead city” perceptions by organizing large-scale events like the “Osmosas” live music festival and retro-themed discos to attract both current residents and those who left the region.
Why are creative industries becoming the top choice for regional students?
Šriūbėnaitė, who performs with the "Iki" theater in Ignalina, highlights how theater "molds" a person's capabilities.
How is the “dead city” narrative being challenged in small towns?
Regional youth are using nostalgia and high-profile entertainment to revitalize social spaces. Šriūbėnaitė describes Ignalina as sometimes being called a “dead city” due to a lack of active youth. To counter this, the Students’ Association has implemented two specific strategies:
- The Retro Appeal: Organizing Valentine’s Day discos based on stories from parents’ generations. Šriūbėnaitė noted that the first such event two years ago saw an unprecedented turnout.
- Star Power: Bringing in popular artists to the “Osmosas” festival. The association spent significant effort coordinating with performer Gabiele Vilkickytė to ensure her participation.
These efforts aim to prove that regional centers have the potential to be attractive to young people, provided the infrastructure for social gathering exists.
What happens when education systems clash with digital reality?
There is a growing tension between school policies and the digital habits formed during the pandemic. As a member of the Česlovo Kudaba Gymnasium students’ council, Šriūbėnaitė argues against blanket mobile phone bans in schools. She claims that because society “pushed children into phones” during quarantine, removing them now is contradictory.
Current school rules at her gymnasium require students to leave phones in a designated area upon entering the classroom. According to Šriūbėnaitė, this is particularly restrictive for 11th and 12th graders who are genuinely focused on learning and view the phone as a personal item rather than a distraction.
How do changing exam structures affect student mental health?
The shift toward splitting maturity exams into two parts has increased rather than decreased stress for some students. Šriūbėnaitė reports that the first part of the Lithuanian language exam was “frightening” due to controversial topics and a confusing influx of information regarding dates and requirements.
She suggests that returning to the traditional model—where exams took place exclusively in the 12th grade—would be more stable. According to her experience, the constant changes in the education system make it difficult for students to orient themselves, unlike the consistency of subjects like mathematics where “the Pythagorean theorem does not change.”
Comparison of Educational Perspectives
| Official Goal of Split Exams | Student-Reported Reality |
|---|---|
| Reduce student stress by spreading the load. | Increased tension and confusion over schedules. |
| Modernize the learning process. | Feeling of instability (“breaking everything”). |
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are creative industries popular?
Do phone bans in schools work?
According to student representatives in Ignalina, bans can feel restrictive and ignore the fact that digital literacy was mandated during the pandemic.
How can small towns attract youth?
By creating high-energy cultural events like the “Osmosas” festival and leveraging the nostalgia of “parent-era” social gatherings.
What is the “Iki” theater?
A local theater in Ignalina where students develop performance skills and participate in festivals like “Mažoji Melpomenė” in Plungė.
Join the conversation: Do you think splitting exams into two parts helps or hurts students? Share your experience in the comments below or subscribe to our newsletter for more insights on regional youth trends.
