What makes us tick - a portrait of seven young people

«An office job wouldn't be for me»

Ramon Plattner, 15, from Hindelbank BE, would have had a great time growing up if it weren't for the pressure at school. The secondary school pupil is glad that he already has his apprenticeship in the bag.

"I love to move. I climb, jump on the trampoline, play handball and have also started doing parkour, which is a street sport that has a reputation for being a bit dangerous. But I don't do anything rash. I need sport to balance out school, which I find difficult. I'm constantly afraid of being downgraded from secondary school to intermediate school. I'm glad that I've already been accepted for my apprenticeship. I'm going to be a stone sculptor, that was my dream job. I like it when I have to exert myself physically but also do precision work. An office job wouldn't be for me. I want to create something with my hands.

We are very close in the family, my three brothers, my parents and me. My parents support me, but they are also not afraid to take countermeasures if necessary. Recently, we all went on a three-day hiking trip. In the evening, I sat round the table with my parents and uncles until late at night, discussing all sorts of things. That was great. I appreciate being treated like an adult. Despite the pressure at school, I think youth is a great time. You're physically in top form, many things are open to you.

I would say that we are growing up in a rather insecure world. Not only in terms of political conflicts - I should finally get to grips with politics - but social values have also changed. We've lost some of our orientation. But it also has its good points: women have more freedom, for example, and bringing up children has become more humane. Some parents, it seems to me, are now letting it slide completely. Well - hopefully they're not in the majority."

«I want to please everyone»

Ylenia Pollice, 17, from Uster ZH, is in her second year of training as a bank clerk. She could have imagined a career in social work, but is too close to the water for that.

"I'm a social person, my compassion is sometimes almost limitless, so I can't stay angry with someone for long. I could have easily imagined taking up a social profession in the past. Today I know that would probably be too much for me: I can't stand to see people suffer. I like the apprenticeship at the bank, I'm doing a vocational college at the same time, so there are lots of paths open to me later on. Which one I want to take is still open. But I already know that I want to get married and start a family.

I'm very conscientious and I want to do what I'm told to do properly. This sometimes puts me under a lot of pressure. I always want to please everyone - not just at school and in the office, but also in my private life. Friends and family are the most important things to me and I don't want anyone to miss out. If I have a lot on my plate and don't see my grandparents for a few days, I immediately feel guilty. My favourite way to spend my free time is with friends. I've had a boyfriend for two years, but we don't stick together all the time, we also like to do things in a group. When the weather is nice, we chill out by the lake. Unfortunately, my best mate isn't with me at the moment, she's doing an exchange year in the USA.

What I appreciate about my circle of friends is that we all tick in a similar way. For example, most of them look after their health - not in an exaggerated sense, but we make sure we do a bit of sport from time to time and eat something healthy. I like to go to a party now and again. I'm not into drugs, I've never even been interested in smoking or smoking weed.

If there's one thing in our society that worries me, it's not terrorism, which everyone is afraid of, but the way we treat our planet. Once it's broken, we really have nothing left - unfortunately, people still don't realise that."

«Compassion is out»

Secondary school pupil Alexandra Eberle, 14, from Dürnten ZH, stands up for the weaker members of society wherever she can. She regrets that more people don't do the same.

"What drives me is the desire to help. Accordingly, my goal in life is to make a contribution against poverty and misery. As soon as I earn money, I want to donate to humanitarian causes and later help on the ground, in Africa for example. My dream is that nobody has to go hungry any more. Yes, maybe that will remain a dream, but if everyone thinks that individuals can't make a difference, little will change. Compassion seems to be out. For many, it's more important to come across as cool and self-confident. I don't understand that. I stand up for the weaker ones. At school, I intervene if someone is being bullied.

I don't like being alone. My family and my friends are the most important things to me, cohesion is the most important thing for me. One of the worst things for me would be if my parents got divorced. I have friends who have been through that. I stood by them as best I could, feeling helpless because I couldn't do anything more. I've known my closest friends since playgroup, they've been with me my whole life.

I like the freedom of choice we have today, I wouldn't want to swap it for the past. My professional future is open. As I said, I would like to help people. Being a lawyer would be a possibility, but I'm also interested in becoming a hotel manager. I think it would be great to be there for guests. I also want to learn more about other cultures and travel the world. What scares me are the many conflicts that take place in the world. Terrorism is a constant topic at school. Many people are afraid, some are almost afraid to take the S-Bahn to Zurich. It makes me queasy too, to be honest."

«Wishes? I don't have any!»

Livio Liechti, 13, from Hindelbank BE, has just started sixth form. He hopes that things continue to go well at school and that his friends keep their hands off drugs.

"For my future, I want one thing above all: a little house of my own, a family and, so that I can support them, a secure job. I'm not sure what I want to do for a living yet, maybe something to do with computers. My father is a manager at a telecommunications company, so I could imagine doing something like that. I've enjoyed school so far, the teacher was nice and I found learning easy. I hope it stays that way at secondary school. Maybe in two or three years I'll transfer to grammar school, where all the options are open to you.

I don't really have any unfulfilled wishes, I'm happy with what I have and I'm looking forward to the future. I hope that my family stays healthy and that none of my friends turn to alcohol or drugs. Or starts cutting. I know a few girls and boys who do that. These are things that scare me. But sometimes I also get queasy when I see what's happening in the world, all these terrorist attacks. Then I wonder whether it will happen to us too. Fortunately, such thoughts quickly fade away. Otherwise, I don't really have many worries. I have good friends, enjoy sport and have nice parents. Of course there are arguments at home sometimes. Mostly because I've been on my mobile phone for too long - and my mum takes it away from me."

«I don't have to do that to myself»

High school student Lucia Aiello, 18, from Zurich, doesn't watch the news because it upsets her. Because everything turns out differently anyway, she doesn't like to plan ahead.

"Where do I want to go in life? I have no idea. For now, I'm just thinking about the upcoming chemistry final. Then we'll see what happens. I don't like planning ahead, it usually doesn't help. You could say that's cowardly, but I would describe it as pragmatic.

I have a wide range of interests, I don't excel in any one area, but I'm not a slouch either. A degree is not a must, but I want a secure livelihood. Having fun at work is no longer enough these days, your job must also enable you to earn a living. Anything else would be irresponsible, especially if you live in an expensive city like Zurich.

What's going on in the world is getting me down. I've stopped consuming the news. I don't live under the moon, I know the most important things and I don't need to do the rest. Terrorism scares me, especially because the threat is getting closer; a friend of a colleague witnessed the attack in Nice.

There are a lot of problems in this world. My generation is doing its best not to make them worse. We buy Fairtrade, recycle, things like that. I don't think much of politics. I don't have the feeling that we can change anything through them. I do what I can there too, go and vote, and that's it.

There are so many options these days. That's both a curse and a blessing. I ended up at grammar school because I wanted to delay big decisions a little longer. My parental home is something of a safe haven. Admittedly, I shudder at the thought of leaving it. My brother has moved out, but he still hangs around with us all the time. Something else occurred to me about what I want to achieve: I always want to be able to stand by myself and not have any regrets. And I want to travel, if I don't tick this box, the regrets will already start."

«I am down to earth»

Livia Meier, 17, from Wetzikon ZH, is in her second year of training as a care specialist. She sees herself as a cheerful person who draws her strength from the solidarity of her family.

"What bothers me about our world is that it is ruled by money. This also manifests itself in the consumer frenzy that so many young people are addicted to. What they spend on shopping! It's incomprehensible to me, I also want to think about the future, put some money aside for further education, for example.

I am in my second year of training as a care specialist and work in a competence centre for Alzheimer's and dementia. Only five of the twelve students in my class are still there - the job isn't for everyone, it's physically demanding and emotionally challenging. One colleague, for example, couldn't cope with being confronted with death so often. I enjoy my work. People often have preconceptions that it's not possible to socialise with dementia patients, for example - but it is. It is important to me that I am fairly remunerated for my work, but the thanks that residents and their relatives express in return are almost more important.

I am down-to-earth, enjoy discussions and like to encourage others to do the same. My family is the most important thing to me. They are always there for me, I appreciate their company - that someone asks in the evening how the day was, that we eat together. My brother and I live with our mum and her partner, we have a good relationship, and the relationship with my father and his girlfriend is also cordial. Most of my friends have a good, almost collegial relationship with my father and mother, some of them go to the Street Parade or something like that with their parents - it's great. I'm optimistic about my personal future. As far as society is concerned, I'm not so sure. Many people my age say that they don't want to bring children into this world. Violence, terror; the fact that such threats are getting closer worries us. I would still like to have children - one day."

«It has to be fun!»

Anyone who meets Timothy Oesch, 17, from Buchs ZH, would never think that young people are considered politically lazy. The high school student is active in political parties and student organisations.

"There are three topics that make me emotional: Religion, migration and sexual orientation. I'm an advocate of religious freedom and it doesn't go through my head when people have no sympathy for refugees. Then there's homophobia: that bothers me because I'm often confronted with it. Even in my family, my coming out was problematic. My brother dealt with it badly at first, and my grandmother, who mainly brought us up because of our parents' jobs, initially thought she had done something wrong.

My goal in life is to leave my mark. I'm thinking of political reforms that I want to initiate; in addition to what I've already said, environmental protection is also important to me. I enjoy politics and debating, I'm a member of the Young Socialists (Juso), I'm involved in the student organisation at our grammar school and also in the umbrella organisation of Zurich student organisations. I owe my interest in politics to my former violin teacher, with whom I had exciting discussions. He had a completely different point of view to me, which made it all the more interesting. Politically speaking, my parents also have a completely different stance, and such contrasts seem to fire me up.

It's not true that young people aren't interested in politics - you just have to address them in the right way. Politics should be fun, which is why we at JUSO work on an event basis: We often use events to draw attention to our concerns. These include concerts with live music or, as recently, a river campaign on the Limmat. People who would never take part in a normal demonstration took part. I'm optimistic about my own future and that of society. Nevertheless, I often worry too much. I ask myself what will happen in 15 years' time and visualise what could go wrong. One of my biggest fears is worrying about losing loved ones. I can't be alone. I therefore have high expectations of a long-term relationship, which I place on my partner even when the relationship is still fresh."

Video portrait of our young people

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These youth portraits were published as part of our dossier «Youth 2016: Generation well-behaved». You can read what experts and studies have to say about today's youth in our other articles on this topic in the magazine. You can order the magazine here.