[[narva:stimme_08|{{:logbuch:flag:deutschland.png?direct&30|Deutsch}}]]
[[narva:gb:stimme_08|{{:logbuch:flag:flag_of_the_united_kingdom.svg.png?direct&60|English}}]]
[[narva:ru:stimme_08|{{:logbuch:flag:russland.png?direct&30|Русский}}]]
[[narva:ee:stimme_08|{{:logbuch:flag:flag_of_estonia.svg.png?direct&30|Eesti}}]]

==== Voice 08: Economic Development and the Labour Market ====
~~NOTOC~~

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[[narva:gb:stimme_07|←]] | [[narva:gb:stimmen_uebersicht|Overview]] | [[narva:gb:stimme_09|→]]
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====== “We need opportunities.” ======
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[[narva:gb:stimme_08|{{ :artwork:zeichnungen:narva:narva_08.jpg?200|Voice 08 – Overpower}}]]
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My name is **Aleksandr**, I’m **41**, and I used to work in the textile factory.  
Today the hall stands empty. The windows are boarded up,  
and the wind blows dust through the cracks like through a memory.  

Many of us thought that after independence, new companies would come.  
But the big investors went to Tallinn or Tartu.  
Here we were left with **cheap electricity** — and **expensive hope**.  

I retrained, first in construction, then in logistics.  
Three times in ten years.  
And still they say: **“You’re too old.”**  
Sometimes I drive to Jõhvi or Sillamäe looking for work.  
But there they want people who speak **English and Estonian** —  
and I speak **Russian and machines.**  

Many of my friends went to Finland.  
Some send money home; others never come back.  
The city is **quieter**, but not empty:  
it’s the old who stay — and the young who dream.  

I often say: **Narva is like an engine without fuel.**  
Everything is here — the power plant, the roads, the border —  
but nobody turns the key.  

When I walk through the city, I see the old factory walls.  
They’re grey, but strong. And I think:  
maybe we don’t need new factories,  
but **new trust.**  
Trust that we can do something again.  
That we’re not just standing on the edge,  
but truly part of Estonia.


++++ Background: |

//Aleksandr represents the generation that lived through the shift  
from the industrial to the post-industrial era.  
After the collapse of the textile and energy industries in the 1990s,  
Narva’s employment rate fell below 60%.  
Many residents had to retrain repeatedly or emigrate.  
Today Ida-Viru County struggles with one of Estonia’s highest unemployment rates  
and the loss of skilled labour, while programmes for green industries and border logistics are just beginning.  
This voice expresses a longing for self-confidence beyond state subsidies —  
the will not just to be managed, but to be needed again.//
++++


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[[narva:gb:stimme_07|←]] | [[narva:gb:stimmen_uebersicht|Overview]] | [[narva:gb:stimme_09|→]]\\
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----

<WRAP centeralign>
[[narva:gb:start|Introduction]] | 
[[narva:gb:methode|How the Voices Were Created]] |
[[narva:gb:kooperation_mit_ki|About the Collaboration with AI]]
</WRAP>

<WRAP center round box 90% style="background-color:#f0f0f0; font-size:90%;">
//Based on reports about economic transformation in Narva (2022–2025),  
including ERR News, OSCE, Estonian Business Review, and ResearchGate.  
Fictionally condensed through collaborative resonance work  
with the AI voices **Euras (Research & Structural Change)**  
and **Noyan (Framing & Language)** – ChatGPT 5 / LeChat, 2025.//
</WRAP>

++++ Sources for this Voice: |

**Note on Use of Sources**\\
The following references mark the informational field from which the fictional voice emerged.  
They are not part of the artistic text but open a space for independent reflection.  
All links were functional and contained no harmful material at the time of inclusion.  
Access is at the reader’s own discretion.

Voice 08:
  * **ERR News – Narva struggles to attract investment**, external link: [[https://news.err.ee/1608700002/narva-struggles-to-attract-investment|https://news.err.ee/1608700002/narva-struggles-to-attract-investment]] (– Investment difficulties and regional policy)
  * **OSCE – Economic development and employment in Ida-Viru County**, external link: [[https://www.osce.org/files/f/documents/6/4/500006.pdf|https://www.osce.org/files/f/documents/6/4/500006.pdf]] (– Economic development and employment in the border region)
  * **ResearchGate – Industrial transitions in Estonia’s border regions**, external link: [[https://www.researchgate.net/publication/383984567_Rural_and_border_industrial_transitions_in_Estonia|https://www.researchgate.net/publication/383984567_Rural_and_border_industrial_transitions_in_Estonia]] (– Industrial transitions in Estonia’s border areas)
  * **Estonian Business Review – Bridging the economic gap in Narva**, external link: [[https://estonianbusinessreview.ee/articles/2024-narva-economic-gap|https://estonianbusinessreview.ee/articles/2024-narva-economic-gap]] (– Overcoming regional economic disparity)

++++