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The Size of a Dream Depends on What a Child Can See
- Saveta Tomovic Dubak
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
Last year, I had a conversation that stayed with me long after it ended.
A 14-year-old boy from Bijelo Polje told me he wants to become a hairdresser.
Not because it is his passion.
Not because he dreams of it.
But because, in his world, it is one of the most successful and stable jobs he can imagine.
When Dreams Are Shaped by Environment
What struck me wasn’t his answer — it was what stood behind it.
This is a boy who speaks three languages fluently: Serbian, German, and English.
A boy with potential. Curiosity. Ability.
And yet, his dream felt… limited.
Not by his talent.
But by his environment.
In his town, there is no nearby university offering paths into technology, innovation, or entrepreneurship.
He also didn’t grow up surrounded by people in those fields — no one building apps, launching startups, or working in global industries.
So these paths don’t feel real to him.
They feel distant, abstract, almost unreachable.
So naturally, his dream adjusts to what he can see.
A Question Worth Asking
What would happen if we asked 14-year-olds around the world the same question:
“What do you want to be when you grow up?”
When you watch videos like 100 Kids Tell Us What They Want to Be When They Grow Up, where children in the U.S. are asked this exact question, the answers feel very different.
You hear things like:
“I want to be a scientist.”
“I want to be a YouTuber.”
“I want to build things.”
“I want to create something new.”
The range is wide. Creative. Open.
The Difference in Thinking
Even when children choose the same path, the mindset can be very different.
A child in the Balkans might say:
“I want to be a teacher.”
A child in Switzerland or the U.S. might say:
“I want to open my own school.”
Same field.
Completely different sense of possibility.
And that is the point.
The difference is not talent.
The difference is exposure.
What Research Tells Us
Studies in education and child development consistently show that:
Children’s career aspirations are heavily influenced by local role models and visible professions
Access to education and exposure expands ambition
Socioeconomic environment shapes not only opportunity — but imagination itself
When children don’t see certain paths, those paths rarely become dreams.
The Invisible Limitation
The biggest limitation is not always financial.
It’s awareness.
If a child has never met a software engineer…
Never seen someone build an international business…
Never seen someone make a living of with art…
How can they truly imagine becoming one?
Why This Matters to Us
At Charity for Balkan Children, this is exactly why our work goes beyond material support.
We don’t just want to help children live better today.
We want them to dream bigger tomorrow.
Because the goal is not to decide what a child should become.
The goal is to make sure:
Every child has the same horizon of possibilities
Every child can choose based on passion — not limitation
Every child knows: there is more out there
Where Should a Child Grow Up?
This is a difficult question.
Because every place has its beauty, its culture, its strength.
But when it comes to opportunity, the difference is real.
A child growing up in a small town in the Balkans may have:
Less exposure to global careers
Fewer educational pathways
Limited access to innovation and networks
While a child in the U.S. or Switzerland may grow up surrounded by:
Universities and career options
Technology and entrepreneurship
Diverse examples of success
This gap doesn’t define intelligence.
It defines access.
Luka’s Dream
Let’s call that boy Luka.
Luka wants to be a hairdresser.
And there is nothing wrong with that —
if it is truly his dream.
But what if Luka never got the chance to discover:
That he could build an app
That he could succeed with art
That he could create something entirely new
What if he never knew he had a choice?
Even though Luka’s world offers so many real and meaningful reasons to grow up in the Balkans - family, community, freedom and strong values - the limitation I kept coming back to wasn’t his ability, but his awareness of what could even be possible beyond what he sees.
Our Mission
Our mission is simple, but powerful:
To expand what children believe is possible
Because once a child sees more - they can become more.
Final Thought
Talent is everywhere.
Opportunity is not.
And until we close that gap,
There will always be children whose dreams are smaller than their potential.
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