Change for Good

Sincerely believing that the society should give a chance to children and young people with behavioural problems and help them to integrate in the society, develop socially acceptable forms of behaviour, and form and adopt a positive value system with a positive attitude towards the social environment, education and work, on 21 December 2015 six partner organizations from Bor, Belgrade and Vranje have started the project Change for Good.

The project, funded by the European Union, will last for 20 months; it will be coordinated by the Association of citizens Kokoro from Bor, and will be implemented jointly by International Aid Network (IAN) from Belgrade, Nexus from Vranje, as well as the Centres for Social Work from these three towns.

In addition to direct support provided to children and youth, the project is also focused on strengthening intersectoral cooperation and efficient use of resources in local communities with the aim to promote positive development of children and youth at risk.

The main goal of the project is to establish Day Care Centres for children and youth with behaviour problems in Bor and Vranje, where this social care service has not been available before. Besides this, the project will enable continuation of this service in Belgrade where IAN runs a licenced Day Care Centre children and youth with behaviour problems since 2014. IAN will transfer own model of work, experiences and successful mechanism of cooperation with the City Centre for Social Work to Kokoro and Nexus. These two organisations, with the support of local centres for social work, will establish a new social care service in their communities and licence it with the line ministry.

The municipalities of Bor and Vranje have recognised the importance and value of this project about which testifies also the fact that they granted municipal premises for establishing Day Care Centres.

Within the support program for children and youth with behaviour problems in three Day Care Centres a comprehensive set of the services will be available including social skills courses, IT training and job search courses, psychological counselling, mediation, educative and creative workshops, assistance in learning, sports and recreational activities, which all together lead towards successful resocialisation. The project foresees that around 500 children and youth including, juvenile offenders who have an alternative sanction or diversionary measure ordered by the court, will be included in the program and achieve positive behaviour changes. Also, an important component will represent work with the parents of these children aimed at enhancing their parenting skills so that they could support the changes with their children.

Prevention of asocial behaviour and bringing about positive changes among minors in conflict with the law and children with behaviour problems is a complex issue requiring joint efforts and coordination of different actors in the community. Therefore, the project will devote significant attention to developing a functional intersectoral collaboration in continuous and comprehensive support to this group of children and youth.

Through round tables, national conference, meetings, trainings and other activities, efforts will be invested in raising awareness among local and national stakeholders, including professionals from social care, juvenile justice, police, education and health institutions and non-governmental organisations in Bor and Pcinja district as well as in the City of Belgrade, on the importance of prevention and resocialisation of children and yoith with behaviour problems through community based services.

The project is funded by the European Union through the program „European support to inclusive society“, and supported by the Ministry of work, employment, veteran and social affairs.

Additional information

Bor

Milojka Milivojević, kokorom@mts.rs,

NGO “’KOKORO”, Cara Lazara 7 lamela 2, Bor, +381 30 24 96 760

www.kokoro.org.rs

Belgrade:

Ivan Stojilović, istojilovic@ian.org.rs,

IAN International Aid Network, Đure Daničića 5, Belgrade, +381 11 3229 732

www.telecentar.rs

Vranje:

Milena Dimitrijević Tomić,nexusvranje@gmail.com,

NGO “Nexus”, Nemanjina 21, Vranje, +381 63 68 94 77

www.nexusvranje.com

IPA CROSS BORDER COOPERATION
BULGARIA – SERBIA

RESULT ANALYSIS

PROJECT ‘’KNOWLEDGE WITHOUT FRONTIERS’’
(‘’ZNANJE BEZ GRANICA’’)

Together in the World of Diversity

On 1. May 2012.

01.05.2012-31.05.2012.

Objective:

Contributing to respecting human rights and

intercultural connecting of different cultural communities

Specific objectives are:

Organizing intercultural camp for youth from 6 communities and educating for forum technique when working with peer groups.
Organizing meetings of members of different cultural communities to exchange and meet the diversity and
Celebrating the Day of cultural diversity for dialogue and development.

The most significant project results

During 5 days intercultural campus on Bor Lake, 25 Secondary school pupils were educated (from Bor, Negotin, Vranje, Ivanjica, Bujanovac and Novi Pazar) for forum technique in peer groups on icreasing sensitivity to tolerance, diversity and antidiscrimination;
25 educated volunteers realized 18 forum performances in 6 communities increasing sensitivity to diversity to 608 youth 15 teachers and 128 participants of thematic workshops members of different national/ethnic origin;
520 youth from 16 Secondary schools learned about tradition, culture and specific features of Roma, Vlachs, Albanian, Bosnians and Serb population at 18 lectures;
Organized meeting of 15 representatives of different national/ethnic/confession origin and vulnerable groups, who exchanged their experience, learn about diversity on the World Day of Cultural diversity for dialogue and development on May 21^st ;
Increased public sensitivity for antidiscrimination, tolerance to cultural diversity and solving conflicts/confrontations through dialogue- mediation skills during realized thematic TV broadcasts in Bor, Negotin, Vranje, Bujanovac, Ivanica and Novi Pazar.

Donor (name and ammount of donation)

Republic of Serbia, Ministry of human and minority rights,

Ministry of state administration and local authority – Human and minority rights administration

In the frames of the Programme „Calendar of human rights 2012’’, 1 801 408,00 RSD

(Contact person: Miloš Maroević, +381 11 22 50 646)

”Equal in Diversity”

On 20. March 2011.

Project implementation period

20.03.2011 – 20.05.2011

Summery

Cultural diversity and intolerance in Bor, as a multinational and multiethnic environment,

along with stereotypes and prejudices create misunderstandings, communication milestones

and discriminatory behavior. School Parliaments representatives

from four Secondary schools lack information on the Law against

discrimination and mechanisms that provide protection from discrimination.

Project objective is increasing youth activism in the field of human rights respect.

Target group are: youth (different gender, ethnic, nationality and confession),

pupils from four Secondary schools in Bor, teachers and school associates who are by nature of their profession in contact with youth and potential discrimination victims.

Through informal education of 20 youth (5 from each school) on peer mediation, informative,

thematic meetings, alternative solving of conflicts/ misunderstandings, published material and media performances and creating Action Plan.

The most significant project results

Educated 20 Secondary school pupils from Bor for peer mediation who implement knowledge and skills in their schools;
Action plan for preventing violence in Secondary schools in Bor;
successfully realized 5 peer mediations;
Network of volunteers presenting a school team in Secondary schools in Bor continues their activities.

Donor (name and ammount of donation)

Small donation programme ”ISKORAK” executed by Zajecar initiative in cooperation

with National endowment for democracy in America ”NED” , 119.150,00 RSD

(Contact person:Danko Nikolić, +381 19 440 225)