Donor: Freedom House and Norwegian People’s Aid
Duration of project: January – December 2003
The “U pravu si!” booklet was created in 2002 by the Youth Group of the Belgrade Centre for Human Rights. The booklet is a practical guide of the Serbian legal system as it relates to the rights and duties of young citizens. It is based on the already existing Citizenship Foundation’s guidebook, “Young Citizen’s Passport,” but adapted to Serbia specifically.The pilot phase in 2002 saw the distribution of 6.000 copies in nearly 130 secondary schools Serbia-wide, and 2003’s second edition saw 95.000 copies, 90.000 of which were distributed free of charge while the remaining 5.000 were used for the future educational projects of the Belgrade Centre for Human Rights and promotions of the booklet. “U pravu si!” promotions, organised in Serbia’s 22 towns, attracted considerable public attention. Supported by around 80 regional and local media stations, the project’s TV and radio ads aired nearly many times.
This phase generated the “U pravu si!” nacional network, made up of some 20 dedicated NGOs Serbia-wide, local media stations, local authority representatives, secondary school directors and teachers, etc.
The revised second edition of the booklet in 2003 was achieved through contributions from more than 20 experts commenting on the first edition, as well as interviews with about 150 pupils, teachers, and psychologists, and a short questionnaire at the end of the first edition. The second edition includes 30 case studies, three new chapters (“Home,” “Nature,” and “Documents”), revisions on the ‘old’ chapters, the addition of the “It happened” sections, and an improved “Contacts” section. The end of the booklet also includes a short dictionary of lesser-known legal terms and a two-page information index. The second edition was distributed to all high schools students of the four-grade in Serbia.
