Donor: Spanish Agency for International Development cooperation – AECID
Duration of project: 30 January 2009 – 4 June 2010
This project represents a continuation of the BCHR’s long-standing efforts and programmes aimed at helping Serbia’s transition into an open democratic society based on the rule of law, human rights and other values EU membership entails. The project target group comprises high school students in Serbia (age 16-17) and their teachers in order to present them relevant information on democracy, tolerance and EU and overcome general lack of awareness of what rule of law, democratisation and EU membership entails. Join in has been designed as a multi-disciplinary and interactive project, not only in terms of the methodology of transmitting information, but also in terms of the subsequent involvement of the seminar participants in raising the knowledge of others about the issues covered by seminars.BCHR updated and re-printed its publication Pridružimo se (Let’s join), designed and adjusted to the special needs of the target group, containing basic information on the history of EU integration, EU institutions, the functioning of and decision-making in the EU, Serbia’s progress towards EU membership, EU programmes for youth and the aid Serbia is now receiving and can expect from the EU. During the project implementation BCHR organised 25 seminars and workshops for secondary school students (Mladenovac, Subotica, Smederevo, Kikinda, Sremska Mitrovica, Valjevo, Ljig, Ub, Požarevac, Loznica, Priboj, Zrenjanin, Obrenovac , Šabac, Ćuprija, Jagodina, Paraćin, Bečej, Aranđelovac i I, IV, XII, XIV, V, X Belgrade High Schools). Lectures from BCHR and the EU Integration Office combined lectures and workshops at which the participants were able to ask questions and clarify any dilemmas and learn to practically apply the newly acquired knowledge. The towns and municipalities that were covered by the proposed project have been selected based on a thorough research as places where the intervention is mostly needed and that are usually neglected by previous and current similar activities. After the seminars students had opportunity to create their own campaigns, in which they addressed problems and issues that are important in their communities. Trough these campaigns students had chance to take part in a competition and show how they themselves can promote and advocate democratic ideas, tolerance and European values. Members the teams from each of 25 towns and municipalities that have proposed the best ideas for campaigns got small funds to implement their ideas. Final completion will be in Belgrade during April. This final competition will be great opportunity for students to meet their friends trough out Serbia. The students who design and implement the best campaign in their communities at the final competition/ceremony in Belgrade will be awarded, and the wining team will visit Spain in July. Students showed great interest in the project and BCHR received many interesting and innovative campaign proposals in which students proved their creativity and clearly expressed their personal views, involvement and commitment on topics related to those discussed during the seminars.
