27/05/2022

Education and training of young people within the project “Environmental response to mining expansion in Timočka Krajina”

The Association “Za Drinking Fountains“ from Zaječar in cooperation with the Civic Library “Evropa” Bor, the Association of Young Researchers Bor, Civic Library “Europe” Bor and Children’s Center Zajecar, is implementing a two-year project “Environmental response to mining expansion in Timok Krajina” with EU financial support. One of the most important goals of the project is to increase the awareness of everyone, especially children and young people about environmental protection, the effects of pollutants, accidents, but also the benefits of adopting and applying European practices. Therefore, through project activities, young people will be empowered through a range of creative and educational activities to launch initiatives to solve problems and participate in the adoption of public policy documents.

The first of several workshops for young people within this project was organized on May 19th, 2022. About 20 high school students from Bor, Zajecar and other cities in the Timok region attended the training on investigative journalism applied in the field of ecology.

Introductory address to young people and discussion on environmental issues had with the associate of the “Children’s Center” Zajecar, Marija Sebic, who wanted to find out through the survey how close the field of ecology is.

Dušan Vojvodić, a journalist with many years of research experience and numerous awards for films from various social fields, including environmental ones, shared his experiences with young people in order to motivate them to know that things depend on them that can affect and change them. In an interactive conversation, he taught them the skills of how to first check certain information, and then place it in order to encourage a wider corps of people, media, NGOs or those responsible to react.

The association “Children’s Center,” as part of a project, is preparing two inclusive children’s plays in collaboration with its young associates and the association “L DOWN.” The theme of the children’s plays will focus on youth and their understanding of environmental issues, as well as their attitudes related to the protection of air and water. The plays, titled “Bestow a Breath” and “Boy from the Water,” will have their premiere during Festival Evenings scheduled for August. Selena Ristić Vitomirović, the director of the “Children’s Center,” says that the impact of art on the audience’s awareness is challenging to measure, but it presents a greater challenge for this work with young people.

According to the organizers, the next activity for high school students within the project “Environmental response to mining expansion in Timočka Krajina” is training in the field of digital activism and work on social networks, which will be organized by the end of this school year. After this workshop, young people will have activities for three weeks to identify environmental problems in their environment and inform the public about them through social networks.

Through workshops and trainings, young people as participants in the project “Environmental response to mining expansion in Timočka Krajina ” will gain knowledge that will help them respond more successfully to new roles, in accordance with the requirements of sustainable development, taking into account the needs of different groups in their environment.

Association “Za Drinking Fountains”

This text was produced within the project “Environmental response to mining expansion in Timočka Krajina” funded by the European Union, and implemented by the Association “Za Drinking Fountains”, the Association of Young Researchers Bor, Civic Library “Europe” Bor and Children’s Center Zaječar. The content of the text is entirely responsibility of these associations and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.