07/06/2023

Environmental workshops for high school students within the project “Environmental response to mining expansion in Timočka Krajina”

High school students from Bor and Zaječar, about twenty of them, had the opportunity to discuss the Constitution of Serbia and human rights in the field of the environment during an environmental workshop in Zaječar, as well as to visit sites that are examples of environmental problems in Timočka Krajina. This is the first of five planned ecological workshops within the project “Environmental response to mining expansion in Timočka Krajina” financed by the EU and implemented by the Association “Za Drinking Fountains”, Association of Young researchers Bor, Civic Library “Europe” Bor and Children’s Center Zaječar.

The connection between ecology and human rights was the topic of the first workshop, which gathered young people from the Technical School in Bor and the Medical School in Zaječar at the premises of the Children’s Center in Zaječar. Through examples of mining expansion in Bor, as well as the destruction of the environment in which the people in the basin of Timok River live, Marija Sebić, an associate of the Children’s Center, tried to develop critical thinking among young people.

In addition to the thematic discussion, the high school students had the opportunity to watch two documentaries produced by “Za media” that show the disastrous effect of the polluted Borska River on the Timok River, as well as the story of the Rgotsko Lake. This lake has not been recultivated half a century after the quartz sand exploitation stopped.

After completing the theoretical part, the young people went on a tour of the Borska River and Rgotsko Lake. In the village of Vražogrnac, the
young people were able to see the industrial pollution that the Borska River carries into other rivers. Apart from mining pollution, which is visible on the coast as yellow soil, they saw how muddy this river is, has an unpleasant metallic smell, and is not spared from municipal waste
either. Arriving at Rgotsko Lake was a pleasant experience for everyone because of the beautiful color of the water surface and clear water as well. However, the knowledge that the lake is actually still an uncultivated quartz sand mining pit, started the young people to think about it.

Education of young people is an important part of the project “Environmental response in Timočka Krajina”. Boban Pogarčić from the Association “Za Drinking Fountains” says that the aim of the planned workshops is that young people become familiar with industrial
activities in our area and also to comprehend that our natural beauties are in great danger. That is why people need to understand the importance of environmental protection. During the next environmental workshops until the end of this year, high school students
will visit mining pits in Bor, river basins around Bor and Zaječar, as well as places of natural beauty in the area such as Lazarus Canyon and others.

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.