📝 Detailed information
🏢 About the local organisation
The local partner organization Grupa Kobra has put a lot of effort in the past years in developing and improving life conditions of its small community concerning its environmental protection and encouraging youth activism in this rural area. It is a group of 11 young people that got active since 2007, when they realized that if they do not do something for their village and for themselves, no one will. Although young, they received twice an award for their activities from the Ministry for Youth. It has been eight years that they organize international workcamps with the aim to familiarize the local young people with their peers from other countries as they do not have opportunities to travel. It is simply phenomenal, but during the workcamp, 100 of the local community (all 350 of them) get involved in one way or another, whether is for working with the volunteers, baking pies, organizing excursions, or simply hanging out or welcoming the volunteers at the station. In the past workcamps they turned an illegal dump into a children s park, they created a small resort with a beach volleyball terrain, reconstructed and repaired an abandoned cultural center. Gatherings and activities together with the local youth are essential to this workcamp, the hosts would use the opportunity to present their local community, tradition and customs and, together with the participants of the camp, to encourage rural development, youth mobility and intercultural understanding. This will be 9th international work camp in Donja Toponica.
💼 What the programme involves
There will be different art workshops on the subjects of tolerance, equality and differences. Using their creativity through drawing posters, making photos and making videos they will cover issues related to the No hate speech campaign and promote the equal opportunities for everyone without discrimination. We want to trigger about respect and understanding between participants in the camp and between participants and local youth. After the camp the volunteers will be the ambassadors that disseminate the importance of this idea further in their circles. Participants will learn on the subject of differences in general. They will create posters and a video that will be used for the promotion of the idea off the No hate speech , about understanding and valuing diversity. Finally, they will prepare the exhibition of their work.
🏠 Accommodation on site
Participants will be accommodated in a local public building that has been renovated by the hosting organization and turned into a local cultural centre. They will sleep on mattresses and in sleeping bags (no need to bring). Food will be prepared by the host. In the Cultural Centre there are kitchen, three toilets, a shower and one hall for leisure time. It is located in the centre of the village of Donja Toponica, next to the bus station.
📍 About the location
Donja Toponica (15 km from Nis) is a village of merely 350 inhabitants, situated very close to Nis, one of the biggest cities of Serbia. There will be organized a visit to the historical sites in the city of Nis (the birth place of the Constantine the Great) and an excursion to the countryside, to our local partner Zoo Planet and their animals and they will have a chance to ride a horse if they want. It will be possible to spend one entire day for sport or other activities with local youth according to the preferences of the participants.Airport: Belgrade, Nis, Sofia (BGR)
⚠️ Requirements
It is expected from participants to be creative and team players and to bring their smart mobile phones or photo cameras for the part of making photos and videos. It is possible to have vegetarian meals. They should be nature and village lovers.
ℹ️ Additional information
Participation fee: 120 EUR used for obtaining qualified coordinators for teen groups.