Government of the Republic of Serbia
It is our pleasure to present you with the transcripts from the 35th Belgrade Ignite event where active youth presented their inspirational experiences in fighting for an inclusive society.
You are invited to read the texts, comment on them and share them with anyone who might find them useful and interesting.
The high rate of youth unemployment and inactivity in Serbia is cause for concern – as many as 43.4% of young people in Serbia are unemployed.
However, youth contributions to an active approach to one’s own development and social development are invaluable.
Six young people who actively endeavour every day to create a society with equal possibilities for all have, using dynamic five-minute presentations, with interpretation into sign language and in an accessible space, shared ideas on the role of young people in combating prejudice, developing inclusive education, removing obstacles faced by persons with disabilities, caring for the elderly, social entrepreneurship, the promotion of gender equality, etc.
The event was held in cooperation with Serbia in Motion, on Wednesday, 25 May 2016.
Selena Simić: Support women and do not let them give up what they want to do
There will be less discrimination if there are more women playing so-called “male” instruments and if children, when they are very young, are told there are no “male” or “female” instruments, that instruments were made by people for other people. And the category of people, you’ll agree, includes both men and women. Many girls I know gave up playing because they did not have enough support. Therefore I appeal to all of you, if you have in your environment sisters, moms, or female friends who wish to play an unusual instrument or engage in anything that is in some way different – support them and do not let them give up!
My philosophy in life is that a handicap is not in a man, in a person, in an individual, a handicap is in society. It is a prejudice I wish to break through with my humour and activism. I remember an ad for cigarettes with the slogan “No freedom without choice”. I decided that my choice will be not to sit at home, locked up within my four walls, but to get in motion and take a stand for myself and others.
I first enrolled in a special primary school, and my headmaster taught Serbian language, maths, chemistry… all those subjects were taught by one teacher, and in Serbian, not in sign language! How would you feel and would you learn anything if you had to study new materials in Arabic? The ideal education for deaf people is bilingual education – education in sign language and written spoken language. If a class has both deaf students and hearing students, teaching should be in sign language and Serbian written language, and all hearing students should know sign language, so that we could communicate.
Aleksa Živković: Every problem is just a challenge to find a solution
The summer after my graduation I decided to do something with my time and I presented Pirot with the Gofer model. I started with what I had, i.e. the bicycle I won competitions with. I realized that even when charging based on the “pay what you will” principle, it is possible to make decent money: receipt and delivery of medicines, purchasing foodstuffs, paying bills, making doctor’s appointments… Since November 2012 all delivery services are free of charge for citizens older than 70 years of age. I have to say that that winter was the hardest, since I had to sell all of my snowboarding equipment and buy winter cycling equipment, in order to preserve my health. For many people winter, snow and ice are an excuse not to leave the house, while for others they are merely a challenge that has a solution.
Lana Nikolić: Radio: freedom, dedication, responsibility
The best thing about radio is that you, as the host, can just forget about working by yourself. The collective at a radio is composed of the people on both sides of the glass. I am important, as the host, but my quality is reflected in whether I manage to present the work of all the other team members. Because, if everything is going great, it means we have all worked hard.
Kristina Marjanac: Seize the day – start a story and the story will keep you moving!
I did not want to wait for 1 September to start secondary school and see all the clubs I can join. Instead, sometime during June, before enrolment, I visited the website of the school I decided to enrol in and looked through the offer. Just then I decided to join everything, to find out what it is I love. In time, I found myself gravitating towards the Students’ Parliament, secondary school parliamentarianism in general, and working on the activation of secondary school students. I wanted to get in motion, I did not want to lie around all day staring at the ceiling, and thus, from this need to not waste my time, I joined this story.
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