Naime of the organization: Association for Protection and Promotion of Mental Health in Children and Youth (Open Club)
Place: Niš, Serbia
The Mission: establishing a civic society and development of local community by educating children and the young through various educational and creative workshops and social actions in the fields of tolerance, intercultural and other values
Target groups: children and youth, all citizens
Office address: 18000 Niš, Trg Učitelj Tase Street 2
Tel: +381 (0)18 523 422, +381 (0)18 244 995
Tel/Fax: +381 (0)18 523 422
E-mail: oknis@eunet.yu, oknis@medianis.net
Web Site: http://www.oknis.org.yu
The mission of Association for Protection and Promotion of Mental Health in Children and Couth from Niš is establishing a civic society and development of local community by educating children and the young through various educational and creative workshops and social actions in the fields of tolerance, intercultural and other values.
Association for Protection and Promotion of Mental Health in Children and Youth (founded in October 1996), has been realizing projects that are directly intended for children and youth for eight years already. During that period, over 4.000 youngsters of different cultural, ethnic and social origin, primarily from “risky groups” (incomplete families, refugees and IDP, youth with physical disabilities) were acquiring knowledge and skills of living. Different activities connected with personal development were organized trough various creative and educational workshops, seminars and camps, research, under the supervision and consulting with adults, actions were encouraging in local community for resolving certain problems in it, etc.
Besides, our association developed a partnerships with many NGOs in the city. It became a partner organization within Youth Net of the European Union, that is the net association of youth organizations in EU countries. We also became the local partner who organized official visits of Youth Net officers to our local government institutions, organizing the participation of young people from Niš in the work of international seminars, etc. The most successful projects in the past were “Project for the Children of Yugoslavia” (Open Clubs”); “Youth Bridge of Tolerance” (Bulgaria, Romania and Yugoslavia); “Open TV”, etc.
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From the very beginning our aim has been to offer new skills and knowledge to young people of all ages. But, we also wanted to offer them the experience of joint living in a healthier, more democratic society and to promote their good and creative relationship with the local community. We have never tried to challenge the local community potential and readiness to solve various problems of living. The general idea was to become its partner, not opponent. By using different methods in education (organizing courses as workshops, social activities on the spot, educational and experiential camps etc.), we achieved better results in work with children, youth and their parents.
We have followed the youth needs - so the choice of creative and/or educational workshops did depend on youth interest. Also, through Youth Parliament representatives who mediate between young members of the Association and Executive Board and President of the Association.
Beside good relations with local institutions, we established good connections with many national and international NGOs and foundations. We are the local partner organization of Youth Net, pestalozzi Children’s Foundation, Committee for local initiative from Niš, Center for Children’s Right from Belgrade, etc.
In organizational sense, General Assembley is the top Body of the Association and consists of ten founders plus all adult associates (former and current work-shop/ project leaders), 30 members in totto. The GA elects a President of the Association (four years long term, unlimited numbers of terms) and Executive Board of 3 members.
Important projects that were developed by Association for Protection and Promotion of Mental Health in Children and Youth in past years are:
1. The Project: “The Project for the Children of Yugoslavia”
Location: Nis
Target Group: children, young people
Activity: alternative education, civic education, counselling,
Number of youth served: more than 4.000
Period: 1997-2001 year
Donor(s): Fund for an Open Society Yugoslavia
2. The Project: “School for Parents”
Location: Nis
Target Group: parents with school kids
Activity: education and promotion of good parental skills
Number of youth served: 60 parents
Period: 1997-1998 year, two 9-months periods
Donor(s): Fund for an Open Society Yugoslavia
3. The Project: “Illustrated UN Declaration of Human Rights”
Location: Serbia
Target Group: all citizens
Activity: publishing the special comic book issue on the topic of human rights
Number of youth served: 1 000 copies
Period: 1998 year
Donor(s): UNHCHR
4. The Project: “Open TV”
Location: Nis
Target Group: all citizens
Activity: production and airing specialized programmes in areas of education, culture, NGO policy, civic sector, youth policy, handicapped persons
Number of youth served: area coverage between 2 .000.000 inhabitants
Period: 2000-2001 year
Donor(s): Stewart Mott Foundation
5. The Project: “Youth Bridges of Tolerance”
Location: Nis (Serbia), Vidin (Bulgaria), Kraiova (Romania)
Target Group: young people
Activity: intercultural learning, education in tolerance, camps, round tables, web based data exchange, etc.
Number of youth served: 150 young persons in all three countries
Period: 1999-2001 year
Donor(s): Institute for an Open Society New York
6. The Project: “Human Rights on the Balkans – right to life, liberty, security”
Location: Nis (Serbia), Skopje (Macedonia), Kustendil (Bulgaria)
Target Group: young people in all three countries
Activity: children’s rights investigation, education in implementing and promoting children rights, bulletin, three days long conference in Skopje
Number of youth served: 3 x 20 work shop participants, plus sample of 600 persons (300 children and 300 parents)
Period: 2001-2002 year
Donor(s): Youth Forum, European Union
7. The Project: “Grafity for tolerance - All For One, One For All”
Location: Nis
Target Group: young people 14-25 from Nis, Beograd, Zajecar, Knjazevac, Novi Sad, Vrbas, Subotica, Pljevlja, Bulgaria, Romania,, Hungaria, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Czechoslovakia
Activity: painting expression-graphite and Hip-Hop movment
Number of youth served: 150 young participants
Period: May, 2003 year
Donor(s): Youth NET Fund
8. The Project: “Youth centre”
Location: Nis
Target Group: young people 14-26
Activity: education in Intercultural learning, training for sign language, Computer in Everyday Life, English Debate Workshop, web data exchange etc.
Number of youth served: 200 young participants plus parents
Period: 2003 year
Donor(s): BCYF
9. The Project: “Strengthening the NGO Sector in Sout - East Serbia” (partner)
Location: Southern and Eastern Serbia
Target group: all citizens
Activity: trainings about civil society, human rights, especially the rights of minorities, sexes, and people with special needs, establishing of new NGOs, TV documentaries and live shows.
Number of youth served: 100 000
Period: 2003 - 2005 year
Donor(s): European Commission, EIDH
10. The Project: “Living together”
Location: Nis, Subotica, Vrbas, Zajecar, Kraljevo, Novi Pazar, Uzice
Target Group: young people 14-18
Activity: education in implementing and promoting Intercultural learning, education in tolerance, children rights, camps, web based data exchange etc.
Number of youth served: 400 young participants
Period: 2003 – 2008 year
Donor(s): Pestalozzi Children Village Foundation
11. The Project: “Volunteer Centre”
Location: Nis
Target Group: young people 18-30
Activity: promotion of voluntary work through organization of psycho-social help for children of marginalized groups and realisation of social activities and cooperation with institutions.
Number of youth served: 200
Period: 2005 year
Donor(s): World Bank
12. The Project: “Civil dialogue through mediation”
Location: Nis (Serbia) and Orahovac (Kosovo)
Target Group: young people 14-18
Activity: educational camp with training of non-violent communication and mediation
Number of youth served: 20 young participants
Period: 2006 year
Donor(s): Pestalozzi Children Village Foundation
13. The Project: “Right to Children Rights”
Location: Nis
Target Group: children and adults from four educational institutions of Niš
Activity: training for teachers from four Niš institutions about children’s rights, organization of one-day actions for promotion of children’s rights in each of institutions, and broadcasting of radio show about children’s rights
Number of youth served: 2000 children and pupils from day-care center “Palcic”, Elementary school “Stefan Nemanja”, High-School “Svetozar Markovic” and Home for children and youth “Dusko Radovic”
Period: 2006 year
Donor(s): Pestalozzi Children Village Foundation, CRC programme
14. The Project: “Open Doors”
Location: Nis
Target Group: young people 14-18
Activity: informing young people about work of Nis institutions which are working on protection children’s rights, trough workshops, visit institutions, conversations with theirs representatives and making pamphlet
Number of youth served: 90 young participants
Period: 2006 year
Donor(s): World Bank
15. The Project: “Third Sector Development - a step into future” (partner)
Location: South-East Serbia, Vojvodina and Sandzak
Target Group: MPs, local authorities, NGOs
Activity: meetings of MPs with the members of NGOs, local authorities and entrepeneurs, discussing legal and financial frameworks for preservation of the third sector, TV shows, campaign and conference.
Number of youth served: 350 participants
Period: 2006 – 2007 year
Donor(s): European Agency for Reconstruction
