My project to create positive change in my environment. How can I foster  sustainable  development in my community?
(Original)

Jelena Rajcevic
(Age 24, Serbia)

During the last eighteen years Serbian community has been affected by the great political affairs, dictatorship, NATO bombing, wars in the region, refugees. Citizens are dealing with the consequences and traces of the previous period. The lack of tolerance and understanding among the people is raising, especially towards the ethnic, national and other minorities in our country.

My project, called Troops For Tolerance Against Ignorance is based on the fact that tolerance and understanding must be taught and spread among the young people at the local levels of the community and then it will go further. My plan is to create the teams ('troops ') of young volunteers at the schools or youth organizations who will participate in creative groups and its programmes. Members of these groups belong to different cultures, ethnic groups, nationality, etc., above all, they are different individuals with their own ideas and can show their suggestions and plans for development of tolerance and good relationships among the members of our community. They can express their creativity and thoughts here because young people are often underestimated and not supported by adults who explain it for not having enough experience and years of life. They will participate in many activities, such as performances for humanitarian purposes.

The first plan for this groups is 'switching the roles'. During the some period they will switch their roles, do the tasks in different role (for example, different ethnic group) than their own. Sometimes the tasks go above the limits of the work of group, for example, if they have to introduce themselves and do things in the real- life occasions in different role, they have to fulfill that task as better as possible. The main point of this 'switching the roles' is that young people must experience how is to be in someone else's skin, and through the experience to learn the way of thinking, feeling, experiencing of the other person. Until one walks in someone else's shoes he/she will not understand their point of view. The aim of these tasks is broadening the perspectives of our own, ability to see the world in other person's view so that we can understand each other and tolerate differences among us. Also all the collaborative families and individuals who are interested in supporting this project, willing to receive young woman or man , for a certain period of time, who belongs to different culture, ethnic group etc., can be included in the programme of friendship  introducing them their culture, life, way of thinking. This is mutual treasure for building connections and bridges among people. Firstly, this project based on the local level, can develop further and to the global level as well. It can develop through the public campaigns supported by the government, world organizations. The performances which include the members of youth, on the global level can include the famous actors and actresses, people in cultural and public life in the country. The programme of friendship can contain also the families in the neighboring countries in the region.

Youth groups can contribute in many issues and in creating other projects. That is the case with the project-anti-drug campaign. This project is based, firstly on the local level, the education of young people about the drugs, the consequences of drug abuse, awareness of this problematic issue. The acquired knowledge of the youth in the groups is spreading through their teaching to new members, classmates and with their activities and campaigns. And this continuous flow has the idea:

Don't Let Your Tommorow Be Sorrow
Life
Is The Only Thing
You Cannot  Borrow or Lend.
Please Send This Message To Your Friend.
Be A Friend.
Stop  Drugs.

The programme of this project includes also the performances of young people where all collected funds go for drug rehabilitation. The performance is used to the certain extent as the shock therapy for audience, based on the confessions of the ex-drug addicts. At the beginning there are no actors, only the shadows made by the lights  representing the souls of dead drug addicts and the voices uttered by youth performers. Symbolic meaning is to show the fatal score- death. The second scene-short movie made at the cemetery because a great number of addicts died, there are no friends because they lost their trust, only the silence, drug takes everything. Third scene, made by the real ex- drug addicts, willing to participate in this programme publicly, ready to answer on many questions of the audience. This project can be spread on the global level, similarly to the first project.