PRINCETON BRIDGE YEAR PROGRAM IN SERBIA in partnership with World Learning The program outlined in this document is subject to change according to practical realities within Serbia as well as the particular interests of participants. This flexibility allows the Bridge Year cohort to move at its own pace, to be responsive to personal and group interests, and to take advantage of the learning opportunities that result from unexpected events.
Bridge Year Program in Serbia in partnership with World Learning V olunteers in Serbia engage in community service in two cities during their Bridge Year. In the first phase of the program, from September through December, participants are based in the city of Novi Sad, located on the Danube River in the northwestern part of the country. While in Novi Sad, volunteers serve in organizations that focus on youth empowerment in areas related to multiculturalism, inclusion, and tolerance. In early January, participants move from Novi Sad to Niš, the administrative, commercial, and cultural center of the Southeast. While in Niš, volunteers assist organizations that respond in various ways to the needs of Serbia s Roma population. Arrival and Orientation Upon arrival at the Belgrade airport, Bridge Year volunteers take a one and a half-hour bus ride to Novi Sad, where the group begins an eight-day orientation program. During these first few days, participants become acquainted with the city, as well as with Serbian culture, history, and socio-political context. Orientation sessions introduce volunteers to the social issues facing youth in Novi Sad and to the organizations that offer Bridge Year service placements. There is also time for participants to get to know on-site staff, share expectations and concerns, and set specific goals for the year ahead. A similar orientation is held in January, just prior to beginning the second phase of the Bridge Year program. This four-day orientation, held in Niš, helps volunteers to become familiar with their new home, as well as the issues facing Serbia s Roma population.
Homestay Program participants live with Serbian families in both Novi Sad and Niš, providing a unique opportunity to practice language skills, establish relationships, and integrate more fully into local society. Volunteers can expect comfortable but modest accommodations. One volunteer is placed per home and each individual can expect his or her own bedroom, furnished with a bed, a desk, a chair, and a wardrobe for clothing. While most meals are taken with the host family, stipends are provided for weekday lunches while Bridge Year participants engage in service assignments. Language Instruction During the orientation period in Novi Sad, intensive language training is provided by instructors from the Center for Serbian as a Foreign Language at Novi Sad University. Following orientation, language instruction continues at the University four mornings each week, two hours per day, until participants depart for Niš. Students continue with language instructions in Niš, in the Britannica Center for Languages until the end of the program. Although pronunciation is phonetic, Serbian grammar is quite complex and Bridge Year volunteers can expect to be challenged by learning the language. To maximize learning, participants need to complete daily homework assignments, as well as take advantage of every opportunity to speak Serbian, both in and out of the homestay. The use and knowledge of Serbian is particularly important in Niš, where the staff of service organizations generally is not fluent in English. Volunteers have ample opportunity for practicing and honing language skills through their homestay experience, community service work, and other personal relationships. 2
Service Placement During the first phase of the Bridge Year program, volunteers are placed in organizations working with youth in and around Novi Sad. Participants spend about six hours per day, five days per week, engaged in service. Travel time to and from placement sites varies, but should take no more than 20 minutes by public transport or walking. In each organization, a staff mentor is assigned to the volunteer, providing continuous support and guidance throughout the service assignment. Below is a list of host organizations providing service assignments where participants may be placed in Novi Sad. This list is not comprehensive. It simply provides examples of the types of service assignments offered by partner organizations. Omladina JAZAS-a Novi Sad (www.sida.org.rs) is a dynamic and active youthbased NGO that raises awareness about HIV/AIDS through public awareness campaigns, seminars for high school students, and other outreach work. Volunteers at JAZAS work in a supportive atmosphere where they encourage and teach youth to take initiative, be responsible, work diligently and promote diversity and acceptance. Crna Kuca 13 (www.ck13.org) is a cultural and educational gathering place that hosts events aimed at engaging young people in social issues. These events benefit from the center s state-of-the-art sound system and facilities and include concerts, film screenings, photography exhibitions and public discussions. Additionally, various community-based organizations use the space to organize and carry out activities. Volunteers with lots of ideas for different kinds of workshops and activities especially those related to art, writing, radio (there is functioning radio equipment), and music and who are motivated to implement projects on their own excel at CK13. Volunteer Center of Vojvodina (VCV) (www.volontiraj.rs) focuses on youth volunteering, environmentalism, and peace activism. The organization has a very democratic structure and the activities of its members vary depending on their skills, interest, and motivation. VCV volunteer projects include working in public relations for the organization along with organizing camps and environmentally-focused activities of various sizes. 3
Vivisectfest (www.vivisectfest.org) was founded in Novi Sad to bring greater awareness to issues of human rights and dignity. Through various activities, including an annual human rights festival, the organization works to provide an educational and artistic forum highlighting cases of discrimination and abuse. Volunteers can expect to engage in a variety of activities including research and screening documentaries. Creativity and initiative are important. CZOR Center for Youth Work (www.czor.org) helps to empower young people through a variety of educational programs, leadership workshops, volunteer service opportunities, and advocacy initiatives. The organization works in three different areas: youth education, youth work, and youth policy. Programs focus mostly on youth aged 18 to 30, ranging from Roma youth education to volunteer and advocacy training to working with youth with mental illnesses. Volunteers help with writing project proposals, applications for funding, organizing workshops, and participating in public actions. During the second phase of the Bridge Year program, volunteers assist organizations in and around Niš that serve the local Roma population. Participants spend about five hours per day, five days per week, engaged in service. Travel time to and from placement sites varies, but should take no more than twenty minutes by public transport. In each organization, a staff mentor is assigned to the volunteer, providing continuous support and guidance throughout the service assignment. Below is a list of host organizations providing service assignments where participants may be placed in Niš. This list is not comprehensive. It simply provides examples of the types of service assignments offered by partner organizations. Humanitarno Udruzenje Roma (HUR) was established more than ten years ago as a humanitarian organization, but has evolved to take on broader social and economic issues. The organization runs a number of programs for Roma youth including afterschool and weekend programs for students at a high risk of dropping out. HUR is also involved in health promotion, human rights advocacy, and vocational training. Students range from six years old to fifteen, and the school is always busy with workers, volunteers, and students. Volunteers can work within any of the existing classes or programs as well as initiate new ones. 4
Zenski Prostor (Women's Space) is an organization that has existed since 1998 to empower marginalized women. The organization targets women who live in Roma settlements in Niš and other cities who face poor living conditions resulting from poverty, lack of education, racism and segregation. Zenski Prostor works to build capacity among Roma women to help them more fully participate in all aspects of Serbian society. The organization also advocates for greater political participation and promotes greater economic independence and equality for Roma and other marginalized women. The YUROM Center coordinates Roma advocacy efforts on the local and national level, in conjunction with the Decade of Roma Inclusion. The organization is run by Osman Balic, a notable figure in the Roma community in both Niš and Serbia, who is very involved and connected in the process of Roma integration and community improvement. YUROM Center s goals include public advocacy of Roma issues, creation and implementation of integration models, creating cultural and statistical databases, poverty reduction through a variety of programs, community monitoring, and various other forms of activism. Much of the work at YUROM is office-based. Club for Youth Empowerment 018 is an NGO that focuses on capacity building of youth, the rights of women and children, and the inclusion of minority groups in Serbian society particularly the Roma. The organization also promotes intercultural dialogue and EU integration. To meet its objectives, 018 uses peer education programs, conferences, lectures, youth exchanges, cultural clubs, and research. Volunteers spend a lot of time in the field, interacting with Serbian high school students, participating in peer education programs concerning public health and diversity, and creating their own projects. OSVIT (www.osvit.org) is an organization dedicated to the emancipation and social affirmation of Roma women and children through their involvement in community, social, economic, educational, health, cultural, and informational threads. More specifically, OSVIT works to increase awareness of the rights of Roma women in the Niš district and to empower Roma women to more actively participate in their local communities. 5
Bridge Year Offices On-site staff operates out of shared office space in both Novi Sad and Niš. The office in Novi Sad is shared with the local NGO Center for Trauma, while in Niš the office is located within the Regional Teacher s Training Center. Participants meet at the Bridge Year office on a weekly basis to share their experiences and reflect on their service work and cultural immersion. The office space includes a conference room that serves as a venue for discussions and presentations on a variety of cultural and social topics. Cultural Enrichment Activities Students in Serbia engage in a variety of activities that are aimed at adding texture to the Bridge Year experience. While in Novi Sad these include weekend fieldtrips to points of cultural interest, including the nearby city of Subotica; various medieval Serbian orthodox monasteries scattered throughout the Fruska Gora hills; Palic Lake, a nature park near Novi Sad; and Dundjerski castle in Becej and its royal horse stables. Meanwhile in Niš, students attend Roma music events and Serbian saints day festivals; participate in events organized by local NGO s; and visit therapeutic hot springs, the town of Kursumlija, and the striking rock formations at Devil s Town. Over the course of the program, students also partake in longer excursions. The first of these is to Belgrade, Serbia s vibrant capital city. In Belgrade, students attend interactive presentations about post-conflict transformation in Serbia and meet with political and social change leaders. They also visit local and national organizations of interest along with cultural and historic sites such as the ancient fortress Kalemegdan. Belgrade also offers a wide selection of theater, art, and music events. Later in the year, students travel to the neighboring country of Macedonia, where they visit Suto Orizari, the largest settled Roma community in the Balkans. Group Service Project During the first two weeks of May, volunteers travel to the high mountain region near the borders of Montenegro, Kosovo, and Albania to take part in a project to promote environmental conservation, stimulate local employment and develop sustainable 6
tourism. Bridge Year volunteers gain exposure to local highland culture and the way of life that this cross-border project aims to preserve. Program Wrap Up Bridge Year participants conclude their program on the scenic Croatian coast. During this one-week program wrap-up, students identify, examine and assimilate the lessons learned from their nine-month experience in Serbia. They also have an opportunity to reflect on their return home, their goals for the future and the ways in which they can best integrate their experience into their daily life in Princeton. 7