I CHOOSE NOT TO BE A VICTIM

European Youth Capital and Autonomous Women’s Centre have mutually organised workshops about violence, intended for the representatives of youth organisations. The seven-hour workshops were organised at the Ešđeg Culture Station.

“Within its programme, OPENS has a story about gender equality. What is important is that this topic should be a part of all fields of work, to be discussed within the daily work with young people, to inform young people and direct them to help. Therefore, we have established cooperation with Autonomous Women’s Centre within the “I Can Not To Want – Love is Not Violence” campaign and we have intended this workshop to those who work with young people. We plan to do with the representatives of schools and pupils after the summer”, Dobrila Marković, OPENS Programme Coordinator Assistant says.

Through two sessions of one-day workshops, the goal of raising awareness of unacceptability of gender-based violence among young people and improvement of prevention, as well as support for those who have suffered has been achieved.

“With the participants, we primarily talk about partnership organisations of young people, about the problems they face and the violent behavioural patterns in partner relationships and manners in which we can be support to young people. The goal is for different actors of society to be ready to act from different angles, when they see violence. We are glad that we have had the chance to cooperate with OPENS, I think it is important to open these topics and give space for learning and exchange. This is important for the participants of the workshop and for young people with whom they will work”, Sanja Pavlović, peer educator of AWC says.

The focus was on the recognition and approach to young people with the experience of gender-based violence or those for whom there is information or doubt that they are violent. Education also opens the topic of sexual harassment.

“I have come as one of the representatives of Youth Work Centre because I want to learn more about how to react to gender-based violence, how to educate young people, mostly pupils of high-schools to fight this problem. Here, we learn about different manners of educating people and how to find out what gender-based violence actually is. We learn how to recognise different forms of violence and to find out how to apply it in life so that we avoid being a victim”, Velimir Milošev, participant of the workshop says.

Serious topics require more time, devotion and work. This is not the end. The workshops about violence will continue throughout the year. Young people will learn how to face and recognise violence and not be victims.