"Dečiji centar" Zaječar

The association "Children's Centre" (Dečiji centar) in Zaječar was founded in 2013. Its goal is to create equal opportunities for the development of children and young people, promote democratic values, and empower children and young people to actively and responsibly participate in their community through education and the development of cultural and social skills.
The association has around 100 members and approximately 15 high school volunteers. "Dečiji centar" Zaječar is part of the "Network of Children's Organizations in Serbia." High school students' programs include participating in humanitarian actions, volunteering in support projects for children with disabilities, and various forms of non-formal learning through theatre, rhetoric, acting, movement, media culture, and content production. Our association has implemented numerous projects on topics such as inclusion, gender equality, media literacy, sustainable development, decent work, and democratic values with youth.
The association is continuously engaged in promoting inclusion. We have organized "The International Inclusive Festival of Cultural Creativity for Children and Young People - ART ZONA ZA SVE" six times so far (2016-2021). Every year, the festival brings together about 500 young people from the Balkan region for five days. We have won numerous awards at festivals for plays produced by our association, in which our members' star.
Our donors so far include the Ministry of Youth and Sports in Serbia, the Ministry of Culture and Information in Serbia, "Balkan Catalyst," the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), the Women's Ecumenical Initiative in Croatia, the Iskorak Foundation, the Metamorphosis Foundation in Skopje, the CRTA Organization, the "Autonomous Women's Centre," the Olof Palme Foundation, and the Reconstruction Women's Fund. We have also had 5 Erasmus KA1 projects approved by the National Agency.