Let's give citizens space to act

From October to the end of December 2024, 112 activities were held at the Prostor(i)ja community center, which was carried out by 38 civil society organizations with a total of 1,452 beneficiaries. The activities that were carried out were various thematic workshops, trainings, youth exchanges, lectures for citizens, book promotion, the development of a City program for youth, Local consultations on volunteering with civil society organizations, meetings and film screenings. The Prostor(i)ja community center has two new users - the Zakon Teatar art organization, which brings together children, youth and adults in acting workshops and various drama techniques, the Nikola Tesla Association, which conducts workshops and education in the STEM field and popularizes science, and the Athletic Referees Association.

We are especially proud that consultations were held at the Prostor(i)ja community center to develop a Local policy for the development of volunteering in our city, and the Draft City Program for the Youth of Karlovac 2025-2028 was developed through 4 workshops attended by members of the working group and young people. A two-day workshop in the field of volunteer management was held for representatives of CSOs that include volunteers in their work and who design and implement volunteer programs. Our volunteer from Spain held a workshop on cooking traditional Christmas dishes from Catalonia, which attracted a large number of young people interested in intercultural exchange and learning about new cultures. In November, our association Carpe Diem organized an Erasmus + training for youth workers "Building bridges with local community", which aims to educate youth workers from 13 European countries how to include migrants in the community and how to work on creating trust and developing solidarity and empathy. 

Regular activities at the Prostor(i)ja community center include training and tournaments of the Karlovac Chess Club, training of the 4 Rivers Karlovac darts club, parenting support workshops, meetings of various associations, LGBTQI+ meetings, meetings and gatherings of members of national minorities in Karlovac, and activities of the Pensioners' Club. In October, a new season of the National Quiz League began, in which Karlovac high school students participate and which is broadcast live from our community center. In addition to CSOs, the community center is also used by individuals and informal groups of citizens, such as feminists, who regularly hold their activities.

We boldly stepped into the new year 2025 with new ideas and activities, even though we still do not have a complex financial structure. We hope that this way we will be able to attract a larger number of donors so that we can continue to work successfully. 

Links:

• Book promotion organized by Serbian Cultural Society Prosvjeta
• Education "Psychodrama techniques in counseling youth work"
• Partner meeting as part of the Feelin' @Live project

In the past period, 48 civil society organizations held 107 different activities in the community center Prostorija. Activities were carried out for children and youth, adults and the elderly. Activities covered the area of human rights, women's and minority rights, environmental protection and sustainable development, people with disabilities, animal lovers, LGBTQ+, art and culture, organized leisure and sports. In July, we organized an art festival as part of the Karlovac City Day celebration, and we gathered over 300 citizens of all age groups. The festival was held inside the community center and in the entire street in front of the community center, so that we enlivened a part of the city with various artistic and creative workshops, exhibitions, concerts, puppet shows, book evenings and a general knowledge quiz. In the reporting period, 1,554 users participated in activities in the community center Prostorija, and the activities totaled 353 hours.

Links:

• Promo video for ArtiKA Festival
• Chess tournament
• News on the website of the community centre