Our facility is a starting-point for educational and recreational activities to stimulate and entertain refugees living in Belgrade, in the aim of: mitigating feelings of restlessness and frustration that stem from living in camp conditions; facilitating integration into Serbia and the rest of Europe; and reducing the learning gap. By recruiting volunteers from relevant faculties at universities throughout Belgrade, we offer students a bridge to Serbian culture and society, encouraging integration. Further to organized classes, the Workshop hosts photography, creative writing and other workshops, which receive wide interest from students. Cultural excursions have also been popular, including visits to museums within Belgrade.

 

The Workshop currently provides support to two refugee demographics within Serbia, those eligible to be enrolled in the Serbian school system, and those who are not. Our largest demographic are students who are not enrolled in full-time education: for the 2018 academic school year, only 12% of 14-18 year-old refugees are enrolled in school. For these beneficiaries our focus has been on developing language skills - English, German and/or Serbian - as well as providing the opportunity for skills building through classes and workshops (e.g. IT,CV writing and cultural workshops); developing a cultural understanding of the education system in Europe to either prepare for future university education or to develop language skills for future use.