Aleksandar Mitrovic, Edin Dzeko, Goran Pandev and the region ” Standing Together for Healthy and Safe Community”

Aleksandar Mitrovic, Edin Dzeko, Goran Pandev and the region launched the regional football project “Standing Together for Healthy and Safe Community” whose part our organization also is. We are announcing that the well-known national football team members, who lead or have led the A teams of Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and North Macedonia as captains, will be ambassadors of the project, which we are extremely proud of, especially because of the longtime UNICEF ambassador Edin Dzeko as a project supporter.

– Kids, enjoy traveling, socializing, new equipment – those are great things. Coaches, it is a great chance to exchange experiences and run regional camps together. Excellent regional initiative, support to team of the project “Standing Together for Healthy and Safe Community”. It is a pleasure to be a part of this story with you – says the representative of Serbian national football team Aleksandar Mitrovic.

Captain of Bosnia and Herzegovina national football team and the UNICEF ambassador also has a message for children and youth.

– Sport connects, brings people together, creates friendships for life. I am glad that the project “Standing Together for Healthy and Safe Community” recognized that. My wish for all participants is to take a big steps towards united sports region. Greetings and support in future work – Edin Dzeko points out.

Captain of the football team of North Macedonia also referred to the role of coaches in the education of young people.

– Coaches are the real role model for children and youth and therefore full support for the idea to further improve their knowledge and skills. Entire sports region expects great results from the project “Standing Together for Healthy and Safe Community”. Just bravely go ahead – emphasizes Goran Pandev.

Two-year activity will be realized through the Erasmus+ program of the European Union, and support was provided by many current and former football players from the region: Milan Borjan, Zoran Bambi Tosic, Savo Milosevic, Sasa Zdjelar, Milan Rodic, Nemanja Milunovic, Nemanja Mitrovic, Milan Bisevac, Bosko Jankovic, Dejan Boske Damjanovic and Nikola Gulan.

Project consortium is consisted of actors from the sports, youth and education field from six countries: Serbia, BIH, Croatia, Slovenia, North Macedonia and Turkey, including the first tire football clubs Gorica, Maribor and Pelister, as well as Belgrade’s Graficar and Sloga from Doboj. Youth sector is represented by the project coordinator Development Center for Youth from Belgrade, Trade Union Education Center from Banja Luka and Center for Active Youth from Bitola, while representatives of the educational sector are the Middle East Technical University from Ankara and the University of Ss. Cyril and Methodius from Skopje with experts in sports.

Aim of the project is to revitalize the educational and pedagogical role of sports (football, in this particular case), using the impact that football coaches have on children and youth. We want to develop, test and prepare a module/program for coaches on how to use training and constant work with children and youth in order to bring them closer to other topics of importance for everyday life through sports, which will be piloted through free-of-charge sports camps for younger categories. All of this by combining formal and non-formal education through sports, more precisely football.

Sport is an important channel for the promotion of positive social values, coaches are primarily educators and pedagogues of invaluable importance in the process of growing up and educating children and youth, and sport enables proper psycho-physical development of children. We will equip 25 coaches with knowledge and skills, at least 250 children will pass free football camps and thanks to the important social role of the football, we believe that we will spread a positive and important message to hundreds of thousands of people – concludes project coordinator and program director of Development Center for Youth Aleksandra Knezevic.