More than just a game on Zlatibor – the school of true values

As part of the project „Life champions 3.0 – Every child has the right to be a champion“, Development center for youth and the international camp DEKI5, led by our renowned football player Dejan Stanković, have continued to share knowledge, skills, and life experiences with children and young people across Serbia and region, this time on mountain Zlatibor. The first shift of this year’s camp gathers more than 70 boys and girls and runs from june 29 to july 5.

Presentations and lectures focused on developing team spirit, leadership, compassion, respect, perseverance, and fair play, as well as promoting the gender equality. These are values that are important not only on the sports field but also off it. Special emphasis was placed on how to support a teammate, an opponent, a referee, or a fan, and how to build character and contribute to the community through daily actions.

Values promoted by the „Creating Life Champions“ concept were not just theoretical. They were put into practice on the field through numerous activities using sports equipment, all designed to help children adopt these values as healthy life habits and a way of thinking.

“In today’s challenging times, when children are exposed to numerous negative influences, we believe that spreading true values by all actors of relevance is the only right path, and that the sport is one of the best tools for it. Through these types of educational programs and working with children both on and off the field, we offer them the opportunity to grow into stable, responsible, and compassionate individuals who tomorrow will not become a burden to society, but the driver of its development,” said the DC Youth team after the workshops.

In addition to the children, educational activities were also carried out with the coaches present, and through dynamic work and dialogue, everyone received an online certificate from the UEFA Foundation for Children for the course on the topic of safeguarding in sports, because one of our priorities is that children and young people train and work in an environment where they feel accepted, safe and respected.

These activities on the camp are the result of a long-standing successful cooperation that continues to bring smiles to the faces of children and young people year after year. The „Creating Life Champions“ concept has been supported for the third year in a row by the UEFA Foundation for Children. This time, through the project „Life champions 3.0: every child has a right to be a champion“, the Foundation once again recognized the quality and commitment of Development center for youth and international camp DEKI5 in working with the youngest across Serbia and the region.