Among the 12 teams of high school students from all over Serbia that participated in the “Lighthouse of Knowledge” competition, 17-year-old Teodora Bogdanović from Niš was the most successful. Her project “I follow my own path”, whose goal is to support children without parental care to become independent, was declared the best.
“The project is intended for children without parental care who are in the Home or foster families and are between 15 and 17 years old. Why exactly between 15 and 17, because after 18 they leave the social protection system and are left to fend for themselves. The problem is inadequate preparation and support, so they often have a hard time getting to work. That’s why we want to support them so that they can manage better when they leave the system,” explains Teodora.
She received information from the Center for Family Accommodation and Adoption in Niš that there are 33 such children in Niš and that she believes that this type of education and support that her project provides will mean a lot to them.
As the winner, Teodora received 300,000 dinars for the project “I follow my own path” in the competition, and she says that it will be launched in January next year.
“The project consists of three phases. In the first phase, “Peers to Peers”, peer educators will be trained who will later give them workshops on marketing and programming. In the second phase, “A Place for Dreamers”, experienced mentors and educators will work with children without parental care who will also hold workshops on financial literacy, CV writing, public speaking and others. In the third phase, the plan is to get them socially involved and integrated, so they will visit various places and go on trips,” explains Teodora.
The public presentation of the winning project will take place on Monday, 19 February from 18:00.
Location: No Limit Hub, Kralja Stefana Prvovenčanigo 16/7, Niš.
Entrance is free for all interested.
See you in Niš!
