Young People Are Our Driving Force
Young people present their solution to the challenges with air quality in their local community
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Zrenjanin, Serbia, February 2024 – “It’s crucial to talk about air pollution and promote the preservation of clean air because this is vital for raising awareness and mobilizing communities towards action,” explains Marija Darusi, a final-year student at Zrenjanin High School. She recognizes that air pollution is one of the most significant environmental and health issues globally, with children being the most vulnerable. That's why she, along with three of her classmates, Matija Gogic, Nemanja Radulj, and Gavrilo Cabadalj, formed the Need for Green team to contribute to improving air quality for the people of Zrenjanin.
“We were in the Netherlands, which is considered a eco-friendly country. We saw weeds growing from the roofs of bus stops. We remembered that experience from the Netherlands, where they had eco-friendly bus stops. We wanted to implement that concept in our local community,” says Marija.
These hard-working, smart, talented, and environmentally conscious young people seized an opportunity to turn their vision into reality by participating in UNICEF's UPSHIFT workshop. This workshop is a component of the global UPSHIFT program, which integrates social entrepreneurship, innovation, and teamwork to empower young people to address social challenges in their communities.
During the three-day UPSHIFT workshop, they identified the issue of air pollution in Zrenjanin and presented an innovative idea to enhance air quality.
Marija, Matija, Nemanja, and Gavrilo presented their concept of 'breathing bus stops' to the jury and emerged as winners. Subsequently, they secured financial and mentorship support to bring their idea to life.
To transform the vision of eco-friendly bus stops into reality in Zrenjanin, they received assistance from UNICEF and the Kingdom of Sweden. The financial support comes through the joint project 'Partnership for Improved Air Quality in the Western Balkans,' specifically designed to encourage young people to actively participate in addressing local challenges related to climate change and air quality.
“We placed the plants on the roof precisely because they enhance oxygen levels and contribute to the improvement of biodiversity in the city. We selected specific plants to ensure sustainability, aligning with the project's goal. Assistance came from UNICEF, the Swedish government, the city of Zrenjanin, which supported the construction, and Green Decor, which provided the plants,” explains Gavrilo, who also took charge of creating a model for the bus stop.
For Matija, participating in the project has been a new and positive experience that will inspire him to continue with environmental activism.
“We take great pride in ourselves and everyone who warmly embraced our project. We are immensely grateful for all the knowledge gained in this short period. Learning to organize ourselves, work as a team, and implement positive changes in our community has been invaluable. We began with one bus stop, and currently, two are in Zrenjanin, with three more on the way,” he says with pride.
He believes that young people must take a more active role in addressing environmental issues.
“Air pollution leads to numerous premature deaths and has a generally negative impact on the health of all of us. I believe that, in general, young people are not sufficiently interested in the issue of air pollution and are unaware of its magnitude for our environment. Through this project, we aim to motivate young people to engage in our community more actively, participating in any form of activism, not limited to environmental concerns,” says Matija.
Marija emphasizes that winning and successfully implementing the concept of green bus stops is a stepping stone for further environmental activism for her team.
“Overall, I believe we’ve inspired many young people. We were the first team from Zrenjanin High School to apply for UPSHIFT. Following us, two or three more teams applied, with one of them emerging as the winner. Of course, our collaboration with peers didn't stop there. In our Youth Office, we organize creative workshops and forums, educating young people about beneficial and positive habit”, Marija explains.
Nemanja, a mathematician and the artistic soul of the team who also writes poetry, describes his participation in the project as an exciting adventure.
“We share a strong team spirit, being from the same class and knowing each other well. We understand how each of us operates, and when it comes to networking, initiating our project required reaching out to numerous individuals to ensure its success and implementation,” he explains.
Nemanja can now confidently say that he has acquired more knowledge about environmental protection and the consequences of air pollution, and he plans to share this knowledge with his peers.
“After what we accomplished, I can confidently say that the situation in our school has improved. Many students have joined various projects, and they've come up with their own ideas for environmental protection,” Nemanja says.
Air pollution should be talked about, but it's equally crucial to actively work towards its reduction, according to Bojana Prazic, an architect and mentor of the Zrenjanin team. This is why she has nothing but praise for her team's activism.
“They came to UPSHIFT with the idea to green up as many as 30 bus stops in Zrenjanin. My role as a mentor was to bring that into a realistic framework by going through the UPSHIFT methodology. We presented the judges with a realistic budget to green up one bus stop. The most inspiring aspect to me is that they never gave up on the idea of greening up all 30 bus stops. They promptly secured new funds with the support of the local community, applied to other projects, and are currently anticipating funds from Green Ideas. They are taking significant strides toward achieving their goal. Alongside this, they are actively raising awareness among their peers and engaging in meaningful conversations. This highlights that it's not just about money but about motivation, desire, and the perseverance to pursue what we want," says Bojana.
For her, mentoring is a two-way street where everyone learns from each other.
“During the UNICEF training, before we became mentors, we were taught not to impose ourselves but to guide them through a well-established UPSHIFT methodology. So, I didn't have a lot of work; I was more of a supporter,” says Bojana Prazic, mentor of the Need for Green team.
With support, anyone can be like Marija, Matija, Nemanja, and Gavrilo. Anyone can get involved in solving the problem of air pollution – the biggest global health and environmental issue.
“Anyone can succeed if they try because those who never try will never succeed. They won't know what they can actually achieve in their lives and what they can do for their community, their city, and the people living in it,” Nemanja points
