In Rijeka, around 500 children of elementary school age live in poverty, while in Gospić, there are about 1200. Urban poverty is a specific form of poverty that underlines the socioeconomic gap between children. Resolving this complex issue will require different change agents, which implies collaboration between civic organizations, public institutions, the local government, the private sector, and citizens.
Therefore, we are conducting the project in partnership with the City of Rijeka, Rijeka’s Center for Social Welfare, the Kombinat Creative Collective Kombinat, Sweden’s Center for Peace and Conflict Studies, the University of Rijeka, Zagreb’s Institute of Economics, Gospić’s Our Children Organization, the City of Gospić, the Norwegian Fafo Research Foundation, and Rotary Club Rijeka – Holy Vid.
We will carry out various activities during the project’s three years of duration. We will first explore a survey of 140 households with children living in poverty in the Rijeka and Gospić area to determine how families cope with challenges and examine current institutional strategies compared to their actual needs. Based on the insights derived from the results of this research, we will provide the City of Rijeka’s new Development Strategy with new recommendations.
Our central project is to create an intersectoral platform that will connect all significant stakeholders in the struggle against poverty in the City of Rijeka: local authorities, civic organizations, the business sector, social self-services, public institutions such as kindergartens and schools, and the Center for the Culture of Dialogue. One of this platform’s first initiatives will be to connect public and private catering facilities with children in need to organize donations of warm meals, preventing excessive food waste at the local level. High school students from Rijeka will play a significant role in this project, learning how to advocate, implement, and promote the model of donating warm meals in the long run as part of their Civic Education. By volunteering, citizens will directly support children living in poverty through studying aid, interactive workshops (sewing, computer science, creative expression, cooking, and music and acting seminars), and participation in cultural events (visiting cinemas, the theatre, and museums) that otherwise be unavailable to children from families living in poverty.
Besides, expert psychosocial support will be continuously available to children and parents to help them cope with their challenges. You can publicly follow all information about the project’s achievements through social networks and media.
Contact person: Sandra Grozdanov
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/mojemjestopodsuncem
