Social Enterprises in Belgrade: Fighting Stigmas and Filling the Gaps of Dysfunctional Social Support Systems...

In the beginning of April I was a part of an international group of active people (NGO activists, highschool students, future social entrepreneurs) from Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Macedonia, Albania, Montenegro, Serbia and Czech Republic that met in Belgrade for a study visit to get a peek into the scene of social enterprises in Serbia. In just one day we had a chance to visit and speak to three different social entrepreneurs each having their strong and noble missions to change things in their communities and especially for their target groups. We spoke to the representatives of association 'Naša Kuća', and NGOs 'Atina' and 'Center for Youth Integration' that run socially entrepreneurial entities. Since the law on social enterprises in Serbia came to being literally just now (yet with no tax discounts as such) these entities take a form of limited liability companies and other business forms. Despite all sorts of limitations and challenges we evidenced that the world is still full of good people that work hard and find ways to make this world a better place...

Kathy Bee - A Collector's Tale

Kathy Bee in her own creation. Hostel in Belgrade, Serbia

What's the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear a term "Knitting"? I guess your thought flies not far from boring stuff that only our grandmothers tend to do in a big love to their grandchildren, caring how to keep them warm in cold winters by making a cute pair of gloves or socks. But it's not so easy. There's definitely much more to see in this as old-fashioned perceived hobby. There’s actually a huge industry hidden behind it. The world of knitting and textile - we see it everyday on the urban catwalks [especially in Serbia], but we never really dig in deep how actually the production process of creation of new materials and fulfilment of crazy ideas is happening.

I give myself a chance to dive in deep into the curiosities of textile world and speak with a brand new textile engineer Katharina Bredlich. She's just 24, freshly graduated from North-Rhine University of Applied Sciences [Germany], holding a Bachelor’s degree in textile engineering. We meet in Belgrade, and it's a place, where she did her internship in a knitting company “IVKO” [http://www.ivko-knits.com/en/ - by the way, the promo video is quite impressive] and where she got a job offer to continue her life-long learning experience adding to it a few extra years in the management of textile world...

Summer 2011: Exit Festival, Hostelworld of Belgrade and Other Things

Festival's Tent 'City' in Novi Sad

I've been kind of busy these days and this summer in general. The Internet connection was pretty limited, or better say limited for a long-term private use. Currently I live in a hostel among other people and I have no space or feeling of writing more than 140 signs on Twitter occasionally. So how is it going here so far? 

Here are some flashlights from the summer 2011. Firstly, upon my arrival here I did some volunteering at Exit Festival in Novi Sad. The whole festival experience was pretty new to me  as I never was on a music festival before. This experience included meeting masses of drunk and happy people, waking up every morning in a field of tents, swearing on the sun for being so hot (45 C is not something what can be enjoyed for an unlimited period of time), accidentally meeting current EVS volunteers in Novi Sad, lying on the beach and doing nothing (which kind of annoyed me, but there were not many other options available during the day) and enjoying great music at night (Jamiroquai, Editors, Portishead playing live on Exit this year). I also enjoyed being among the volunteers on the Silent Disco stage that made me feel like being a part of the festival organizing team. However, after being seven days in the nature and at full disposal to the sun I decided to move on to Belgrade.

Road Trippin' in Serbia

© Marta Podniece 'Morning in Belgrade'

The morning starts early. While other bohemians like me are sleeping I'm already leaving this inspiring place located somewhere near the city center of Belgrade, wishing them to have a great time and encouraging to meeting again in the future. Yeah, you know - this White City is something truly mine! I've reached Slavia and just missed the bus. However, the next bus No.31 should come soon and it does. The bus goes in the right direction (out of the city) but that wouldn't be me if I didn't go at least two stops too far. So I did. But it's not a big deal... a morning walk in fresh air should not be taken for granted. I walk to the bridge with blue railings, then walk down the stairs and here in the middle of two roads the 'hitchin' a ride' starts. 

To my amazement I did not have to wait too long, since the first car that saw me stopped and here my journey continues in a little truck driven by a nice old man in direction to Niš with an average speed of 70 km/h. At the start we engage in a lively discussion in a mix of Serbian-Macedonian sentences about how pretty Belgrade is, where we are from and what we are doing in life at this very moment. However, as the journey to Niš is taking quite a long time, after discussion found its' endpoint the journey continues in a silent mode with occasional exchange of cigarettes and short interruptions on themes of unemployment in the country, recycling and cities in Serbia 'you should definitely see before you die'.