Essay on bridging gaps in education of Roma wins OSCE Mission to Serbia competition
An essay on bridging gaps in education of Roma youth, jointly written by a Jovana Zjacic, a 23-year-old volunteer at a shelter for homeless children, and Ana Cosic, a German-language teacher from Macvanska Mitrovica, was selected as the winner of a competition organized by the OSCE Mission to Serbia on the role of youth in the implementation of the OSCE’s human dimension commitments, on 7 September 2016 in Belgrade.
Among many entries exploring topics such as political participation, the rights of youth and vulnerable groups, and challenges becoming independent, the winning essay distinguished itself by advocating an innovative approach in tackling gaps in the educational system with regard to Roma children, while at the same time promoting the benefits of volunteering.
“More often than not, there is a gap between practical knowledge and knowledge obtained during primary education. In this essay, my colleague and I focused on practical methods to overcome that gap,” said Zjacic.
Cosic added: “Young people are able to contribute to changes in their societies and their ideas can be tremendously influential. What we need to do is co-operate, unselfishly share knowledge and enthusiastically move to action.”
The OSCE Mission to Serbia launched the competition in May this year to promote, educate and inspire reflections among young men and women in Serbia on the OSCE key human dimension commitments. The selection panel, composed of representatives of the OSCE Mission to Serbia, the Serbian Ministry of Youth and Sports, the National Youth Council of Serbia and a Law Faculty professor, selected the essay through a blind review process.
The authors of the winning essay will have an opportunity to partake in the largest annual human dimension OSCE event in Warsaw, the Human Dimension Implementation Meeting (HDIM), where they will present their ideas at a side event devoted to youth inclusion, convened by the OSCE Chairmanship-in-Office Special Representatives on Youth and Security.
The winning essay is available here at: //www.osce.org/serbia/263381