I am Marina Rangelov (17) from Kovilj. I am currently in my third year of studying Japanese at the Karlovci Gymnasium. I plan to study marketing at the Faculty of Economics in Novi Sad. I am a member of the Novi Sad book exchange organization and have participated in several feminist gatherings, contributing to texts published in the media. I have attended lectures by Igor Jurić, whose activism I greatly respect, and these lectures opened my eyes to various societal problems that I was previously unaware of. Although I do not have extensive experience in activism, I believe that interest and commitment to making a change in my surroundings are more important than the length of experience. One of my significant achievements is participating in the youth club Fake no More, through which I am currently developing a project with young people from Prizren, focusing on commonalities between us and young people from Kosovo. As part of this project, I attended lectures in Novi Sad on stereotypes, prejudices, and hate speech. Through Heartefact’s program, I aim to provide assistance to young people who lack access to adequate help and are unsure where to turn with their problems. Through Heartefact’s program, I want to address the issue of peer violence and its impact on the mental health of students by forming support groups for them. Having a deep understanding of the effects of violence on children, I aspire to help others realize that they are not alone in dealing with trauma. This topic is not sufficiently discussed, and there is a lack of societal awareness about how violence affects an individual’s later life.
