Project description: The project This is Violence Too empowered and affirmed 19 young writers across Serbia who, through their creative work and direct engagement in their communities, contributed to the promotion of gender equality and the fight against gender-based violence. Young writers, some of whom come from smaller communities like Karavukovo, Padina, Kladovo, Velika Plana, and Poljna, wrote short stories about various types of psychological violence in relationships. From this, a collection of short stories titled “This is violence too” was created and published, making it the first collection of short stories about psychological violence in relationships in Serbia. The release of the collection was accompanied by a social media and media campaign seen by over 200,000 people, along with book promotions held in three cities – Novi Sad, Smederevo, and Zrenjanin – with additional supporting programs. In Novi Sad, the promotion included a photo exhibition and a dance performance by two young artists inspired by the collection. In Smederevo, the event featured a panel discussion on psychological violence in relationships and how engaged culture contributes to social change. In Zrenjanin, there was a dramatic mini-play titled “Traces,” based on the collection, performed by youth from the Center for Creative Growth and Multicultural Cooperation in Zrenjanin. Through the preparation of the play, they had the opportunity to learn about and raise awareness of the issue of psychological violence in relationships. The panels regularly included young writers as well as experts in psychology and psychotherapy, especially in recognizing psychological violence in relationships or working with SOS women’s centers. What sets this collection apart from others is that it also serves as a kind of dictionary of psychological violence: at the end of each story, there is an explanation of the type of psychological violence the story addresses, which readers can refer to at the end of the collection. By organizing promotions outside of the usual cultural centers, the project contributed to the decentralization of socially engaged culture and raised awareness among youth in local communities (and the broader public through the campaign) about the issue of psychological violence in relationships, thus promoting gender equality.
Grant amount: 282,705.00 RSD
