Voices from the Margins – Seminar for Human Rights Defenders in Serbia Held

News

From April 24 to 27, 2025, the first seminar of the “Voices from the Margins” program was held in Ub, Serbia. The program aims to empower emerging human rights defenders from local communities across the country. The seminar brought together eleven participants from various cities and communities who, over an intensive four-day program, had the opportunity to strengthen their capacities for human rights work through lectures, workshops, and discussions. Participants came from Niš, Arilje, Sjenica, Prijepolje, Opovo, Kraljevo, Lučani, Belgrade, Novi Sad, and other places.

The seminar covered key topics in the field of human rights and protection mechanisms, founding and managing organizations, project writing and fundraising, as well as the challenges faced by local-level activists. Special focus was placed on identifying personal motivations for activism and defining the areas in which participants wish to be active in the future.

The educational program was led by prominent mentors from the fields of human rights, the arts, and organizational development: Goran Miletić (longtime human rights activist), Nevena Negojević (Lead of the Heartefact Foundation), Tara Manić (theater director), Kaća Dimitrijević (Fakiri sa juga, AKC Gnezdo), and Slađana Petrović Varagić (Filmart, Interakcije).

One of the program participants, Katarina Plazonić from the organization Orhideja, shared her impressions: “I believe that in my future work, and in the work of my organization Orhideja, the skills related to project writing will be of great importance, as well as practical advice on whom we can reach out to for support and who can be our partners along the way. Also, what is truly important are the connections we made during the project with other participants – we connected with young people doing similar work, but I also became familiar with the problems faced by people who are not necessarily the target groups of my organization. I gained a broader insight into the situation in our society, and I believe that this network will continue to grow in the future – that, for me, is the main value of this project.”

Tara Manić added: “As the mentor of the full-day workshop, I focused on articulating social issues through the experiences of a new generation of activists. Through specific exercises, participants got to know each other better, shared their experiences and personal motivations for engaging in activism, and gained a deeper understanding of others’ different perspectives and problems. Thanks to the openness of the participants, I had the opportunity to meet a new, promising generation of future activists who will shape Serbian society going forward. During the workshop, the participants successfully began articulating two issues – and in the coming period, Hartefakt will design and implement two advocacy campaigns that will build participants’ capacities while enabling them to independently design, participate in, and lead the campaigns – which was the core purpose of this workshop.”

The “Voices from the Margins” program is designed to increase understanding and support for human rights advocacy for marginalized communities among key social and political stakeholders in Serbia. A special emphasis is placed on empowering less experienced activists and supporting newly established local organizations working in the field of human rights.

The project “Voices from the Margins” was supported by the National interventions grant of the “SMART Balkans – Civil Society for Shared Society in the Western Balkans” regional project implemented by Centar za promociju civilnog društva (CPCD), Center for Research and Policy Making (CRPM) and Institute for Democracy and Mediation (IDM) and financially supported by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (NMFA).

YOU CAN WATCH THE VIDEO MATERIAL AND INTERVIEWS WITH THE PARTICIPANTS ON OUR SOCIAL MEDIA AT THE FOLLOWING LINKS:

VIDEO 1 – When did you feel like you were on the margins? – A conversation with the participants

VIDEO 2 – Life of Women in Rural Areas – An Interview with Ana Stanišić

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Exhibition of Personal Stories from Marginalized Communities “There’s Room for Everyone” Opened at Heartefact House

The exhibition “There’s Room for Everyone”, part of the campaign of the same name, was officially opened on Thursday, September 4, in the lobby of Heartefact House and will be available to visitors until the end of September. Photographs of various marginalized communities in Serbia, staged inside an elevator, are accompanied by personal testimonies of participants, highlighting that diversity should not be a reason for exclusion, but rather an opportunity for solidarity.

Students from Serbia visited the Short Theatre Festival in Rome within the European project Fabulamundi – New Voices

As part of the final phase of the European project Fabulamundi – New Voices, in which Heartefact and partners from about ten countries have been participating over the past two and a half years, we organized a visit of students from Serbia to the partner festival Short Theatre in Rome. The visit took place from September 5 to 7, during the 20th anniversary edition of this renowned festival.

The project “Culture for Development” announces to the public the names of the projects that received support within the first call!

The grants for cultural and artistic projects are awarded for the development and implementation of socially relevant contemporary art projects that contribute to the enrichment of culture and promote diversity in artistic practices and expressions, address critical social issues, and encourage community development.

Young Artists and Activists from Serbia Visited Festivals in Pristina and Prizren as Part of Heartefact’s Visiting Program

As part of Heartefact’s Kosovo–Serbia Visiting Program, we organized a visit in early August to festivals in Pristina and Prizren for a group of young artists and activists from Serbia. During the visit, the participants had the opportunity to attend three major cultural events in Kosovo – the 24th edition of the DokuFest International Documentary Film Festival in Prizren, the 6th edition of the Sunny Hill music festival in Pristina, and the 5th edition of the Autostrada Biennale, an international contemporary art festival.

OPEN CALL: GRANTS FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF ON-THE-JOB TRAINING AND CAPACITY BUILDING (REPUBLIC OF NORTH MACEDONIA)

Public presentation of the play Doughnuts held as part of the New Voices workshop

On Sunday, July 6, a public presentation of the play Doughnuts (Buhtle) was held at Heartefact House, marking the conclusion of the four-day Playground for New Voices workshop. The workshop took place within the European project Fabulamundi: New Voices, which Heartefact implements with partners from nine European countries. It was led by director and playwright Patrik Lazić, in collaboration with emerging playwright Jelena Krdžavac, the acting ensemble, and translator Olja Petronić.

Exploring and developing contemporary drama through process: Doughnuts by Jelena Krdžavac in the spotlight of the Playground workshop

As part of the Fabulamundi project, implemented by Heartefact in collaboration with partners from nine European countries, the Playground workshop is taking place in Belgrade from July 3 to 6. Led by director and playwright Patrik Lazić, the workshop brings together a cast of actors and emerging playwright Jelena Krdžavac to explore and further develop her play Doughnuts (Buhtle), which was shortlisted in last year’s Heartefact Competition for Best Contemporary Socially Engaged Drama.

Culture for Democracy: Supported Projects within the Call for Cultural and Artistic Project Implementation in Serbia

An exceptional response—totaling 273 applications—reflects the critical position of the cultural sector in Serbia in the context of the current political and social climate. Based on the Commission’s evaluation, 22 projects have been selected for support, with a total budget of 21,500,000.00 RSD. Although this amount exceeds the originally planned budget for this call, we believe that, amid the ongoing crisis and with public calls for cultural funding either canceled or indefinitely postponed, such support is more necessary than ever.

Artistic Residency and Public Presentation of Gaelle Axelbrun’s Play Held as Part of the Playground Project

From June 22 to 28, 2025, an artistic residency of French playwright Gaelle Axelbrun took place at Heartefact House in Belgrade, as part of the European project Playground. During this intensive seven-day working period, Gaelle, together with director Tara Manić, translator Olja Petronić, and the acting ensemble—Nevena Kočović, Jana Bjelica, and Andrej Nježić—explored the dramaturgical and performative potential of her play Far from the Mud in Which We Sink into Sleep.

Residency of French Author Gaelle Axelbrun in Belgrade as Part of the Playground Project

From June 22 to 28, 2025, the Heartefact House in Belgrade will host a residency for French playwright Gaelle Axelbrun as part of the European project Playground. This intensive seven-day residency, organized by Heartefact, is part of an international collaboration focused on the development of contemporary dramatic texts by emerging European authors.

First Seminar for Youth from Serbia Held as Part of the Regional VIBE Program

From June 20 to 22, 2025, Heartefact organized a three-day seminar for young people from Serbia in Belgrade as part of the regional program VIBE – Connecting Young People. The program brings together youth from Serbia, Montenegro, and Albania with the aim of strengthening regional cooperation and exchange. Designed as a space for learning, dialogue, and connection, it focuses on human rights, regional cooperation, the shared history of the region, and reflections on the future that young people wish to shape through activism and civic engagement.