Young Researches of Serbia (Voluntary Service of Serbia)

THINK BIG - do little: start an avalanche! is the motto of the Young Researchers of Serbia (YRS), a non-profit, non-governmental organization, founded in 1976, whose main aims are education, youth exchanges and work with young people as well as the promotion of scientific creativity, voluntarism and environment conservation. As an umbrella organization, it gathers 26 clubs and societies all over Serbia, such as Geographic Exploring Association, Students' Biological Research Society, Ethno Club, etc, whose members take active part in the activities of YRS. The range of activities is diverse:

Scientific research and projects:

Research camps, where enthusiastic University and High school students can conduct their own research. The students receive invaluable help from scientists and University professors, a considerable number of which were once members of YRS themselves.
Environmental projects, such as "The return of Ibis" running since 1992, at a Ramsar site and the famous wetland Obedska bara, include research activities, annual workcamps and media campaigns.

Volunteers' exchange:

Voluntary Service of Serbia (VSS), initiated in 1990, is that part of YRS which conducts exchanges. In 2004 more than 430 youngsters applied to go to workcamps around the globe and almost 300 volunteers from abroad joined 23 international workcamps in Serbia.

International workcamps:

Even before 1997 (when we started to organize workcamps) some of our research and study camps were of international character, i.e., admitted participants, mostly students with similar interests, from Universities or NGO's from abroad. Our camps are mostly environmental, but also music festival and art camps are organized.

International cooperation:

We are members of CCIVS, Youth and Environment Europe (YEE), MED Forum, CEEWEB, Alliance of European Voluntary Service Organizations and a partner organization of YAP & SCI in Serbia. In December 2000, YRS became the national NGO secretariat for REReP (Regional Environmental Reconstruction Program) of the Stability Pact for SEE. Together with three environmental NGOs from Bosnia, Croatia and Macedonia we are leading the development of SEEENN (the SEE Environmental NGOs Network); a member of YRS is on the Executive Board of this Network.
In 2000 YRS became a national focal point and since the founding of SEEYN (the SEE Youth Network) we have been full member. Since then we have organised many campaigns to promote workcamps and regional cooperation within SEEYN including an Eco bus tour ("Youth of SEE towards Johannesburg"), "It's nice to have good neighbours" and other annual network activities.

Environmental education:

"Eco-schools" are programs for young teenagers (12-16 years old), they are always set in the countryside in order for the teenagers to learn about and appreciate the environment.

Campaigns:

There are a few local environmental campaigns, "Beo Bi Bio Biciklisticki Beograd", ("Belgrade would be white if you'd ride a bike"); "Obituaries for the Good tree", which aims at saving coniferous forests' trees around Christmas time since 2000; and an Earth Day and World Environment Day celebration.

Campaigning for the 'International Year of Volunteers' marked all activities of the Voluntary Service of Serbia in 2001. In addition to celebrations in the country, a representative from YRS was elected to be a part of a Special Event on 5th of December 2001, at the UN General Assembly, New York, which is dedicated to volunteers and volunteering, along with another 3 volunteers from around the world.

In 2004 we joined forty million people around the globe in campaign “Clean up the World”. Also we took part in the campaign “European Heritage Days”, and we initiated campaign for recycling in Serbia.

Humanitarian activities:

YRS also has experience in work within specific programs of psycho-social support, at first for refugees (from 1993 until 1995 with a program called "Family club"), and later for children without parental care. During the last five years, a program of creativity workshops and a workcamp in one of Belgrade's orphanages have been successfully organized with the aim of improving the quality of life and living conditions of orphans (which deteriorated gravely as a result of the social and economic crisis).

Publishing activities:

In addition to our regular monthly publications, "e-MI" (an internal electronic bulletin). The results from the researches are usually published, in form of scientific papers, in monographs. Examples of these are: "The Return of the Ibis" – bulletins and “The Return to Obedska Bara” - a book which contains the result of several years project in Obedska Bara; and "Ether above Belgrade" where all the information on the state of existing radio stations in the capital was covered. In 2002 we published two issues of the SEEENN Bulletin, with editions in English and six languages of the Balkans (Albanian, Bulgarian, Croatian, Macedonian, Romanian and Serbian). Each spring we also publish a booklet containing all the Alliance, SCI and YAP workcamps.

Contacts:

Young Researchers of Serbia (Voluntary Service of Serbia)
Bulevar umetnosti 27, 11 070 Novi Beograd, Serbia

Tel.: ++ 381 11 311 66 63
       ++ 381 11 311 13 14
Fax: ++ 381 11 311 66 53

office@mis.org.rs
vss@mis.org.rs (for volunteer exchanges)
www.mis.org.rs