Who we are
The association is a non-governmental, non-profit and humanitarian organization, founded for an indefinite period, whose main activity is education and professional development of citizens in all spheres of industry, taking adequate measures to achieve socially responsible goals in terms of nurturing work among its members, individuals and groups, knowledge, philanthropy, solidarity, true values. The initial premise of creating our association is to understand that adult education can compensate for the lack of education in youth. By creating greater social opportunities, as well as a chance for economic independence and growth, we recognize adult education as necessary step towards the social unification of society as whole. As an active civic association “League 33”, it invests its greatest efforts in the implementation of project activities whose main goals are economic empowerment, education and better positioning in the labor market of members of socially vulnerable groups, including Roma, women victims of violence, prisoners, disabled, single mothers, young people etc.
What we do
Project programmes are usually reduced to practical workshops where participants, in addition to working with professional lecturers, but also a mentor, acquire the necessary skills for a certain professional. Workshops include work in rooms that specialize in a popular activity, at least 300 hours (25 hours per week). In addition to practical work with lecturers, participants have individual and work group with a mentor who involves processing all those important topics in order to supplement their social skills. Mentoring topics include: motivation for work, willingness to learn and improve, how to recognize yourself as a potential entrepreneur, entrepreneurial styles, advantages and risks of entrepreneurship, meeting successful entrepreneurs and talking to them, but also all other topics needed by participants to start own business. Mentoring (career guidance and counseling) continues with the completion of the trainings, as long as the participants need it, and thus can count on assistance in writing projects and applications, assistance in obtaining grants for equipment, support in applying for incentives funds, etc.
Best practices
- “Migration management and support for the return of asylum seekers” (2019/2020 and 2020/2021)
The aim of this project is to establish measures and activities to improve the situation of vulnerable population, improve education, encourage employment and self-employment of young people, Roma and other minority population, persons with disabilities etc. One group of students also included members of the Nis Penitentiary, convicted of minor crimes, who could be employed regularly after serving their sentences. After completing the trainings, all participants, depending on their wishes, are employed or provided with self-employment with certain assistance and grants and mandatory mentoring as long as the participants need it. Project activities were implemented in cooperation with the German organization HELP-Hilfe zur Selbsthilfe and YUROM Center.
- “Rapid integration of single mothers into the labor market through training and skills mapping”, (2020/2021).
Ten participants successfully completed a free two-month course for seamstresses and tailors. The course of a total of 40 hours of theoretical and practical training was organized by the association “League 33”, and the project was supported by the Ministry of Labor, Employment, Veterans and social affairs of the Republic of Serbia. The goal of this project is economic empowerment and faster integration into the labor market of single mothers from a socially vulnerable group of single -parent families, through the acquisition of skills necessary for employment or self-employment in the textile industry. Of the ten participants who completed the course, three were hired, and one participant is in the process of opening own production and plants to hire several colleagues from the course.
- “Youth training and employment assistance” (2020/2021)
Activity projects are aimed at high school students, specifically students in the third and fourth year of the Art High school in Niš, in the field of textile design. Pupils who are in their final years need support and preparation for employment, but also support for further education. What they could not learn by attending classes regularly, and that is practical work and the use of industrial machines, League 33 enabled them-first by providing a donation in the form of 4 looms and two flat -stitching machines installed in school premises, and then by providing a professional lecturer who is in charge of fully training students for practical and independent work.
One of the workshops of Liga 33