The Ecumenical Humanitarian Organization (EHO), within the project "Social Inclusion for a Dignified Life of Roma and Other Vulnerable Persons in Serbia 2023–2026", supported by the Swiss organization HEKS/EPER, organized focus groups dedicated to the topics of discrimination and violence in the school environment. The focus groups were held in six partner schools: Elementary School "Karađorđe" from Velika Plana, Elementary School "19. Oktobar" from Maršić (Kragujevac), Elementary School "Vuk Karadžić" from Niš, Elementary School "Jovan Grčić Milenko" from Beočin, Elementary School "Vojvoda Putnik" from Ripanj, and Elementary School "Bora Radić" from Bavanište, and a total of 146 pupils from fifth to eighth grade participated in them.

The focus groups enabled the collection of pupils' opinions and impressions on the topics of violence, discrimination and acceptance of diversity in school life. During the workshops, pupils watched three short videos each, recorded by their peers – peer educators from the aforementioned schools. The films depicted situations from the pupils’ everyday lives, with a focus on peer violence and (non)acceptance of diversity.

After the screening, pupils shared their thoughts on the scenes shown in an open discussion, recognized similar situations from their environment, and talked about their personal experiences. They emphasized the importance of discussing these topics and emphasized that it is important for such films to be shown in schools, because such content can help young people recognize and face the problems that occur in their environments.

At the end of the discussion, pupils shared their suggestions for several additional topics that would be useful to cover and record short films. Their suggestions encompass everyday situations and challenges from their environment, and they believe that, through video materials, they could contribute to raising awareness about such important topics both in schools and in the broader social context.

You can watch short films by our peer educators at the following links:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQEWRCF5Khc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5G5TGNmlDRQ

https://youtu.be/5oF1iltN4JA

https://youtu.be/KlS76FjuApI

https://youtu.be/mcK_bTG2TdE