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"THE PARTNERSHIP FOR YOUNGSTERS"The Conference organized by the "JA in Serbia" under the auspices of Serbian Ministry of Education and Sports, and in cooperation with the Standing Conference of Serbian Towns' and Local Municipalities' Authorities. 10:00 - 10:30 A.M. : Openning speeches & greetings
10.30 -11.00 A.M. : "The Serbian Ministry's for Education & Sports strategy on the medium-grade professional education in Serbia " Speaker: Ms Vesna Fila, Assistant to the Minister of Education & Sports 11:00 - 12:00 Presentation of the "Junior Achivement Program in Serbia :
12:00 - 12:30 The role of local government in boosting entrepreneurship among the youngsters Speaking:
12:30 - 13:00 On issues concerning social responsibility of corporations Speaking:
13:00 - 13:30 General discusion 13:30. The Conference ending & lunch . The Conference has been held on June 29 th , 2005 , in the Belgrade 's Sava Centre Hall and there have been brought together practically all participants, colaborators and partenera to the Program of Juniolr achievenment in Serbia . There were present around 150 participants, and among them, there were quite a number of teachers and students currently involved in executing the JAS Program, and also some of the local government representatives interested in supporting this process. The conference was chaired & moderated by the two JAS students who proved to be outstanding in their organiyational & entrepreneurial abilities: mr. Ivan Vukic from Nis "Svetozar Markovic" Gymnasium, and ms. Ivana Cvetkovic from Leskovac Gymnasium. The first speaker at the Conference was mr. Slobodan Vuksanovic, Serbian Minister of education & sports, who strongly emphasized that his Ministry is strongly supporting introduiction of all novelties into the existing educational system that have been proven internationally to be beneficial - as it has been the case with the Junior Achievement. He ended his speech by saying that although sometimes it seems to him that: "if empty computer-boxes distributed to schools in Serbia during his ministership were put together, it might look rather like a new Mount Everest " - and yet, that he is well aware that this supply so far: "has been still short for at least 2.000 new computers more". The next speaker, Mr. Roderick Moore , the Deputy Head of the American Embassy mission in Serbia surprised the Conference participants by delivering his speech in an excellent Serbian language. Mr. Moor has, in front of the American diplomatic mission here, which is actively supporting the JAS project, delivered his words of praise and admiration with successes and achievements of this project' progress during the only two-year time period so far since the start of its implementation. He also specifically emphasized that he specifically has had in mind the fast progress of the Program implementation made in the traditionally less developed regions of Southern Serbia . Mr. Zivorad Kovacevic, the NGO EMINS Chairman & the JAS Managing board chairman has addressed the Conference in both properties - first in the name of EMINS (i.e.: The European Movement in Serbia, which incubated the JAS Project until the March 2005) and then as the JAS Managing Board Chairman. He first strongly pointed out the overwhelming importance of both the productive education of youngsters - and the lasting need for educational system modernization. He also specifically expressed his thankfulness to both the minister Vuksanovic and mr.Moore for both their encouraging speeches and the time shared with the Conference participants. Mr. Kovacevic also briefly presented the history of the JA Worldwide, and praised the generous donatory role of a number of major American companies, supporting the noble cause of the JAW (and JAS) operations. He also expressed his thankfulness to mr.Moore and Mr. Vuksanivic for the time they found to come and speak at the Conference. He also expressed his thankfulness to the Ministry of Education and Sports for its support to the JAS activities - also hoping that this support shall soon get the forms and volumes that it deserves according to its contribution to enrichment of the contents and the productive effectiveness orientation of educational system in Serbia . Finally, Mr. Kovcevic expressed his hopes that the very fact of Mr Moore's presentation at the Conference in a very good Serbian language- shoud encourage the young conference participants to intensify their learning of foreign languages. Ms. Vesna Fila, an Assistant to the Minister Vuksanovic, presented succinctly the novelties recently introduced by the Ministry - specifically in respect to the selection of facultative study subjects, as well as in terms of redifining the professional profiles the students are educated for in technical and other employment-oriented schools. She emphasized that the strategy of the Ministry has been that the entrepreneurship development efforts shoud be oriented towards a wider span of professional activitiies, starting with those dealing with production and services, all the way to the activities involving application of scince. Along those lines, the ministry has during the last study-year already helped establishing studies of entrepreneurship in 16 classes, with 64 study-hours a year. She also said that for the ensuing study-year, the Ministry is prepared to introduce entrepreneurship as an obligatory study-subject into 17 schools specialized for agricultural and food-processing activities, as well as in 11 schools specialized for machanical engineering and other techical professions, as well in 4 schools educating ptofessionals in health care and social services' activities. Finally, she stressed that the presented strategy has been harmonized with the poverty reduction strategy in this country and that it has been elaborated in coordination with the SME Agency. Finally she stressed the importance of introducing an appropriate legal framework for all these new activities. Mr Zvonko Brnjas, the Executive Director of JA Serbia, presented a list of programs executed by the JAWW within the frameworks of a variety of approaches and implementation methods worldwide for a variety of age-groups of youngsters starting with age of 6 and - and all the way to the age of 21. He also stressed that the tha JAS has so far has given a central focus and a special attention upon the following four study-subjects: 1. The applied economics; 2. The company program, 3. MESE, and 4. The business ethics program. Those programs so far have been introduced in more than a hundred schools all over Serbia. Ms. Irena Komazec, responsible for financial aspects of JAS operation, - has presented to the conference the financial balance of JAS operation so far. Ms. Dragana Aleksandric, the JAS program develoment coordinator, - has presented the results of opinion polls, that have been carried out in a number of JAS schools - in colaboration with JAWW and the Brandess University from Massachusetts The last part of this conference has been reserved to be at the disposal of the professors and students effectively involved in the JAS educational process. There, first, Professor Ms. Vesna Stojiljkovic has spoken to the Connference participants in the name of all JAS teachers and students, first of all by expressing the commonly shared gratitude to the donating companies and other forms of support rendering parties. Finally, the microphon has been given to students: Jelena, Aleksandar, Miroslav, Slavisa, Nevena - all of them expressing their satisfaction and gratitude to each and every party or individual who contributed to designing and executing such an interesting and promising study porogram, as the Junior Achievement appears to be. Another unforgettable day with the JASI am going to the Conference, too< - cheerfully announced via telephone a college of mine from Kragujevac. After quite some time, I shall, thanks to the JAS - be in the position to meet again mydear friends, as well as renew some old acquintainships, and possibly to make the new ones. The team from Leskovac has already (somewhat earlier than myself) arrived to Belgrade, hence while impatiently expecting to meet those dear people, I am entering the conference hall, finding there almost complete silence which seems to speak by itself and make one to feel oneself also important. I am noticing there some faces known to me and their mild welcoming smiles instead of soundful greetings, and that very silence makes one to feel oneself too - to be important. The conference eventually starts, the Minister of education resents his introductory considerations, and I am trying to listen carefully to all the other presentations at the conference and to adopt everything what might appear to be the key for future success. My colleagues are also presenting the results of their undertakings and achievements. The presence of journalists and TV cameras seem to have given to the meeting an additional importance. Well, it seems to be interesting to watch all those successful business-world people - even with some envy and with the intimate ambition for oneself to become as successful and respected as they are and at the same time to be a charismatic personality too as they seem to be. The moment of my personal pride has come when my mentor started speaking of the success of the Company in which I have been involved, hence, he was in a way speaking of my personal success. While the Conference has been moving towards its end, I felt happy because of our companionship was just about to start again and we are not any more hiding any of our enthusiasm and happiness about the fact of being together after quite some time all of us: Maria, Damir, Irena, Sale, Ivan...We are trying to reconstruct to each others the time that we spent meantime, i.e. between the two meetings. And then: again separation, but how long, we shall see..... The time again slowly tickles away, but I am already starting a serious fight with it. I shall enforce the time to make out of me a good director, because I do know to be the one among those who firmly believe into their own ideas, capacities and the subsequent duly success. Nevena Nikolic |