Croatie

2009-2011. international cultural excanges (as a preparation for the main tusk, Olimpic Of Culture)
2012. Olimpic Of Culture - will be invited all Europian countries for two weeks competition. Each Ministry of Cultar will choose a National team. Organization based simmilar as Olimpic games of Sport, because the competition will be in all area of human creativites and art. This is the main different from cultural festivals, exibitions where the competition is in only one discipline.
The main event will be split in this 3 cities of Panonian region - Osijek (CRO), Pech (H), Novi Sad (SER).
We expecte more than 4.000 participants.

We train about 1300 teachers a year and have extensive cooperation with many kindergartens and schools, local governments, and the Education and Teacher Training Agency.
Some of the recent projects:
‘Inclusion of Children with Special Needs’ was implemented in cooperation with the Centre for Preschool Education in Osijek in 2008/2009, and funded by the Co-operating Netherlands Foundations.
‘Education for Social Justice – Anti-bias education for students of the University of Osijek’ was implemented in 2007 and funded by the Netherlands Embassy and the World Bank.
‘Education for Social Justice – Anti-bias education’ was implemented in 2007 in the Town of Knin, and funded by the US Embassy.
‘Education for social justice – Program for children’ was implemented in 2007 in Beli Manastir, and funded by the Open Society Institute.

Information the citizens about EU, organisating the leisure time for young people and protect their rights.

STRATEGIC DIRECTIONS OF THE ORGANIZATION
1. Social work with the community
2. Development of the entrepreneurship and social entrepreneurship in the community
3. Improving human rights
Main Projects in 2009:
Hope - a project of economic empowerment and social inclusion of women (Goverment and World Bank)
Be young, be active (European Commission)
With partnership to development (The Balkan Trust for Democracy)

Fields of activity: Youth and education, Human rights, Roman minority, Heritage and Traditional Arts
Merlin Association has started "Do It Yourself Creative Workshops" as a form of informal education and encouragement for self-employment of unemployed persons, young people and women of different age groups, members of Romany minority and persons with special needs. Projects that are active in community:
1.Projects established in 2002 - ‘’Creative workshops’’: Computer workshop for beginners (unemployed women and pensioners), Preservation of traditional crafts: Cutting out and sewing workshop, Weaving and embroidery workshop; Creative-working activities for persons with special needs.
''Roman smiles" workshop for clay, ceramics and plaster moulding. The educational workshop for design of handicrafts from clay, ceramics and plaster, based on cultural-historical legacy from Roman period of Pula City. During past five years, about fifty items were created at this workshop, all based on the original old Roman theatre masks, and other historical resources. Workshop goal is to teach its participants about monuments, buildings and ancient art objects from local history, and to involve citizens in changing the manufacture of local souvenirs.
2. Projects established in 2004 – Sale exhibition event ‘’Original Splendour Of Arena’’ is dealing with the issue of organizing legal sale at standard souvenir stands, and with the manufacture of quality souvenirs and handicrafts. The aim is to bring closer the ancient artistic items and local history, and to encourage the improvements in the manufacture of handicrafts.
3. Projects established in 2005 - Center for Romany children ''Morning flower''. Playground and the Day Care/ Learning assistance for school children, computer workshop and sewing workshop. The aim is to organize educational and quality activities for pre-school and school Romany children. It also encourages volunteer work and employment of unemployed teachers and educators. 50 Romany children (age 3 – 15) is attending this Center each year. Project cooperates with the local government and Primary School. The programme of preschool education is co-financed by the Ministry of Science, Education and Sport of the Republic of Croatia.

One of the documentaries we produced is “Facing the Day” directed by Ivona Juka, thatspeaks about prisoners in Penitentiary Lepoglava, one of the strictest penitentiaries in Croatia, and re-examines the manners of resocialisation in Croatian prisons. Film was screened at numerous international festivals and received many awards including: Best Documentary Film at goEast Film Festival (Wiesbaden, Germany) ; 3 awards at Croatian Film Days – Grand Prix for the best Croatian film, “Oktavijan” award for the Best Documentary Film awarded by the Croatian Film Critic Society and Best Editing award; in Sarajevo Film Festival it was awarded Heart of Sarajevo for the Best Documentary. Film participated in International Documentary Festival DokMa in Maribor where it won Best European Documentary Award. Film was also screened at prestigious film festivals in Montreal, Ljubljana, Sofia, Motovun, Calcutta, Sao Paolo and Author Film Festival in Belgrade. Film has cinema distribution in Croatian Macedonia, Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina and has recommendations by Education and Teacher Training Agency, Ministry of Science, Education and Sports, Government Office for Human Rights and prof. Dr. Ksenija Turković, the Chair of Criminal Law at the Faculty of Law of the University of Zagreb, as well as the support of Government Office for Combating Narcotic Drug Abuse. The film was screened to university students and to pupils of high schools and of 7th and 8th grade of elementary school: 74 screenings were held in 63 towns, and film was seen by 9.573 students and pupils of elementary and high schools. In years 2007 and 2008 we implemented Awareness Raising Campaign for Prevention of Gender Based Violence co-financed by European Commission, Ministry of Education Science and Sports, CARE International, Royal Netherlands Embassy, Royal Norwegian Embassy, Embassy of Finland, Ministry of Family, Veterans’ Affairs and Intergenerational Solidarity. Open Media Group created, developed and implemented the media campaign as part of the project. The slogan of the campaign is “Silence is not Gold” and the TV clips were broadcasted on Croatian Television and RTL Croatia, which provided free media time, with value of broadcasting time over 17.000.000,00 HRK (approx. 2,3 mil. EUR).

Debate and mediation club International projects Youth exchange

For its projects that can be grouped in three programmes (Quality of Housing, Support to Families, Children and Youth, Innovative Social Programmes).