The Youth with Disabilities Forum organization, in partnership with the Association of Students with Disabilities, encourages young people with disabilities/handicap throughout Serbia to apply for a unique educational program "School for Young Disabled Leaders".

The school is intended for young individuals with disabilities/handicap (aged from 15 to 35) who want to make a difference in their local communities and work on their personal development.

The program, through an interactive approach and experiential learning, contributes to empowering young male and female disabled leaders in the field of self-representation, political participation, social inclusion, non-discrimination and leadership skills as personal qualities for having an active role in the sphere of social and youth activities.

The dynamics of the school is designed as a series of training courses that will empower, create awareness and sensitize the participants for the inclusion in the decision-making process and social activities in the local community and beyond.

Key areas of training are as follows:

1. An inclusive youth policy, the exercising of the guaranteed rights and the participation of young disabled people in social processes;  
2.  Advocacy and speaking in public;
3. Digital and media skills in activism. 

As part of the school, three training courses will be conducted, each of which will last for three days. The training courses will be carried out on different locations once a month (November, December and January). 

During and after the training, the young disabled male and female leaders are expected to be:

• Motivated for undertaking activities and launching the initiatives to increase the participation of young disabled people;
• Trained for self-representation and advocacy of human rights and social responsibility;
• Informed about the existing strategic and legal frameworks for social inclusion and their use;
• Experts in local action planning, organizing and carrying out the activities of youth organizations and institutions in a manner which fully ensures the involvement of young disabled people; 
• Able to initiate and carry out activities in the area of ​​youth policy that are available to young disabled people;
• Trained in the use of social networks in advocacy and improving the position of disabled persons;
• Empowered to organize initiatives and activities in local communities;
• Ready to turn their goals into action.

The organizers will cover the costs of transportation, accommodation on a full board basis,  food and provision of working materials for all male and female participants, including their personal male and female assistants. 

The number of vacancies for the participants of the school is limited, while people from a larger number of different places in the Republic of Serbia will be selected.

The call is open until November 15, 2018, which is the deadline by which the interested candidates should send their completed application forms to prijave@fmi.rs. More information on the call and the application form are available on www.fmi.rs  

The project "Digital and Media Literacy of Young Disabled People" is implemented by Youth with Disabilities Forum, in partnership with the Association of Students with Disabilities, the Association of Young People of Serbia and the Secons-Group for development initiative. The project is supported by the European Union under the "Civil Society Facility and Media Program 2016-2017".

Source: Youth with Disabilities Forum and Coordination Body