On Friday, 12 October, 2007, at 1 p.m., the finals of the basketball tournament for the ethnically diverse youth, compromised of Serbs, Albanians and Roma, age 9 -25, from five southern Serbian municipalities - Sijarinska Banja, Tulare, Tupale, Lece and Medvedja, will be held at the Sports hall in Medvedja. This sport event is organized by the Medvedja Youth association, GO-JA, and supported by USAID’s Economic Security Program, the municipality of Medvedja and the local business community. Over 200 children are expected to participate. The tournament aims to foster a sense of responsibility and tolerance among the youth from this ethnically diverse region.
On Friday, 12 October, 2007, at 1 p.m., the finals of the basketball tournament for the ethnically diverse youth, compromised of Serbs, Albanians and Roma, age 9 -25, from five southern Serbian municipalities - Sijarinska Banja, Tulare, Tupale, Lece and Medvedja, will be held at the Sports hall in Medvedja. This sport event is organized by the Medvedja Youth association, GO-JA, and supported by USAID’s Economic Security Program, the municipality of Medvedja and the local business community. Over 200 children are expected to participate. The tournament aims to foster a sense of responsibility and tolerance among the youth from this ethnically diverse region
Young players are divided into five categories, ranging from the youngest, 9-11 to the oldest, 22-25 years of age. 61 teams took part in the first round of qualifications that took place during the last two weeks of September. Those that qualified for the semi-finals will compete on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday of this week. Young women players were also selected under a separate category. Six women teams are playing in the semi-finals.
The multicultural Youth Association GO-JA was created last year with USAID support. It recently registered as an NGO and has already developed ambitious plans for helping Medvedja’s youth.
USAID’s Economic Security program supports such activities in an effort to improve the social inclusion of vulnerable groups, helping them better connect to the wider society. Youth is one of the program’s key target groups. Young people, compromise 33 % of the population in the five municipalities selected to participate in the tournament.
Journalists interested in covering the event are kindly invited to be at Sports Hall, Vuka Karadzica b.b., Medvedja, on Friday, October 12, 2007 at 12:30.
For more information about this event please contact Jasmina Debeljak Maljković, DAI Public relations/Media specialist, at (011) 363 9900 or Olivera Jovic, Field Program officer at (063) 240-360. For more information about USAID’s activities in Serbia, please visit http://serbia-montenegro.usaid.gov