Bujanovac, May 26, 2025 – A large inclusive sports festival for girls and boys aged 10 to 15 will occur at the FK BSK stadium in Bujanovac on Monday (May 26), starting at 11 a.m. The festival aims to promote equality, nonviolence, and social inclusion through sport.

The festival is organized by NGO Atina, in cooperation with FK BSK, Women’s Sports Association Dinamo, Women’s Football Club Meraki, elementary schools Branko Radičević and Naim Frashëri, as well as over 30 coaches, sports workers, civil society organizations, and institutions. An exceptional value of the event is the participation of children from the Asylum Center in Vranje and the Reception Center in Bujanovac, with support from the Commissariat for Refugees and Migration.

According to the organizers, during the four-hour program of games and socializing, participants will have the opportunity to take part in various sports workshops, meet local club coaches, develop new skills, and feel a sense of belonging to a community built on fair play, cooperation, and mutual respect.

In a society facing discrimination, unequal opportunities, and various forms of violence, the festival demonstrates how sport can be a powerful tool for positive change. It promotes a healthy lifestyle, breaks down prejudices, builds trust, and encourages the inclusion of all community members.

“Sport gives us what society often doesn’t — a space to be accepted. We believe in a world where winners are not the strongest, but those who don’t leave others behind. On the playing field, we erase boundaries between children, between communities, between worlds. We believe in sport as a space where every child can be equal, seen, and included. The playground knows no differences — and neither do we,” said Bojana Nakić from NGO Atina.

The event is part of the “Sport Together” project funded by the European Union through the Erasmus+ program. The project promotes social inclusion and reconciliation through sports activities in the Western Balkans. It is implemented by partners from Serbia (NGO Atina), Austria (Fairplay Initiative – VIDC), Croatia (NK Zagreb 041), Bosnia and Herzegovina (Let’s Play Together Initiative – IZI), Montenegro (Youth Initiative for Human Rights), and Kosovo* (Girls Soccer Club Prishtina).

Text in the original could be read at the following link: Sportski festival u ponedeljak u Bujanovcu: Ravnopravnost, nenasilje, inkluzija - Bujanovačke