03. 07. 09. - 10:00

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03. 07. 09. - 10:00

Volunteers help decorate Pakrac

Croatian Times

Volunteers from the Art of Living Foundation have been working in the small town of Pakrac in eastern Croatia for the last few months.

They have been trying to persuade young people to volunteer to do work that will make their town a better place.

Pakrac was attacked during the Homeland War in the 1990s, and many buildings in the centre are still in ruins.

Natalia, a volunteer from Russia, said: "I saw buildings in ruins in the centre, and young people sitting in cafes. I realized I really wanted to change things."

Natalia and her colleagues decided to put creative drawings by young people on one of the walls.

The city government supported the project with paints and instruments. The team found a wall and helped prepare it for painting. It took more than two weeks from beginning to end, including six days of non-stop painting.

Many town residents helped paint the wall.

Natalia is a participant in YES-we can!, a community-leadership programme organized by the International Association of Human Values and the Art of Living Foundation. More than 100 young leaders from 30 European countries perform service for society for a year.

They travel in European countries and organise youth empowerment seminars, health and happiness workshops and different social projects for communities.

Natalia said: "We hope that people will be inspired to do something more for their community and learn that everyone can make a difference and find a way to make the impossible possible."

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