The first social club for people with different types of disabilities opened in Nikšić

In Nikšić, the first social club for people with different types of disabilities "Adapt" was opened, not only in the town under Trebjes, but also in Montenegro. The club, which was opened by the non-governmental organization (NGO) "Mozaik", is located in "Vardarska" street and is part of the "Social club Adapt" project, which is supported within the Regional Program of Local Democracy in the Western Balkans 2 - ReLOaD2, funded by the European Union , and is implemented by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).

"This club can serve as an example for everyone in the region and this is very important for all of us because this is the beginning of a very important change in the city. One of the main goals when the NGO 'Mozaik' was founded was to open a club like this and I am happy that it goal fulfilled. The club is not only a support service, but also a place of gathering, socializing, information, education", said the executive director of "Mozaik", Blagoje Šturanović.

The club has two rooms with a total square footage of about 40 square meters, and the space was ceded by the local administration, which provided the aforementioned NGO with a car accessible to persons with disabilities (PWD).

"We are grateful that the local administration sees the abilities, capacities and quality of our work and that they gave us that space in order to influence the community together. We are also working on the budgeting of this service at the local level so that the service can survive and that people with disabilities can to use it for as long as possible," Šturanović said.

He pointed out that the meaning of the word "adapt" is adaptation, and with the mentioned club they want to adapt the entire community in order to improve the position of PWDs.

"The project is very important for people with disabilities because it will definitely improve their status in our society and the quality of their lives. We will also have workshops, and several support services are planned as part of the project - psycho-social, work-occupational, legally creative workshops, painting, clay modeling , film and literary evenings, informal get-togethers. This will be the place where we will bring new ideas and initiatives", the executive director of "Mozaik", a non-governmental organization with around 50 members, is convinced.

According to him, the club will be available not only to PWDs, but to everyone who wants to contribute to a better standard of people with disabilities.

The President of the Municipality of Nikšić, Marko Kovačević, said that it was easy for them to help "those who want help, but also those who do not wait for help, but take many steps themselves so that it is easy to help them" when it comes to that.

"The club is a key product of the initiative of these people who designed it in a beautiful and adequate way, so that it was easy to help them when it came to us. I am pleased that we had the opportunity to help and set an example properly to be active members of the community. The way you do it and many who do not have the kind of problems you have can look up to you how to help the community when they don't wait for help themselves, they create the conditions they can themselves, and then make it easier for us to help them let's help," said Kovačević and promised to continue to help them realize their ideas.

UNDP project manager Sanja Zindović said that every citizen deserves to realize their rights and potential in the community in which they live.

"Only with fulfilled individuals who feel supported and secure do we create a rich and refined community. The social club 'Adapt' is a huge step towards that because it reflects the vision of a society based on cultural and educational values, the autonomy of every citizen and the acceptance of diversity", said Zindović and added that UNDP provides support to the Government in the reform of disability expertise.

The opening of the club was enhanced by the exhibition "See the truth of the picture", by the participants of the art workshops of the club itself. The workshops, which lasted a year, were directed by Milena Krivokapić, an academic painter, who is convinced that there will be similar workshops in the NGO organization "Mozaik" in the future.

The program was led by Nataša Lučić, and the members of "Mozaik" presented the pictures to the President of the Municipality of Nikšić and UNDP as a sign of gratitude.