PRESENTING OUTPUTS OF THE PROJECT UC-ITFY, ZAGREB,28.MARCH 2026.
We presented the project OUTPUTS:
POSTERS by Profilantrop Egyesület by seting an exibition at Vestigium,by playing a social BOARD GAME by Pekarna Magdalenske mreže, and reading a bits of a TEXTBOOK by Vestigium Association with our members, volunteers and visitors.
EVALUATION MEETING: MARIBOR!
20-22.MARCH 2026.
Our project Urban Communities in Transition is coming to an end.
Throughout the project, we held monthly online partner meetings, 3 in-person meetings, 3 study visits, and organized 12 local events for youth and youth workers.
As project outcomes, we developed posters, a board game, and a textbook.
This past weekend in Maribor, we held final evaluation meeting, where we presented and exchanged project results, reflected on what worked well and what could have been improved, reviewed the report, and distributed final tasks while agreeing on the remaining activities and responsibilities. We were lucky to collaborate with truly inspiring partners – Pekarna Magdalenske mreže from Maribor and Profilantrop Egyesület from Budapest.
LOCAL EVENTS IN CROATIA
Throughout the autumn and winter period, Vestigium organised a series of local events aimed at strengthening the community, fostering creativity, and encouraging connection through shared experiences. These diverse activities brought together participants of all generations in a welcoming and inspiring environment.
📅 20 September – Creative Youth, Healthier Minds
An event dedicated to creative expression and youth mental well-being. The programme included an art exhibition, creative workshops, knitting and crochet sessions, and informal socialising with food and drinks.
📅 25 October – Volunteering: Good for You, Great for the Community
An informative and motivational event focused on the value of volunteering. Participants learned how to get involved in volunteer activities and how small actions can create meaningful change in the community.
📅 22 November – Food That Connects Us
One of the most attended events, centred around bringing people together through food. Participants shared recipes, flavours, and stories, highlighting the role of food in building connections.
📅 20 December – Advent at Vestigium
A festive gathering featuring music, a cosy atmosphere, and a celebration of the holiday season. The event brought the local community together in a spirit of togetherness and warmth.
📍 All events were held at Vestigium, a welcoming community space that continuously fosters connection, exchange of ideas, and shared experiences.
STUDY VISIT: MARIBOR!
16-19.OCTOBER 2025.
Our study visit to Maribor highlighted inspiring ways in which cities can support sustainable, creative, and inclusive communities. We visited Pekarna Magdalenske mreže, a former military complex transformed into a dynamic cultural and youth center.
Key practices explored were participatory budgeting and citizens’ councils, Tiny Forests and creek restoration, independent art exhibition spaces, theatres and spaces for community-based music and creativity.
We were introducet do many local organisations: Slovenska Filantropija, Ropotarnica Reuse Centre, Mariborska kolesarska mreža, Vetrinjski dvor, Ekologi brez meja, Hiša, ZIZ Festival and Posestvo Valdek, and finished the stay by day of working on the Simon’s Farm where regenerative agriculture is combined with community involvement. Through orchards, grazing sheep and shared work, the farm demonstrates practical and cooperative approaches to living in balance with nature.
YOUTH SUMMER CLUB
IN ZAGREB!!!
This summer, young people aged 16 to 30, are invited, every Tuesday and Thursday afternoons between June 24th and August 28th, from 13:00 to 17:30, at Udruga Vestigium, Rudeška cesta 142, 10000, Zagreb.
Entry is FREE, refreshments and wifi will be available as well! This summer we are opening our doors to young people in our community and beyond! We want to offer you the opportunity to use our space whether it is to spend time together, play games, get creative, work and study or share your knowledge with others! In addition to this open space we will offer a variety of free workshops every Tuesday: macrame, clothes upcycle, fermenting, Erasmus plus oportunities, and cooking! Workshops will be held in English and adaptable depending on the interests of our participants. Contact us with any questions here: mathilde.mdrt@gmail.com
STUDY VISIT: BUDAPEST!
15-18.MAY 2025.
From May 15-18, we had our Erasmus+ UC-ITFY project study visit in Budapest with our partner associations Pekarna Magdalenske mreže and Profilantrop Egyesület
Our participants took part in a variety of activities and workshops, coming away inspired and full of ideas to share with our community.
They visited youth organizations, a charity shop, community gardens, and took part in an upcycling workshop. They also visited a family involved in the Transition movement, where they helped in permablitz action!
Stay tuned—soon we’ll be offering free workshops led by our participants to share everything they learned!
STUDY VISIT: ZAGREB!
19-22.FEBRUARY 2025.
During this study visit in Zagreb participants were introduced to Transition movement, and good practices of Vestigium like Farmers market and Clothing exchange.
Trough methods like Climate walk, World caffe, decision making with Sociocracy, and setting Group rules they got to know more about this neighborhood and how our initiative started and thrived. We also visited association Zeleni klik to hear about their initiative of community gardens and to give them a hand on their garden action. We discussed a lot about mental health and how to attract more young people and support them to start their initiatives.
Call for YOUTH WORKERS!
from Croatia, Hungary, and Slovenia to join our exciting KA2 project – Urban Communities: In Transition for Youth
This project addresses key challenges young people face today: social disconnection, demotivation, and mental health issues, while emphasizing the importance of strong communities in their lives.
We’re looking for passionate youth workers (anyone working with young people aged 14-30, through both formal and non-formal education, with no age limit) who want to learn about sustainable urban communities, the Transition Movement, and effective ways to support the well-being of young people.
You’ll get the chance to travel to Croatia, Slovenia, and Hungary for learning exchanges, gaining hands-on tools & methods to better support young people through non-formal education.
Deadline to Apply: 22th January 2025!
If you’re a youth worker ready to make a positive impact and expand your skills, don’t miss out!
Apply here: https://forms.gle/TTo7trJcpwrpdDpY7
Let’s build stronger, healthier communities together!
In November 2024. partner organizations met at the first working meeting in Zagreb. We exchanged experiences and views related to the priority topics of the project and presented the good practices that we perceive or participate in our local environments.
We visited a humanitarian shop in the immediate vicinity of the Vestiginum Udruga and the market of local producers, which is organized every Saturday in front of their premises in the block settlement of Zagreb. We also visited the clothing exchange and got acquainted with the rules of its operation.
During the meeting, we talked about the importance of community and self-organized spaces, especially in the neighbourhoods, which otherwise do not have spaces for social and cultural participation. We reviewed the entire work plan and the joint project program in more detail, focused on the work of individual organizations within the framework of cooperation and focused on the details related to communication, planning, promotion, implementation and evaluation.
Between September 2024 and April 2026, we are excited to be part of the Urban Communities in Transition for Youth project, a Key Action 2 (KA2) Small-Scale Partnership supported by the Erasmus+ programme. This initiative brings together three partner organizations: Vestigium, Pekarna Magdalenske mreže in Maribor, Slovenia, and Profilantrop Egyesulet in Budapest, Hungary. Together, we will work to empower young people, promote sustainability, and foster social inclusion through a variety of educational and collaborative activities.
Our project addresses the pressing challenges faced by young people, particularly in the context of global crises such as the pandemic, war, and rising costs of living. These challenges have exacerbated issues such as environmental destruction, social disconnection, and mental health problems, affecting youth to a great extent. In response, the project aims to empower young people and youth workers through non-formal education, fostering civic engagement, community participation, and environmental sustainability.
By improving the well-being of youth and promoting sustainable lifestyles, the project seeks to help young people understand the impact of urban inhabitants on the environment and provide tools to improve their lives and communities.
The project will include three partner meetings for experience sharing, study visits to explore sustainable urban practices, and workshops for youth to raise awareness on sustainability and social inclusion. Educational resources such as manuals, posters, and interactive tools will also be developed to support youth in adopting sustainable lifestyles.
We are a team of 3 organizations located in South Eastern Europe, with a common passion for being a bit more gentle to our beautiful planet earth and working with our communities towards a more sustainable future.
