Young participants of the 17th Learn, Think, and Act! training celebrated Orange Day by spreading its message in their communities and saying loud and clear that they will not tolerate violence against women and girls. Bright and optimistic, the color orange symbolizes a future without violence.
Participants of UMiD 17 organized a collective volunteer action to mark Orange Day – Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and Girls. They formed teams and used their creativity to raise awareness about this significant issue across several local communities in BiH.
This month, Orange Day was celebrated with a series of activities designed, planned, and organized by young and motivated UMiD training participants and emerging young leaders.
In Travnik, during a street action, young people gave hand-made roses to passers-by with messages that brought smiles to their faces. Yesterday at Trg Krajina in Banja Luka, citizens could spin the wheel and win an orange hug, a message, a smile, or an orange trinket from the stand prepared by dedicated volunteers. Creative volunteers painted orange designs on the hands of the youngest participants and talked to them about the meaning of the color and the importance of Orange Day.
Citizens in Novi Grad were also offered a creative way to support victims by leaving an orange fingerprint on a tree, symbolizing hope and their promise to report any violence they witnessed.
In addition to street actions and workshops in Mostar, Tuzla, Novi Grad and Istočno Sarajevo, and self-defense workshops for women and girls in Bihać, Orange Day also included the screening of the film Bez glasa (Voiceless), which tells the story of a woman survivor of violence, as well as the online campaign “Women’s rights are human rights” which included collecting encouraging messages of support for women victims of violence.
The joint effort of UMiD 17 participants to celebrate Orange Day ends today in Ilidža with the installation of an SOS box for reporting violence at Richmond Park School. The Richmond Park school is the first educational institution to pilot SOS mailboxes for reporting violence.
You can view the photo gallery of the Orange Day celebration here.
By supporting the efforts of UMiD 17 participants, the Institute for Youth Development KULT continues its tireless contribution to the celebration of Orange Day. For nearly a decade, through various campaigns and activities, the Institute has raised public awareness about violence against women and girls, educated young people on reporting and preventing violence, and promoted gender equality and the rights of women and girls while also sending messages of support to victims of violence.
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