Description of organisation

O.A.ZA. - Održiva Alternativa ZAjednici (in English: Sustainable Alternative to Community), is a nonprofit organisation established in January 2013 in Zagreb, Croatia. We promote sustainable development and our activities focus on children and young people (up to the age of 35) as bearers of the sustainable future. Our target groups also include youth workers from all over Europe. OAZA has three departments: personal development, ecology and environment protection, and social entrepreneurship.

Our values are togetherness (being mindful for the feelings and needs of other people and living beings), balance (acting in harmony between the physical, mental and spiritual aspects of life), responsibility (proactive, disciplined and adequate action in different circumstances), and spirituality (searching for the meaning of life, getting to know oneself and looking for imperishable values). Our vision is to create role models of a sustainable society and our mission is to encourage the holistic development of youth as architects of the future.

OAZA's aims include:
- to help young people and children take responsibility for the sustainable development of society by facilitating activities that focus on personal development and environmental protection
- to help young people and children develop into wholesome persons and find their life vocation by involving them in the sustainable development of society according to their life vocation
- to educate and inspire young people and children to develop a positive value system and competencies so they can become the change they want to see in the world.

In order to achieve that, we facilitate various regular activities within three main programmes of OAZA: Bridge to Success (non-formal education workshops about entrepreneurial skills and social entrepreneurship for youth, training courses for youth workers about social entrepreneurship), Oasis for Kids (environmental education through gardening for elementary school pupils, educating teachers about starting school gardens, international volunteering), and Joyful Leadership (leadership education for young people and youth leaders, training courses, online courses, mentoring, volunteering). Those activities aim to help young people adopt a positive value system, discover their potential, and boost their personal and professional development. Empowered with new competencies, they are inspired to take the initiative and improve the quality of their own lives, as well as address different issues in society.