Description of organisation

IKU (Interculturalis) - is a non-governmental and non-profit organization, founded in 2018 in order to achieve goals in the field of intercultural education and cooperation between different cultures in social, environmental, political and economic terms. Our goal is to increase intercultural competence, employability and entrepreneurship, especially of young people, through education and implementation of various programs, but also to promote peace, EU integration, respect for human rights and democratic freedom. In this way, intolerance in the region would be reduced, and thus the business climate would be improved. Protecting the environment and combating pollution as a global problem is also at the center of our interest. We are interested in youth exchange, volunteering, non-formal learning, training and networking. IKU is a member of the international organization Youth Proactiv. Our motto is MEET THE DIVERSITY!

Some of the objectives of our organization are:
• Strengthening and improving cross-border and regional cooperation, primarily of young people through intercultural education and cultural exchange of young people;
• Introducing young people to the basics of international economic relations and business in order to strengthen economic ties between different cultures, but also to advance their careers;
• Assisting young people in the professional orientation of their first job and career advancement;
• Informal learning of foreign languages, cultures and other competencies in order to increase opportunities in finding a job;
• Promotion of EU-integration in order to transform the political, economic, social, environmental and cultural environment;
• Promotion of tolerance, respect for human rights and democratic culture, as well as prevention of discrimination on any grounds, integration of national minorities and other marginalized groups into the social system;
• Development, promotion and improvement of critical thinking, use of argumentation, distancing from prejudices and adoption of new knowledge based on logical conclusions;
• Promotion of environmental protection, healthy lifestyle, recreational activities, fight against pollution as a global problem and bringing young people closer to nature and natural resources as a basis for preserving human existence;
• Promotion of renewable energy sources, which aims to improve and raise awareness of the rational use of energy and environmental protection through the promotion of the concept of energy efficiency.

Since our establishment, our organization has been performing various activities in cooperation with other educational institutions and the local community. These are some of the activities that our organization does:
• Organize consultations, professional meetings, seminars, training, round tables, events, camps, field trips and other forms of education related to the promotion of healthy living, environmental protection, language learning, getting to know other cultures;
• Promote activism, creativity, entrepreneurship, foreign market initiative and attract foreign business partners to Serbia;
• Organize experts in the field of informal and non-formal education, as well as other experts in relevant fields for the education of the population on other cultures and peoples, as well as for their active participation in the process of accession to the EU.

Our target group is wide and includes primarily work with young people aged 13 to 25 who are still in school and in working with them we try to help them point out the importance of intercultural competence for their professional life. We also work with people with social, economic, geographical barriers and cultural differences and help them to integrate more easily into the social system, to choose appropriate occupations and get their first job.