With the sounds of the saxophone and New York jazz, and many guests, NGO Atina celebrated one year since the establishment of social enterprise Bagel Bejgl shop.

Our dear friends, who have supported the initiative to establish Bagel Bejgl shop from the outset, joined the birthday celebration, along with numerous donors and representatives of various national and international institutions and organisations, neighbours and loyal customers and fans of bagel. 

In April and May 2016, Association Atina organised two two-day trainings in Preševo and Sremska Mitrovica, on the topic “Protection of refugees, victims of gender-based violence, in the local context”, within the project “Local support for the most vulnerable refugees” which is supported by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). Trainings are designed for professionals in this field who are working in Šid, Sremska Mitrovica, Preševo and Vranje, with the aim of better understanding of the issue of gender-based violence, as well as human trafficking, and more adequate response to it.

In April and May 2016, Association Atina organised two two-day trainings in Preševo and Sremska Mitrovica, on the topic “Protection of refugees, victims of gender-based violence, in the local context”, within the project “Local support for the most vulnerable refugees” which is supported by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). Trainings are designed for professionals in this field who are working in Šid, Sremska Mitrovica, Preševo and Vranje, with the aim of better understanding of the issue of gender-based violence, as well as human trafficking, and more adequate response to it.

Regional training on migration was held in Zagreb, organized by ICITAP (International Criminal Investigative Training Assistance Program of the Department of Justice USA) and the Police Academy in Zagreb, and it gathered representatives of eight countries in the region who, on this occasion, had the opportunity to exchange experiences, examples of good practice, as well as policies and strategies their countries implemented during the refugee crisis. 

NGO Atina's representative presented the expertise and long-time work of this organisation on the cases of human trafficking and gender-based violence, which was the reason to become involved in providing support to those persons within the refugee population who have been recognised as the most vulnerable

In Belgrade, on April 21, 2016, within the UN Population Fund Regional Initiative, a Working Group for Gender Based Violence, consisting of representatives from ministries, UN agencies and civil society organizations was established.

Within the project “Improving the protection of unaccompanied minors in the region” which NGO Atina carries out together with the Permanent Mission of France to the UN and other international organisations in Vienna, a two-day training was held in April for the representatives of the Association for the Social Support of Youth - Arsis from Greece and the Association for action against violence and human trafficking - Open Gate: La Strada from Macedonia, which are in their own countries engaged in providing direct support to the refugee population.

Russian prima ballerina, Irina Kolesnikova, visited refugee camps in Tabanovce, Preševo and Krnjača and announced a new version of “Carmen” of the St. Petersburg Ballet Company, which seeks to highlight the problems of refugees in Europe. With the support of the international humanitarian organisation Oxfam, Kolesnikova wants to show how the answer to one of the biggest crises in Europe can also be provided through art, and she will, together with the choreographer of the St. Petersburg Ballet Company, set up a new “Carmen”.