On Saturday, 17 October, we hosted 72 Hours Without Compromise, a nationwide initiative that brings together large numbers of young people over three consecutive days and sends them out to take part in volunteer activities prepared throughout the year in cooperation with local communities. As many as twenty young people – secondary school pupils, university students and working professionals from the City of Zagreb and the surrounding area – gathered at our office through SKAC Palma, the organisation coordinating the project in Zagreb.

Although the volunteers later split into two groups to take part in two different volunteering activities, they spent their first moments together at our premises, where they were warmly welcomed by our office coordinator, Ana Marčinko. She briefly introduced them to the history of JRS worldwide and in Croatia, as well as the history of the 72 Hours Without Compromise initiative, in which she herself had been involved from its early days. In particular, she highlighted the shared values of JRS and the 72 Hours Without Compromise volunteering initiative, above all, sensitivity towards those in need and people on the margins of society. With these thoughts in mind, the volunteers set off for their respective activities.

The first group accompanied children of people supported by JRS on a visit to Zagreb Zoo. At the entrance to Maksimir Park, the volunteers and our cultural mediator welcomed the parents and their children. To give everyone an opportunity to get to know one another and create memorable moments together, each volunteer was assigned one or two children, with whom they explored the zoo, visited the animals the children wanted to see, and so on. In these smaller groups, each child found it particularly easy to express themselves and receive all the attention they needed – the volunteers were fully there for them. At the end of the zoo visit, everyone gathered once again for a little competition in imitating the animals they had liked the most. Around noon, the visit came to an end, and the parents were already waiting for their children at the entrance to Maksimir Park.

The second group, meanwhile, spent the entire day at our office at Maksimirska 286, painting the walls of the SOL integration centre. SOL stands for ‘Susret običnih ljudi’ (Meeting of Ordinary People), a place where many refugees spend time every day. Although this practical volunteering activity did not involve direct interaction with our beneficiaries, as was the case with accompanying the children to the zoo, the volunteers nevertheless managed, in a simple and discreet way, to help refugees feel more comfortable and at home in the renovated SOL premises. Our own volunteers and staff also joined them in this effort.

Through this cooperation between JRS and the 72 Hours Without Compromise initiative, the young people had the opportunity not only to offer their help, but also to learn more about the lives and challenges of foreigners in our country, make new acquaintances and create lasting memories.