In 2016,.one Swiss ambassador conceived and launched the concept of "PopAp" with a goal of having more direct contact with the citizens of the country in which he served, as well as building a new type of bilateral relations between the countries.
Inspired by that, the British "PopAp" embassy in our country was opened on June 1 in Novi Sad at the Svilara Cultural Station. The concept of the Novi Sad "Pop-Up" (mobile) embassy was thematically dedicated to cultural ties between Serbia and the United Kingdom and environmental protection, as the United Kingdom (specifically the city of Glasgow) will host the UN Global Climate Change Conference in November - COP26 UN.
The program began with a panel discussion on women's empowerment in science and entrepreneurship, followed by the presentation of the requirements for the British Government's Chevening Scholarship.
The British Government's Chevening Scholarship provides full funding for a one-year master's degree at any chosen higher education institution in the United Kingdom. Due to current global challenges, such as climate change and the global health protection, in the following application process, special attention will be paid to applications for education in areas such as environmental protection, scientific research, or technical science (STEM).
Accordingly, the British Embassy contacted Vesela Mačkić to be a partner in the planned environmental activities.
„It was a great honor for me when they invited me to be their partner and organize a workshop on urban gardening. Along with my colleagues, I designed three workshops and presented the concept of sustainable development in an urban environment. The emphasis was on plants that are characteristic of Britain. We researched why leeks are a trademark of Wales, what rhubarb is, we learned about composting at home, and we planted some new plants. The students came up with creative recipes and made the flags of Great Britain, Wales, and Serbia. We were especially glad that the British Ambassador in Serbia, Shan McLeod, was delighted and supported us during the entire activity. ", says Vesela.
The workshops were extracurricular activities since everything was organized after school. First and second-grade students participated, although the event itself was open, and all passers-by and children from that area could participate. Together we conducted three workshops: "Planting new plants", "Transplanting and making compost" and "Learning about composting".
The day closed with Sir David Attenborough's film on climate change called "A Life on Our Planet".
The Svilara Cultural Station is a place where this urban garden is part of the permanent exhibition. It is important that such workshops raise awareness of sustainable development because, as Attenborough stated, "Saving our planet is now a communications challenge".