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A New
Moonlight Club in Subotica
20
April, 2007
The
co-operation of the local
government of Subotica,
non-governmental organization
 Association for Positive
Communication, the Balcan Community Initiatives Fund (BCIF), the
Jovan Mikić Primary School in Subotica and the Hungarian
Teacher Training Faculty of Subotica resulted in the
establishment of a new, the fifth Moonlight Club, the
opening ceremony of which was held on 17 April, 2007. The
previous four Moonlight
Clubs were set up within not much more than two years.
This is a relatively short period for realising such a complex
and sensitive innovation, and for the evaluation and assessment
of the expected results. However, the positive experiences, the
record
attendance at the clubs which is beyond our hopes, our
second successful application at BCIF, the recognition and
support by our local community prompted our organization to
continue expanding the movement of night sport for the youth.
Our association successfully applied for financial
support at BCIF this year for the second time. This time we won the support
with our project entitled The
reflections of the Moonlight Programme of Subotica. The title refers to the successful implementation of the
previous project, and the further expansion and development of
the same. This was our goal when we signed a co-operation
agreement with the Hungarian Teacher Training Faculty of
Subotica and with the Jovan Mikić Primary School
in Subotica – with the support of the local government. In the framework
of the co-operation programme, which is just starting to unfold,
we set up a Moonlight Club where the
students of the Teacher Training Faculty – future teachers –
can get to know the Moonlight
Programme, and can gain experience in applying it in
practice. First they acquire the theoretical background with the
help of a CD containing a presentation and promotional material,
and from the presentations of the co-ordinators of the existing
four Moonlight
Clubs. They visit the clubs, in the first place Moonlight
Club 5, which was among other things formed for this
purpose with the help of BCIF – and join in the work in the
clubs on a voluntary basis. Students write a seminar paper on
the organization of free time activities of youth, with special
regard to night sport clubs, and the possibilities of preventing
the deviant behaviour of youth, within the framework of subjects
Pedagogy, Psychology and Physical Education, the choice of which
is optional. Within the framework of the project a survey is
also conducted among the students in which they can give
feedback about how they view the implementation of the Moonlight
Programme in the clubs, how they see their role and
importance in the positive socialization of youth, as well as
about their observations and recommendations about improving the
programme and the work of the clubs. On the basis of all this it
can be stated, that the establishment of Moonlight
Club 5, and the inclusion of the students of the Teacher
Training Faculty in the project will not only strengthen the
expansion of the humane idea of night sport clubs both
theoretically and in practice, but will also develop the
programme further.
The district of the town in the neighbourhood of the
Jovan Mikić Primary School may even be considered contradictory from a social point of view.
It has a modern garden city part, a traditional urban part, and
the suburb is also near. It is
a district where a lot of
different sub-cultures meet, and it is not free of various
conflicts. However, one thing is for sure. The premises of the
foster home which was operating in the nearby for some decades,
the partially empty and neglected parts of the building, as well
as the sports grounds and parks surrounding it have become the
meeting place for various gangs and drug users. This left a deep
mark on the life of the locals, especially of children. Our
organization decided on these grounds that it would seek a
partner for establishing a Moonlight
Club in this part of the town, so that it can contribute
to the adequate socialization of the children living in the
neighbourhood with its programme, by offering them useful
evening leisure opportunities.
 We didn't need to look for long. The
renowned and
selfless teaching staff of the Jovan Mikić Primary School, lead by head teacher Etuska Juhász, accepted to co-operate in
the realization of the programme. She offered a beautiful
two-wing entrance hall, the structure of which is similar to the
Roman courtyards, as accommodation for the Moonlight Club 5,
where the co-ordinator of the club, Milan Torbica and his aides
can realize exciting sports programmes with the children on
Friday evenings from 8 till 12 p.m.
 The guests – representatives
of the council of the town, sponsors and supporters of the
programme present, the students of the teacher training faculty,
the teaching staff and students of the school – were greeted
by the head teacher of the school, Etuska Juhász. Dezső Kiss,
on the part of Club 21 – Association for Positive
Communication, vice-dean Dr Géza Cékus and senior lecturer Dr
Josip Lepes, on the part of the Hungarian Teacher Training
faculty of Subotica also delivered welcome speeches. They expressed their
satisfaction and happiness that the faculty could contribute to
the opening of a new night sport club, and also because in the
newly established club the students of the faculty can become
acquainted with this interesting and valuable form of children's
free-time activities in practice.
Moonlight
Club 5 was officially opened and handed over to the
children by Andrija Romić, member of the City Council of
Subotica, Councillor of Youth and Sports Affairs.
Dezső
Kiss
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