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Second year among Belgrade first graders

06.10.2008.

On the occasion of launching a new cycle of the campaign ‘Pupils ask you – slow down by the school’ Belgrade Mayor Dragan Djilas and JKP ‘Parking Servis’ Deputy CEO Boban Kovacevic visited the first graders of the Vuk Karadzic primary school.
Explaining to the youngest pupils the significance of wearing the fluorescent vests the Mayor Dragan Djilas said that children in the street are much safer when wearing them.
‘Children, be careful, because drivers sometimes drive so fast that they cannot see you. Because of this, it is important that your parents put the vests on you every day so that you are conspicuous,’ Djilas told the pupils as he was giving them fluorescent vests which have a print ‘Pupils ask you – slow down by the school’ on them.
A kiddo Sale asked for two vests. When the Mayor asked him ‘What do you need two for?’, he said ‘One for the morning and the other for the afternoon shift’.

A new arrangement and a video spot

A song which was made for this educational campaign has been given a new arrangement by Ivana Peters also known as Ivana Negativ and her band Negativ. The campaign has been successful in getting the attention of a few celebrities – musician and actors. The following take part in the video spot: Leontina Vukomanovic, Ivana Negativ, Negativ band, Dragan Bjelogric, Ognjen Amidzic, Natasa Bekvalac, Katarina Radivojevic, Mirka Vasiljevic, Sasa Kovacevic, Vjera Mujovic, and a children choir ‘Carolija (Magic)’. Primary school Vladislav Ribnikar first graders and Belgrade Department of Traffic Police forces have taken their part in the video spot.
Music is composed by Leontina Vukomanovic and it is performed by Negativ band, while the lyrics are written by Slobodan Stanisic. The spot was shot in Vladislav Ribnikar primary school in Studio B production with Ljubisa Zivanic as a director.

At the very launch of the spot the song was very well received so that the children spontaneously started dancing and the Mayor joined them.

Second in Europe

‘This brilliant campaign has contributed a lot to our being second in Europe when it comes to pupils’ safety in traffic – the only city ahead of us is Vienna. Unfortunately this is not enough and we will do everything we can to make children as safe as possible in times when drivers are nervous and drive fast. Over the last couple of years 47 children have been injured in traffic accidents, but fortunately no one died. In order to reduce this number we have started the talks with Home Office so as to improve general pupils’ safety and to have a policeman, video surveillance in every school yard and radars and cameras in front of schools and at other critical spots’, said Djilas.

The best non-profit campaign

JKP ‘Parking Servis’ Deputy CEO Boban Kovacevic said that this campaign had been last year pronounced the best non-profit campaign in Serbia. Kovacevic has also pointed out that all over the city one can see pupils wearing vests given to the first graders last year and that is an encouraging sign.

Educational play

The first graders have been show a play in which Miljan Vojnovic and a uniformed policeman have presented the importance of safe conduct in traffic through an interesting and funny program. The children have answered their questions, laughed and played.

It will become a tradition

The campaign officially kicked off on the 1st of October – The International Day of Child and it has been planned that during the new cycle 133 Belgrade primary schools and 15000 pupils will be visited. Half an hour-long play should show them the importance of knowing and respecting the traffic rules. The pupils will be given fluorescent vests which are designed to fit their size and age.

The campaign is supported by Belgrade City Council, Education Department, Traffic Department and Home Office – Belgrade Traffic Police Department as well as many media partners.
The campaign organizer’s hope is that the campaign which take place for the second year in a row becomes traditional and that every new generation of first graders gets fluorescent vests and becomes aware of the importance of safe conduct in traffic.

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