Newsletter of the Association for Self Advocacy
Topic of the issue:
Issue 31
Interpersonal relationships
EDITORIAL Dear self – advocates, We wrote another issue of Voice of Self–Advocates. In this issue we wrote about Interpersonal Relationships. Over the last 12 months, we have talked about our relationships with other people. In this issue you can read what our self–advocates say and think about it. In the end, relax and have fun with the Entertainer section. We hope to fill your free time a little and hope that you will learn something new about relationships. If you want us to write about an issue that interests you, feel free to contact us at the office or by e-mail: kontakt@samozastupanje.hr
Editor Senada Halilčević Assistants Ana-Marija Kiseljak Damjan Janjušević Pictograms and symbols Widigt Software tel. +44 1223 425558 web: www.widgit.com © European Easy-to-Read Logo: Inclusion Europe. More information at www.inclusion-europe.eu/easy-to-read
REPUBLIKA HRVATSKA
Ministarstvo rada, mirovinskog sustava, obitelji i socijalne politike
Funds for the implementation of the Program were provided by the Ministry of Demography, Family, Youth and Social Policy. Association for Self – Advocacy is solely responsible for the content of this newsletter.
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GET TO KNOW US Božidar Kobasić, photographer of the Voice of Self-Advocates When did you start taking photos? In 1999 with my guardian Vili. I told him I wanted to learn about photography. He supported me and showed me how to take photos. What do you like to photograph the most? The city of Zagreb and its surroundings, the sea, nature, Zagorje. I like to photograph both people and nature. I ask interesting people if I can take their pictures, and they often agree. I also had several exhibitions, and I made a calendar. Cooperation with Voice of Self - Advocates. As a member of ASA, I have been photographing events in the Association for a long time. Presentation of brochures about Zagorka and Tesla in the Technical Museum Nikola Tesla, gatherings, and meetings with members of the Association. That's how I decided to volunteer as a photographer in the Voice of the Self-Advocate. I hope the people will like my photos. What do you expect from your engagement? I really like the Voice of Self-Advocates. I would like as many people as possible to see the newsletter and become familiar with our work. What would you recommend to self-advocates who want to start taking photos? I support them, it will be better if there are more of us. We will be able to socialize and exchange photos. When photos are made, it can be a bit expensive, but to take photos you only need a camera or mobile phone and good will.
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What pleases you the most in photography? I like to take pictures of nature when it's a nice sunny day. I don't really like it when it rains, because it's much harder for me to take pictures in the rain. I decide where I will go and what will I photograph. Most of all, I like to visit Zagreb's neighborhoods and take pictures of the people in them. Thank you Božo, we wish you good luck and good photos.
WHAT WE WERE DOING During the past year, the coronavirus has had a big impact on our lives. It was difficult for all of us. Because of coronavirus we lost some Members and loved ones. We will always remember them. We tried as much as possible to maintain regular contacts with our members. For this we used computers, mobile phones, the Internet, Zoom, Facebook. However, we were the happiest when we could get together in the Association or for coffee. We realized that human closeness, conversation and personal contact mean a lot to us and that we miss it the most. 1. The Neighborhood Walks Due to the coronavirus, our members could not attend self-advocacy groups for a while. This is why last year we started with Neighborhood Walks: ● We visited members ● Walked ● Drink coffee We talked about many topics and had fun in nice company. In that way we respected epidemiological measures.
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2. Christmas gathering December is the month of love, joy and giving. That's why we had a Christmas gathering. We sang and danced to Christmas carols. We remembered the good times and made wishes that would come true in the new year. 3. Trips to Karlovac When the weather was nice, we went on a several trips. We visited our friends in Karlovac. They live in the Community service center in Ozalj. They showed us their town of Karlovac. We walked there and drank coffee. We talked about topics that interest us and got to know each other better. We had a great time and can't wait to hang out again.
4. Brochures about Marija Jurć Zagorka and Nikola Tesla In the project Easy and understandable - Zagorka and Tesla for all, two brochures were made. One brochure describes the life of Marija Jurić Zagorka, and the other describes the life of Nikola Tesla. Brochures were made by self-advocates Senada Halilčević and Snježana Kanjir with assistants. Partners from the Center for Women's Studies and the Nikola Tesla Technical Museum helped us create the brochures. The promotion of brochures was held in the Technical Museum. Brochures can also be used by other people who need easy-to-read information.
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5. Euro leaflet In Croatia, the official currency now is the kuna. Currency is the money used in a country. In the future, the official currency in Croatia will be the euro. That's why we made this leaflet. You can find the leaflet at: ● Our official website ● In the Association for Self-Advocacy
VISITS AND CONFERENCES: 1. Project OSI – Discover, Know, Experience! In December, we celebrated the International Day of People with Disabilities. We participated in the project OSI - Discover, Know, Experience! The project was designed by students of the Faculty of Education and Rehabilitation. Students and people with disabilities spent time together and got to know each other better. We talked about how people with disabilities live. 2. Fourth conference of women with disabilities Senada Halilčević participated in the Fourth Conference of Women with Disabilities in November. The topic was domestic violence against women with disabilities. Many experts and women with disabilities participated in the conference. Senada gave a speech on the topic My disability is not my identity.
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3. EDUREHA – Self-advocacy of members of the ASA from their perspective In May, we celebrated the National Day of People with Intellectual Disabilities. Self-advocates Biserka, Senada and Snježana spoke with students of the Faculty of Education and Rehabilitation. They talked about what self-advocacy means to them. Here are some of their statements: ● Self-advocacy means that you fight for your rights. ● Self-advocacy means that you can say what you want and think. ● Self-advocacy is when you speak for yourself and you make decisions for your life. You decide what to eat, wear, buy, when are you going out, with whom, are you going to get married, open a bank account... ● If we have the information we understand, we can make our own decisions. ● All people are self-advocates, only this term is associated with people with intellectual disabilities. ● For example, and crying babies are self-advocating. 4. Lecture on Social Work Study Centre We had the opportunity to give a lecture to fifth-year students from Social Work Study Centre. Professor Marko Buljevac invited us to the lecture. We held a lecture on the subject Social work with people with intellectual disabilities. We introduced the students to the work of our Association, and Senada told her life story.
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5. Interview about self-advocacy in the radio show One plus one Our members Senada and Damjan were invited to the Croatian Radio One plus One radio show. In the show, they talked about self-advocacy and presented the work of our Association.
INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION: 1. Hear Our Voices! We participated in the international conference of selfadvocates Hear our voices. The conference was organized by Inclusion Europe and the European Platform of Self-Advocates. The conference was held online. The topic of the conference was the life and rights of a person with intellectual disabilities during the coronavirus. Croatian self-advocates pointed out that their living conditions worsened during the coronavirus. Now it is even more difficult for them to enjoy their rights Self-advocates called on the government to pay more attention to the rights of people with intellectual disabilities in this crisis.
2. Online meeting with colleagues from Serbia We had a Zoom meeting with colleagues from Serbia. We talked about everything that happened to us during the coronavirus. We exchanged tips on working in a pandemic. We hope to continue this cooperation in the future.
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3. Spanish book about Senada's life Senada collaborated with the Spanish association Plena Inclusion in writing the book. She told the story of her life for the book. Senada's life story was published in a Spanish book. The book is called Lives of Inspiring Women with Disabilities.
TOPIC OF THE ISSUE RELATIONSHIPS What the self-advocates told us At self-advocacy groups, we talked about relationships. We spoke with members of: ● Associations for Self-Advocacy ● Rehabilitation Center Zagreb Orlovac ● Community service center Ozalj ● Association for the Promotion of Inclusion Šibenik In the text below, it is written what all the members said about the relationship. What is relationship? The relationship is: ● When you have a friend ● When you're in love ● When you have a family ● It can be formal and informal ● When you have an enemy ● Business relationship Why are relationships important to us? They are important because then you are not alone. If there were no friends and companionship, people would be lonely. People can learn to behave good through a relationship. Relationships are important in order to function. Without relationships, the world does not function.
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In a good relationship we need: ● Respect the other person ● Listen ● To be supportive ● Hang out ● To love ● Help ● To speak nicely What should we not do in relationship? ● We must not insult and shout ● We must not swear ● To talk badly about a person ● To talk about a person's secrets ● To fight with the person
INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS A few words about interpersonal relations Interpersonal relationships can be: ● love ● friendly ● neighborly ● family ● professional
All these relationships can be of more or less quality. For an interpersonal relationship to be good, it is important that it can be based on trust, respect, tolerance, attention and understanding. Without it, there is no good interpersonal relationship.
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We should try to fix bad relationships in which there is no trust, respect, tolerance, attention and understanding. If we cannot fix a bad relationship by ourselves, we can ask someone we trust for help. In bad relationships, people feel bad. If we do not manage to repair the bad relationship, even after our extra effort, we should think about whether we want to continue participating in it.
Memory of Željka Mulković The value of true friendship interview with Biserka Sambol Biba How did you and Željka meet? We met at the Zagreb Rehabilitation Center at a workshop. We knew each other for a long time, but we didn't start hanging out right away. How did you become friends? Unfortunately, we lost our father the same year. That's why we started living in organized housing. We were very sad and lonely. That's when we started hanging out and became very close. The loss of loved ones brought us together. We were each other's support. After that we became roommates. That brought us even closer. How would you describe your relationship? We were as close as sisters. We trusted each other with secrets. We told each other what was bothering us and asked for help.
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We liked to do the same things. We understood each other. We were there for each other in happy and sad moments. What have you been doing together? All. We listened to music, went out for coffee. We went to self-advocacy meetings and workshops together. We loved going to the theater, cinema and library. Were there obstacles in your relationship? There were obstacles, but they did not affect our friendship. Sometimes it was difficult for me because I had to help her a lot. I used to have no time for myself. It used to wear me out physically, but at the end of the day, her company would be worth it. I would give anything to do it again. Sometimes we had disagreements. We used to argue, but it would end quickly. I think that's part of every relationship. How would you describe Željka as a person? Željka was a good person. She was very warm and nice. She loved entertaining other people and was funny. She always shared happiness with other people. She often made me laugh. She was very special. I loved her very much. What is your best memory of Željka?? Željka once waited for me until 1 in the morning to return from the competition. She was excited because I won first place and received a medal. She was happy as if she had won. She was happy for my success. That's how I knew she was my true friend.
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Friends Years of living together in the community Fadil Špuren Braco i Ivo Pala We met at the workshops. We met and hung out there for many years. In 1999, we started living together in Gajnice. After Gajnice, we moved several more times but each time we decided to stay together. Our friendship is so strong that no one can tear us apart. We built a friendship on trust. We always told each other secrets. We are also each other's support for life in the community. We don't go anywhere without each other. We often spend time together walking and drinking coffee. We couldn't imagine life without each other. Sometimes we argue, but it never last long. We always say sorry and make up right away. A good friend means a lot in your lifeBraco and Ivo told us at the end. We hope that their friendship will last a lifetime.
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ENTERTAINMENT QUIZ 1. What should a good relationship be like? a) You should talk badly B You should have trust c) You should be nice
2. What is a love relationship? a) When you have boyfriend or girlfriend b) When you have a friend c) When you have parents
3. What should we not do in a relationship? a) Ask for help b) Insult each other c) Go for a walk
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SEARCH ENGINE Find and circle these words in the search engine. RELATIONSHIPS LOVE FRIENDS TRUST SOCIALIZING FAMILY
EXCURSION WALK CINEMA COFFEE HELP
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CONTACT US You can send your stories and questions to:
Međimurska 19, 3.kat, 10 000 Zagreb Telephone: 01 55 30 556, Fax: 01 553 05 56 E- mail: kontakt@samozastupanje.hr Visit our website: www.samozastupanje.hr or Facebook page