As two socially responsible entities, we are committed to highlighting the importance of educating young people and their families about the dangers of all forms of addiction, particularly the misuse of alcohol and drugs, as well as digital addiction.
“In collaboration with the Ministry of Health, EXIT initiated a highly acclaimed anti-drug campaign, “Stay Clean” in 2019, which has evolved over the years into a fight against all forms of addiction. Last year, in partnership with UNICEF, we expanded our efforts to include the overall improvement of youth mental health and the battle against digital addiction. We look forward to collaborating with the Health Center to create a broad front composed of institutions, NGOs, the media, public figures, and individuals. Only by working together can we tackle this menace,” said Dušan Kovačević, founder and director of EXIT Festival.
“Our goal is to engage young people in an open dialogue about topics that interest them and encourage them to think about the dangers of reckless behavior. The “Novi Sad” Health Center and EXIT will devise a strategy to intensify the efforts of the Youth Counseling Center, which, as of September, will become a key meeting point for young people interested in education, prevention, and raising awareness on the negative impacts of psychoactive substances,” said Dr. Veselin Bojat, Director of the “Novi Sad” Health Center.
EXIT festival has always been a staunch opponent of drug use and has been actively involved in educating and preventing alcohol and drug abuse among young people for years. Through the EXIT Foundation, the festival has launched numerous campaigns focusing on drug use prevention. Furthermore, it has raised awareness about the growing problem of digital addiction among younger generations.
EXIT Foundation and UNICEF’s campaign “Life is Live” played a crucial role, bringing the issue of digital addiction among young people into the spotlight. Yourope, the European Festivals Association, recognized the importance of this initiative, sparking an international wave of awareness about the significance of caring for young people’s mental health and the positive impact that festivals and live events have in this regard.
This year marks two decades of successful work by the Youth Counseling Center. The child health protection service of the “Novi Sad” Health Center established the Youth Counseling Center in 2004 to prevent harmful behaviors among young people aged 7 to 19. Since its inception, the Counseling Center has held over 3,000 seminars, reaching more than 170,000 people through group health education and over 43,300 people through individual health education in Novi Sad and Sremski Karlovci. The work of the Counseling Center is based on the fundamental principles of primary prevention, mainly through educational and promotional activities aimed at improving the well-being of adolescents, creating a culture of health, improving knowledge, and acquiring the skills necessary to establish personal responsibility for one’s health, and consequently, the health of others.
Adolescence is a period of experimentation and identity formation. This developmental process includes seeking new sensations and taking risks. Young people need to be reminded that no drug is harmless; on the contrary, drug use can have severe consequences on both mental and physical health. Current statistics show that various types of drugs are most commonly taken by young people aged 14 to 25 out of curiosity, boredom, depression, a desire for adventure, peer pressure, or a lack of family support. During this period, drugs are still perceived as a fun activity, an escape from reality, and even as a fashion trend or a ticket into the adult world. However, most young people do not use drugs. The “Novi Sad” Health Center and EXIT Festival aim to reach as broad an audience as possible with this campaign, including all relevant institutions, parents, and especially young people just entering adulthood.
