Občianské združenie

It’s alive here, even after the kids leave.

The KASPIAN Club isn’t just for kids from street. We also have our SENIORS!

Familiar with oldies music? Yes. Various types of training? Yes. Psychohygiene? Guaranteed.

For some time now, a group of female instructors has been energizing our space in the evenings. What secrets hide behind years of exercise for the body and soul? The group leader, Ms. Ing. Věra Gersová, told us about their unusual beginnings.

Her relationship with exercise started in childhood when she began attending regular corrective exercises due to health problems. In Prague, where she grew up, as a mother of two, she later started attending “Parents and Children” exercises with Ms. Berdychová at TJ SOKOL Malá Strana. Over two months of these exercises with Ms. Berdychová, Ms. Věra was inspired to take teacher training courses “Parents and Children and Health Physical Education” upon her return to Bratislava.

Then, along with her third child, she began exercising with parents and children at TJ Matador and later at TJ Starý Háj, where they also helped as assistant instructors. As part of this exercise with children, they ended with an exercise with adults, and the children would draw during that time.

“Our children grew up, but we continued to exercise,” recalls Ms. Věra. “We continue to exercise, alternating between the 5 Tibetan Rites, Callanetics, Pilates, Yoga, exercises with overballs, bands, and more. Essentially, we’ve been exercising together for more than 40 years. I exercise without payment, I run risk management courses in the organization, and the girls only contribute to the cost of the space. I dare say that we all enjoy exercising together, and we look forward to more and more exercises.”

We at KASPIAN can confirm that at first glance, it’s clear that this amazing group is united not only by common interests and motivation but also by optimism and a great surge of positive energy. Therefore, we wish our beloved instructors at least 40 more successful years. You’re doing a great job!

In the course of 2022, we returned to school environment through preventive workshops, educating students primarily in the Bratislava region.

We collaborated with representatives from the Petržalka Youth Parliament as part of the “Getting to Know the Unknown” project at the beginning of the year, and then continued a longstanding partnership with Heineken Slovakia through the preventive program “Rozumne.sk,” which you can learn more about HERE.

The preventive workshops are based on principles of education and harm reduction. The core of the workshops is the delivery of preventive information about alcohol, its effects, and the potential negative consequences for the life of a developing person, through interactive activities. The workshops include a simulation of being under the influence of alcohol through special glasses. They were also used in simulated crisis situations, in which a member of the group became sick while under the influence. Participants were able to experience firsthand whether they would be able to help.

Workshops for younger students also included a chemical experiment that demonstrated the aggressiveness of alcohol and its harmful effects, so that children and young people would not perceive it simply as a drink for adults, but also as a chemical substance. We collaborated with Braňo Jobus on this version of the workshops.

A total of 762 students from 10 schools participated in the workshops. We plan to continue these activities in 2023.

This project was funded by the Ministry of Education, Science, Research, and Sport of the Slovak Republic and the City of Bratislava, the capital of the Slovak Republic.

The year 2022 brought several changes to the local skatepark at Námestie Republiky. Firstly, its visual appearance was transformed thanks to the community of riders and visitors who were given the opportunity to choose new colors for the obstacles. Painting, sanding down the obstacles, and cleaning the area were carried out by a large group of corporate volunteers from Takeda Pharmaceuticals Slovakia s.r.o. and Heinken Slovensko a. s. as part of the “Naše Mesto” project, with the participation of young people who use the skatepark for sports activities. The technical obstacle known as the grind box was also revitalized through the replacement of its riding surface. These activities were financially supported by the Bratislava self-governing region and the ZSE Foundation.

PIK-NIK is our largest community event, where this year we celebrated its 25th anniversary. More than 150 visitors, including families with children, grandparents, and the local community, came to enjoy the great atmosphere of a September Saturday with us.

The all-day event was filled with a rich program, which started with creative workshops. There was a wide range of decorative materials, allowing every child to make their own original lantern. Outside, teacher Ivo captured children’s and adults’ attention by revealing the wonders of natural phenomena around us in an entertaining way through his Scientific Window.

Children also had the opportunity to have fun on the inflatable slide and jumping jungle, but the real hit was face painting. Butterflies, unicorns, spiders, sloths, and many other designs in various color combinations adorned almost all the children’s faces. In addition, the attractiveness of the outdoor space was enhanced by life-size Connect Four, bean bag toss, slackline, jumping mats, foosball, and ping pong. Mothers with children could also enjoy their time with proven Montessori activities.

Puppeteer and moderator Martin Žák, whose witty hosting entertained every age category, refreshed the program with unusual competitions, such as grape stem threading. Another undoubtedly captivating part of the program, in addition to hosting, was his theater performance “Fairy Tale Bus.”

The Hau’oli Band entertained us throughout the event with several performances, including during the cutting of the birthday cake. The chocolate cake filled with fresh vanilla cream and fruit was enjoyed by everyone who joined the queue. Visitors could also choose from other tasty refreshments, such as hot dogs, different types of cheesecakes, fruit, and lemonades, or coffee from Kakaw Co+. What sweetened our day was the bundt cake and banana bread brought by a community member.

The eagerly awaited conclusion of the program was the fire-light show by the Fandango group, which everyone enjoyed.

In addition to the performers, a BIG THANK YOU goes to our volunteers – Tomáš, Vilo, Matúš, Veronika, and Viktor, who helped us prepare the space before the event and ensured its smooth running. Thanks also go to Soňa and Zuzka, who could be found at the workshops or hot dog stands, but you may also remember them from KASPIAN clubs or terrains. Thanks also goes to our photographer Lucka, who ensured that we remember the unique moments from the PIK-NIK 2022 for as long as possible.

You can watch a video from PIK-NIK HERE.

The project was funded by a grant from the budget of the capital city of Slovakia, Bratislava, through the Foundation. The project is implemented with the financial support of the mayor of the Bratislava-Petržalka district. The project was also supported by the capital city of Slovakia, Bratislava. This event was supported by grants from the Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Sport in the area of youth work, administered by IUVENTA – the Slovak Youth Institute. We thank Lidl Slovakia and Tesco Slovakia for their support of this activity.

That was the name of another edition of the freestyle scootering competition that took place in the first half of August.

Riders had the opportunity to show their maximum skills and compete against each other in three categories – amateur, advanced, and pro. A total of 28 riders participated in the competition, who, despite their desire to win, supported each other throughout the entire event.

Winners could win great prizes, especially from the main partner of the competition, SPINEO.sk, but also thanks to other sponsors ADDICT, PRO-TEC, FUZION, BLAZERPRO, Lidl Slovak Republic, v.o.s.

Thanks also go to the volunteers – Tomáš, whose energetic music accompanied us throughout the event, Matúš, who took care of extraordinary shots, and last but not least, the excellent riders from the jury – Tomáš, Lukáš, Denis, and again Tomáš, without whom it would not have been possible. We also thank the youngest member of the organizing team, Filip, who helped with registration.

We also thank the district of Petržalka for their support.

This event was supported by subsidies from the Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Sport in the field of youth work, administered by IUVENTA – the Slovak Youth Institute.

You can watch the moments of tension and the overall atmosphere of the competition, which were the result of the year-round efforts of children and young people, HERE.

Placement of riders:

Qualification – amateurs:

1. Boris Brestovanský 190 points
2. Dominik Fekete 184 points
3. Richard Paleník 180 points
4. Vladislav Vanta 167 points
5. Zara Sláviková 155 points
6. Matúš Belica 148 points
7. Milan Adamec 110 points
8. Tomáš Múčka 108 points
9. Vlad Chencov 95 points
10. Filip Malaška 86 points
11. Šimon Glasa 70 points
12. Andrej Lučan – not qualified
13. Patrik Vandriak – not qualified
14. Ramis Saliu – not qualified
15. Daniel Skacel – not qualified

Qualification – advanced:

1. Dávid Banár 220 points
2. Andrej Vreštiak 217 points
3. Simon Rusňak 215 points / Radovan Riso 215 points
4. Simon Perďoch 205 points / Samuel Kevický 205 points
5. Richard Staraba 199 points
6. Filip Muro 194 points
7. Dávid Pribiš 190 points
8. Alex Chropovský 185 points
9. Marko Čížek 165 points
10. Ladislav Schorschola 146 points

Qualification – pro:

1. Tomáš Gajdošík 260 points
2. Marko Geisser 252 points
3. Filip Kučinský 245 points
4. Marco Andreutti 225 points
5. Jakub Šmida 218 points

Finals – amateurs:

1. Richard Paleník 190 points
2. Matúš Belica 185 points
3. Boris Brestovanský 182 points
4. Vladislav Vanta 165 points
5. Zara Sláviková 148 points
6. Dominik Fekete 137 points

Finals – advanced:

1. Simon Rusňak 226 points
2. Dávid Banár 217 points
3. Andrej Vreštiak 209 points
4. Simon Perďoch 205 points
5. Samuel Kevický 194 points
6. Radoslav Rišo 193 points

Finals – pro:

1. Tomáš Gajdošík 203 points
2. Marko Giesser 200 points
3. Filip Kučinský 175 points

A migrant is a person who leaves one country and moves to another country for a minimum period of three months, with the exception of reasons such as vacation, visiting friends, work trips, and the like. A migrant becomes an emigrant for their country of origin and an immigrant for the receiving country. The Slovak legal system does not use the term migrant, but instead uses the term foreigner.

The OSN distinguishes between two groups of migrants based on the length of stay. A short-term migrant is a person who moves to another country other than their country of permanent residence for a period of at least three months and less than one year. A long-term migrant is a person who moves to another country other than their country of permanent residence for a minimum of one year.

In relation to migration, which you can read more about in our previous article, there are several categories of migrants that one may encounter. These categories include economic migrants and environmental migrants. An economic migrant is a person who migrates for economic reasons, such as better living or working opportunities. For the vast majority of economic migrants, this occurs through legal means of migration.

Environmental migration is becoming very relevant in connection with global climate change. In this case, it involves the temporary or permanent relocation of residents from an area affected by sudden or progressive environmental changes that adversely affect their lives or living conditions. Examples include long droughts, floods, or rising sea levels, among others. Environmental migrants are thus forced to leave their usual homes, whether temporarily or permanently. They can migrate to another part of their country or abroad.

Anyone who is not a citizen of the Slovak Republic is considered a foreigner. Foreigners also include citizens of EU member states, the European Economic Area, and the Swiss Confederation.

A refugee is a person who has legitimate concerns about persecution based on race, religion, nationality, political reasons, or membership in a particular social group. Due to these concerns, they cannot or do not want to return to their country of origin or seek protection from that country. In Slovak legal system, the term refugee has been replaced by the term asylum seeker and asylum seeker.

An asylum seeker is a foreigner who has declared on the Slovak Police Force unit that they are seeking asylum in the Slovak Republic. An asylum represents a form of protection against persecution. It is granted to a person recognized as a refugee under the Convention on the Legal Status of Refugees. Asylum is granted by the country in which the refugee applied for it. In Slovakia, the Migration Office of the Ministry of the Interior decides on granting asylum. Asylum may also be granted for humanitarian reasons, but there is no legal entitlement to this form of protection. This form of protection is also granted for the purpose of family reunification.

You can learn more about the reasons for migration in this video.

Source: Aj my sme tu doma, IOM Medzinárodná organizácia pre migráciu

Do you want to work with children and youth, 4 hours per week, at a club ❓

Are you at least 21 years old❓

Are you flexible and communication is not a problem for you❓

Do you want to enjoy leisure activities⚽📝, conversations👧👦, workshops🖌 and other events🎸🍰❓

Then you are looking for KASPIAN and we are looking for you😊

Don’t hesitate and let us know about yourself through an online form.

Migration is the movement of individuals or groups of people in a geographic and social space, associated with temporary or permanent changes in their place of residence. The reasons for such movement are varied, and therefore migration can be divided into several categories.

Foreign or international migration involves the movement of people across the borders of sovereign states, associated with a permanent or temporary change of residence. In contrast, internal migration is the movement of people within one state.

Based on voluntariness, we can talk about voluntary migration or forced migration. In the case of voluntary migration, the reason may be employment or education. Forced migration involves the involuntary departure from one’s country of origin due to political and social problems, war conflicts, natural disasters, serious existential and economic problems, or other long-term crisis situations.

Legal and therefore regular migration involves crossing the border of a country with a valid travel document, as well as valid visas and permits if required for entry into the country. Its opposite is illegal migration, which is the unauthorized crossing of a country’s border without valid travel documents, visas, or residence permits, or unauthorized stay on the territory of a country after the validity of documents, visas, or residence permits has expired.

We can also encounter circular or round-trip migration. This allows migrants to spend some time abroad and work without increasing permanent migration. It is a flow of migrants from third countries to the EU and from the EU, which has a repetitive character. An example is seasonal employment, education, or professional training and implementation of a research project.

Temporary migration is migration with a specific motivation or purpose with the intention of returning to the country of origin later.

In the context of migration, we may also encounter the term migration balance, which represents the difference between the number of immigrants and the number of emigrants. It is therefore the migration increase or decrease in a given state.

You can learn something about the history of migration from this video on the Dejepis Inak YouTube channel.

Source: Aj my sme tu doma, IOM Medzinárodná organizácia pre migráciu

Right-wing extremism is mainly based on the ideology of Nazism and fascism, which are characterized by a rejection of equality. It is motivated by ideologies that aim to suppress basic human rights and freedoms, which they oppose, support, or incite hatred, violence, or unjustifiably different treatment towards a group of people or an individual due to their race, nationality, ethnicity, origin, opinions, physical or mental differences, or religious beliefs. Its goal is to eliminate liberal democracy.

Right-wing extremism stems from racially or ethnically conditioned social inequality. It requires ethnic homogeneity of the nation and rejects the principle of equality enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, advocating for the community’s preference over the individual and rejecting the pluralism of values of liberal democracy. They seek to define democracy as regressive and are hostile towards other nations. They support revisionism, where they give Nazi Germany as an example and deny the Holocaust. They also belittle those who deviate from the norms set by the extremists.

The goal of right-wing extremists is to create a political system based on the inequality of people based on their origin, performance, national, ethnic, or racial affiliation. According to such extremists, power should be concentrated in one center or in the hands of a single person, whom they define as their leader.

Left-wing extremism is ideologically based on communism and anarchism. It is characterized by social and class prejudices and rejects external authority, promoting the ideas of the so-called”free” individual. The goal of left-wing extremists is to create a socio-communist regime or introduce anarchy. A typical characteristic of left-wing extremism is the extension of the principle of equality to all areas of life and for all people, thus establishing absolute equality in society.

If the goals of left-wing extremists are realized, it can directly endanger pluralistic democracy and civil liberties.

From an ideological perspective, Marxist-Leninism, communism, and anarchism form the extremist far-left groups.

Eco-extremism is also categorized as a left-wing group. Radical ecological or environmental extremism is characterized by an inclination towards various natural cults that correspond with the ecologists’ message of returning to nature and all life forms. By nature, it is opposed to the sovereignty and values of a democratic constitutional state, promoting intolerant advocacy of subjectively defined environmental interests. Its characteristic feature is its opposition to technology, science, business, and any organizations.

Religious extremism is ideologically based on radical currents of various religious groups. Primarily, it involves world religions such as Islam, Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism, but also includes sect issues. The goal of religious extremists is to apply their own religious ideology worldwide and eliminate those who would resist this ideology or refuse to respect its norms. According to fundamentalists, religion cannot be separated from law and politics. Therefore, such extremists seek to change society in all its areas based on a specific religious doctrine, deviating significantly from generally accepted and currently adoptednorms.

Religious extremism carries traits of violence, which is directly motivated by religion. Specifically, religious extremists believe that these acts are merely fulfilling God’s will and accelerating the salvation of all humankind. Thus, it is an intolerant way of asserting the sovereignty of a religious society or organization over the principles and values of a democratic state.

Religious extremism uses religion to promote interests that lead to the establishment or maintenance of a theocratic regime, which is characterized by a significant intolerance towards people of different faiths, limiting the rights and suppressing the human dignity of members of their own religious group.

As previously noted, sects are included in religious extremism. Thus, religious extremism can also manifest itself through strict or violent enforcement or imposition of religious doctrines and questionable interpretations, fanatical adherence to the teachings of their founder or leader. Typical expressions of religious extremism include the endangerment of moral development, particularly of children and youth, which, in the case of indoctrinated individuals and members of religious extremist groups, can lead to mass suicides or the killing of innocent people. It can also lead to harm to the health or property of other individuals.

Everyone knows terms like extremism or radicalism. Since they are often confused or completely misunderstood, we have decided to explain them in more detail.

Extremism is a term with many definitions and explanations. We have tried to summarize and explain it to you. Essentially, it can be defined as actions and activities based on an extremely radical ideology hostile to the democratic system, which has a destructive effect on the existing democratic system and seeks to replace it with a totalitarian regime or dictatorship. The aim of such actions is to take over power or to destroy it regardless of the legitimacy of the means.

This term represents a combination of sociopathic phenomena occurring within organized groups, whose manifestation consists of rejecting basic values, norms, and behaviors valid in a given society. These are forms and expressions that can be defined as a criminal offense or a negative phenomenon characterized by the violation of legal and social norms.

Extremism carries elements of intolerance and is directed against basic democratic constitutional principles defined in our legal system.

Therefore, extremism attacks the system of basic rights and freedoms defined in the constitution and international documents regulating this area. It may also be an attempt to hinder or prevent the exercise of these rights. It also involves attempts to limit, suppress, or hinder the exercise of basic rights and freedoms for certain groups of the population defined by their gender, nationality, race, ethnicity, skin color, religion, language, social class, property, as well as the use of physical violence directed against property or ideological or political opponents. Extremist groups offer simple solutions to problems that exist in society, which the society cannot solve in a short time frame. On the other hand, they themselves do not participate in solving these problems.

According to the definition of the Ministry of Interior of the Slovak Republic, all verbal, graphic, physical, or other activities associated with a clearly defined ideological or other context, usually without material motivation, are considered extremist activities. These activities are carried out by individuals or groups with views that deviate significantly from generally accepted social norms, with clear elements of intolerance, especially racial, national, religious, or similar intolerance, which attack democratic principles, social order, life, health, property or public order.

Radicalism can be considered a “gray zone” of the transition between the democratic and extremist political spectrum of views and attitudes. These views and attitudes move away from the democratically conformist space but have not reached the boundaries of extremism. Activities in this direction aim for certain radical or extensive changes, which are on the edge of the democratic political and legal system, but do not seek its elimination or replacement with a totalitarian regime. Extremism, on the other hand, rejects the democratic rule of law and seeks its significant modification or elimination.

Radicalization refers to the process of adopting a radical ideology, where individuals or groups under the influence of radical political or religious ideology abandon the value system of their country and adopt a new system of values that are not in line with the basic principles of democratic society.Such separation of individuals or groups from the democratic system increases their determination to implement radical ideology in practice, even through violent means, which may involve committing criminal offenses.