The NIS Volunteer Club is actively providing practical assistance and support to children and young people who need special attention, and on this occasion, they spent a day with young people with a mild developmental disability. Sound of Your Heart, a coffee shop located at 12 Čuburska Street in Belgrade, is a unique place in this region and a gathering place for people of good will and open heart. It differs from regular coffee shops because it employs young people with a mild developmental disability, and provides them with the opportunities for employment and better community integration. The Listen to Your Heart Campaign of NIS’ volunteers aims to promote professional training of young people with developmental disabilities, increase the number of patrons in cafés and restaurants that employ them, and help their integration into the wider social community. From the very beginning, this charming coffee shop has been known for its unusual ambience and kindness which its smiling employees show to its patrons, which was recognised and supported by NIS’ volunteers. In addition to socialising in this coffee shop, the volunteers crafted souvenirs and painted interesting pieces in a nearby workshop, with the aim of exchanging experience, knowledge and skills with these young people. This type of interaction is a good model for developing and improving professional and social skills of people with developmental disabilities. This campaign of employees of Naftna industrija Srbije has once again confirmed that they are the drivers of positive social change, and that their example has shown that any act of support, no matter how small, for children and adults from socially disadvantaged categories, represents an important step towards a better society for all.
