President Milanović Receives Founders and Volunteers of Blue Phone Association on its 30th Anniversary
The President of the Republic Zoran Milanović received in his Office the founders and volunteers of the Blue Phone Association [Plavi telefon], which is celebrating 30 years of operation this year. The President of the Republic is the patron of the 30th anniversary event taking place on the 30th of October to celebrate the founding and operation of Blue Phone.
For the past 30 years, the Blue Phone Association has been providing free preventive counselling support to all citizens of Croatia. At the meeting with President Milanović, the delegation presented the projects that the association has implemented in that period – a total of 35 projects and activities intended for children, youth and adults. Blue Phone has received more than 125,000 calls to date, its representatives said at the meeting, emphasizing that some 300 parents and 14,000 children have benefited from its services and that more than 600 volunteers have contributed to its work.
The Blue Phone Helpline and the Open Doors Counselling Centre are the core services of the Blue Phone Association, which is implementing a wide range of social life skills programmes, for children and youth in particular, and undertaking efforts aimed at preventing addiction, promoting mental health, helping people with disabilities and supporting child and youth development. These programmes have always been provided to the users free of charge.
One-time and current volunteers shared their experiences and reasons for volunteering at Blue Phone with President Milanović. They also drew the President’s attention to the problems they face, which are above all financial, since the Blue Phone Association has not been receiving any financial help in recent years from government or municipal authorities.
The founders of the Blue Phone Association Miroslav Vučenović and Željko Pervan attended the meeting with President Milanović. The Association’s Adviser Miran Vučenović also attended the meeting, as did volunteers Natalija Bogdanović, Gordana Šimunković, Marijana Žitnik Sedak, Nives Butorajac Radiček, Maja Sekulić, Zdravko Bokulić and Domagoj Lindinger.
Adviser to the President of the Republic for Education Jadranka Žarković was alongside President Milanović.
PHOTO: Office of the President of the Republic of Croatia / Filip Glas