Young women from Murter became “Heroes of the Street” and won the award.

In February this year, Impact Hub Zagreb extended the call for the Hero of the Street, which read as follows:

“We are on a serious mission to find heroin and heroes!” You don’t necessarily need to wear a cloak, but if you possess the qualities we are looking for, this is your time to shine! Sign up for the #Herojulice program and break the monotony of classic heroism, try something new!

Hero, are you ready for challenges? ”

• We passed the project to our ex-patrols, active youth and now, four months later, we learned that our young Murter women Clara, Rosa, Emma, ​​Sara, and Ana became Street Heroes and thus won the prestigious award for the realization of their idea in the amount of $ 1,000.

• At the beginning of the project there were 70 participants, but only enough persistent and motivated managed to pass all 10 challenges. Among them were our heroines who located several problems in Murter, and tackled the lack of content for young and old:
• In the last few years, a lot of new houses and apartments have been built in Murter, but the problem is that the buildings do not fit into the environment. The Murter tradition is the construction of mostly stone houses that can be found in the Old Village, but these new buildings stand out from the norm.
• There are a lot of neglected and uncultivated plots in agriculture, people have turned to tourism and abandoned their country.
• There is an excessive focus on the season while the rest of the year is unused and other activities and jobs are neglected. The emphasis is on tourism and hospitality.
• Murter lacks social opportunities for young people. Social facilities are quite limited, there is a lack of social facilities such as cinema, theater, some restaurants of different styles and ways of entertainment …
• There are environmental problems all over the world, including here (use of canvas bags, recycling, leaflets, workshops, cleaning ().

We asked Klara Rameša, a former patrolwoman/artist / high school student/activist/project manager, and much more about the project.

Clara, can you describe in more detail how the project started, how you formed the group and in what way and what challenges were set for you?

“Well, it all started when Ivana from Argonaut sent me a notification about the Hero of the Street project because if it weren’t for her, I doubt I would have ever found out about this activity. After a few days of research, I signed up for such an activity because I love challenges and I thought it would be fun to participate in such a project. Then, after the registration was over, we had a Zoom call where we met other participants and project leaders. In the beginning, there were about 70 of us, but as the project came to an end, the number decreased. The project lasted from February to May (I received the first introductory challenge on February 22 and the last on May 28) and almost every week I got new challenges that needed to be solved. There were a total of 10 challenges, but more serious started with 4, maybe 5 challenges. Until then, we had to present ourselves, our talents, our community, neighborhood, and place and deal with the problems in our place. When I gathered the members of the group after 5 challenges and after we came up with the name (Problems with Murter women) and the logo, we decided that the main problem in Murter is the lack of social activities for young and old. Then things get a little more serious. In the following challenges, we needed to think carefully about solving our problem. It was necessary to find ideas that would result in solving the problem, think about how much money, materials, the time it takes to achieve, we needed to stay motivated and also answer some of their questions (eg what is your goal, what would result if you win, why you think your team would win what kind of superpowers you have…). In the last challenge, it was necessary to pack all the effort into one presentation (or video) that would accurately explain and highlight the main problem of our place, cause, solution, and consequences. At the very end, when we sent them, we eagerly awaited the final and crucial announcement that would tell us if we had won. The winner was announced on 1.6. at 20:15 on the Zoom call, unfortunately, I was not able to participate, but after a few days, they sent an e-mail stating that our group was in second place (out of three possible). We definitely didn’t expect to win, we worked the challenges out of boredom and pranks, but we were also honest and put in at least a little effort. The reward is one thousand US dollars (which will be used to realize the problem), and I am currently waiting for further information that should solve the problem of Murter. “

What was your overall experience with the project like?

“It was a whole new experience with a lot of uncertainty and the unknown. It was exciting to wait for new tasks and think about what they could be and how to meet the new criteria. It was fun, but I would be lying if I said it wasn’t stressful at all. “

What can you single out as the easiest and most difficult in realizing the challenge?

“Well, a few things were actually easy, if you ask me. When I compare everything, I think the easiest was the second challenge in which I had to present some of my talents. On plain A4 paper, I drew a portrait of myself which I divided into some so-called zones. I then filled in a different graphic with a rapidograph.In the upper left corner, it was necessary to write some characteristics that led me to this result.

One of the hardest things was gathering the courage to apply to re-examine me “am I ready for such a project” because I knew little about it (I didn’t even know what it was until the challenges started to arrive). It was also hard to make the first challenge because I had to film myself and present myself as well, and it wasn’t easy. I shot myself, over and over again until I was satisfied, and I had at least 20 videos in the gallery for which there was only the option to delete. “

Can you single out something you are especially proud of?

I am most proud of myself and my friends who worked with me because we did not give up. We fulfilled everything, from the first to the last challenge, we thought and enjoyed it a lot, sometimes we even knew how to argue slightly about an idea or proposal. There were ups and downs, but we didn’t give up, which is the most important thing at the end of the day. If you have already started doing something or if you have an idea that you think is good, do not be distracted by parents, friends, relatives, acquaintances, or even some unimportant person you do not know, but work on your “project” until you succeed. Trust us, it pays to grit your teeth at the end of the day and accomplish at least something or learn a new lesson you’ll know for the future.

For our Clara and the other girls, we have only words of praise. Bravo!!! We are indescribably glad to see active, young citizens who observe the world around them, think outside the box, and are ready to take on new challenges for a goal that is for the benefit of the local community!

It’s never too late or too early to become a Street Hero, so let’s all emulate our heroines, look around and share our ideas, knowledge, skills, or helping hands. To whom, why? The decision is up to you 🙂