Among other activities, we began November by inviting collaborators and friends of Štrikeraj Café and OZANA to take part in creating yet another Christmas tree. This year, we decided to use what we already have—a large quantity of strips measuring 20 cm in width and 1 m in length. Some of these strips had already been used in previous installations, so we are happy to be able to reuse them, while others are new. We will now assemble them all in a new way, making our Christmas tree different from all the previous ones. You are welcome to join us in assembling it during the workshops we have announced. Our doors are open on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 2 PM to 8 PM—come when you can and stay as long as you are able.
The ceremonial installation of the Christmas tree will take place on Friday, December 5, so we still have plenty of time for everything. The deadline for snowflakes is the end of November.
If you are sending snowflakes by post (Udruga OZANA, Ulica grada Vukovara 239, 10000 Zagreb), please keep in mind that delays are possible and let us know by email (strikeraj.cafe@centarozana.hr) or via Messenger that you have sent them.
As part of the project “Šlamprla Reads a Book and Works with Clay”, funded by the City of Zagreb Budget, we have already begun creating interesting clay book holders. We enjoy shaping clay because it relaxes us and always leads to new conversations and topics. At the Marina Držić Library, in the children’s department, we spent time with library members and preschool children. The librarians introduced us to the library at the very beginning, told a story, and then we all created various handicrafts together.
Several of our users visited the current Interliber Book Fair, and in our premises we continued activities focused on reading and relaxation through various literary contents.
Our cooperation with the Croatian Institute of Public Health (NZJZ) continues through the project “Mental Health Matters.” Together with the parents/guardians of our users, we attended a lecture on preserving and protecting mental health. Thank you to Marija Škes for the engaging lecture.
In addition to the lecture, we also held another anti-stress workshop for parents and guardians, featuring harmonious sounds of singing bowls and sound therapy instruments. Progressive muscle relaxation according to Jacobson is one of the very effective relaxation techniques that helps reduce the negative effects of stress. Deep relaxation has multiple benefits for both physical and mental health, and after relaxation, various instruments stimulate curiosity and invite play.
The project “Mental Health Matters” is funded through programs and projects of associations in the field of social and humanitarian significance from the City of Zagreb Budget for 2025.
We used a few beautiful days at the beginning of the month to prepare garden beds, where we planted onions and sowed lettuce, having a lot of fun in the process. We love working with the soil and observing changes in nature that affect us all. We also began preparations for creating a gardening brochure.
Garden activities are part of the three-year program RUKE, funded by the Ministry of Labour, Pension System, Family, and Social Policy.
We held another photography course within the initiative of the Zagreb Photo Cinema Association. We are becoming better and better at photography and noticing interesting details around us, and we look forward to every meeting. Thank you, Bruno and FKS!
With the arrival of Advent, we once again happily organized a workshop for making Advent wreaths. Creativity and imagination never run out, so this year as well a large number of unique and original Advent decorations were created. Thank you to everyone who decided to order an Advent wreath from OZANA and thus support the work of our association.
The entire month of November was marked by preparations for the upcoming exhibition, and our activities were focused on finishing handmade items. We wove, crocheted, and knitted; shaped clay and unspun wool; sewed by hand and by machine; and spent time planning every detail of our exhibition. We are looking forward to once again presenting the work of our users and employees.
May Gifts of the Heart guide us all toward Christmas, joy, and happiness.
