September was spent under the old wise saying: “Homegrown is best!”
For this reason, during a month full of activities, we found time to visit our garden, which delighted us with various produce. We filled bags with zucchini, peppers, parsley, cherry tomatoes, onions, garlic… Yummy! In one of our cooking workshops, we prepared a delicious chicken soup with vegetables and homemade pasta, as well as a juicy yogurt and fruit sponge cake. The menu also included cabbage noodles, stuffed peppers, and zucchini risotto. We enjoy preparing simple, and sometimes slightly more complex, recipes. It is especially gratifying to see the fruits of our gardening find their way into our kitchen and our pots.
Cooking and gardening activities are part of Kuheraj, which is included in the RUKE program, funded by the Ministry of Labour, Pension System, Family, and Social Policy.
They say that walking in nature is the best medicine for the mind and body, so we took advantage of a beautiful September day to walk through Maksimir Park. Sometimes we surprise ourselves by forgetting how much we can do and know. We enjoyed the scents and sounds of summer fading and autumn arriving.
After the summer break, it’s important to get back in shape, and our long-time volunteer Meri, a physical education teacher, took care of that. She organized a Nordic walking workshop at Bundek Lake for Ozanovci in celebration of this year’s European Mobility Week. Professor Nikolina Skender started the workshop with warm-up exercises accompanied by excellent music, after which participants learned the basics of walking with poles and immediately applied them by the lake. This activity not only supported European Mobility Week but also caught the curious eyes of passersby, encouraging them to start moving healthily! This also marked the beginning of the project “Only Healthy”, funded by the Croatian Kinesiology Association, which will continue over the next few months. As we enjoyed being outdoors, we continued activities under “Only Healthy” with a walking tour along Dubravkin Put—a beautiful nature walk in the heart of the city, in great company… it couldn’t be better!
In September, we also launched another new program called “Mental Health Matters”, funded by the City of Zagreb. Thanks to excellent cooperation with the Croatian Institute of Public Health “Dr. Andrija Štampar” and the kind Marija Škes, we successfully carried out health check-ups for our users, staff, and parents. Some of the data regarding our health status surprised us a little and encouraged reflection on our own well-being. We realized we need to give up some foods, spend more time outdoors, and engage in physical activity… There are many ways to improve health and do something good for ourselves.
Our collaboration with the Zagreb Photo Cinema Association (FKS) resulted in beautiful photographs featuring our users, displayed at Trg žrtava fašizma 14, at the FKS premises. Viewing the photos in this wonderful space revealed details that may not be immediately visible. Thank you, Bruno, thank you FKS! After seeing the exhibition, we returned to OZANA and along the way met the famous singer Davorin Bogović, who kindly accepted our invitation for a group photo. Thank you, Davorin!
September is also a month of raising awareness about Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias. We installed large knitted mittens in the courtyard of the Vrapče Psychiatric Clinic and one in front of the OZANA association. This continues our yarn bombing initiative, part of the RUKE program, financially supported by the Ministry of Labour, Pension System, Family, and Social Policy. Our users—both young and adults with intellectual disabilities—volunteers, and everyone around Štrikeraj Café participated in making both large and small mittens. Decorations were also made at Vladimir Prelog Natural Science School and at workshops in the Belišće City Library.
In September, we also visited Ivana’s House of Fairy Tales in Ogulin, joined by students from Davorin Trstenjak Primary School from Hrvatska Kostajnica. We toured the Ogulin Homeland Museum, admired Đulin Ponor, and enjoyed the beautiful nature of the area. The trip to Ogulin was part of the project “If Trees Could Walk”, funded by the Ministry of Science, Education, and Youth, which is now nearing completion. We are enjoying excellent cooperation with Davorin Trstenjak Primary School and will certainly continue joint projects to mutual satisfaction.
Every day we weave, sew by hand and machine, embroider, crochet, knit, mold clay, process unspun wool, sing, dance, celebrate birthdays, and prepare for the Special Olympics and competitions in athletics and swimming.
September also marked the completion of renovations for three restrooms. We are extremely satisfied with the new look and sincerely thank the Friends of Rudolf Steiner Pedagogy from Berlin, whose donation made this renovation possible. Thank you, Berlin!
Even though serious summer heat arrived, our schedule alternates work (a perfect time for deep cleaning and organizing) with socializing, sports, and board games (yes, we can play table tennis indoors in an air-conditioned space). It’s also an opportunity to practice new skills—the rhythm of knitting is especially relaxing during the hot summer days.
In Zagreb, a presentation was held for the call “Strengthening the Parasport System in the Republic of Croatia”, funded by the European Social Fund Plus, under the Effective Human Resources 2021–2027 program. Our athlete Maja had the honor of attending the project presentation of the Croatian Paralympic Committee, accompanied by her father and our colleague Branka, OZANA’s sports activities coordinator. Congratulations to everyone, and we wish them continued success in pushing boundaries!
Garden work doesn’t stop even during the heat, although we take advantage of cooler moments to visit the garden beds. It’s a true joy to walk to the garden, see how everything is growing beautifully, help plants grow even better, and, of course, harvest the fruits of our labor! Every trip to the garden is an experience, and we already look forward to meals prepared from the produce. When we get hungry, there’s delicious homegrown vegetable from the RUKE program, funded by the Ministry of Labour, Pension System, Family, and Social Policy. Kuheraj never rests and always surprises us with tasty and original dishes.
Our Štrikeraj Café also regularly announces all activities conducted as part of the regular program and projects. A brief overview of all Štrikeraj Café events during the first six months can be found on our website under Newsletter-1-25.
Thank you for being part of a story woven with hands, heart, and community.
Summer also entered our display window. The window is bathed in the sea, attracting the attention of curious passersby, who often knock on our door to ask what’s happening inside. The magical underwater world, made from unspun wool, enchants everyone and invites them to dive into the depths.
As part of the project “If Trees Could Walk”, funded by the Ministry of Science and Education, we sorted wool. We look forward to reviewing it, arranging it by color, and finding appropriate storage to preserve it as best as possible.
As part of the project “Šlamprla Sings and Dances Irish Dance”, our choir workshops focused on the song “Love Cannot Be Bought or Sold”. Since the project is nearing its end, we couldn’t have chosen a better piece. We thank the St. Ana Retirement Home for the collaboration, the shared time, and enjoyment in dance and song. Enriched by yet another collaboration and experience, we move forward to new challenges. We enjoy ourselves, have fun, and practice our singing and dancing skills. Dance is also an indispensable part of our program, so we seize every opportunity to dance a little while celebrating birthdays or simply enjoying various achievements.
Although it’s a more relaxed period, we like to stay “in shape,” so we sometimes catch up on regular activities and complete unfinished work. We are already slowly thinking about the Christmas exhibition, full of ideas, and looking forward to the opportunity to showcase the results of our year-long hard work and effort.
We are preparing to begin implementing two projects approved by the City of Zagreb and are still waiting for the results of two more projects (one City of Zagreb, one Ministry of Education and Science).
Summer was also marked by interior work on the renovation of three restrooms. Thanks to the generous donation from the Friends of Rudolf Steiner Pedagogy in Berlin (Freunde der Erziehungskunst Rudolf Steiners), we started the renovation of three restrooms—two for users and one for staff. We are very grateful to Berlin and thrilled with the opportunity to make our workspace shine as it deserves, primarily for our users.
Thank you very much to our friends from Berlin for their donation!
