Playing for Development

I spent last week with the Zdravo da Ste community and other invited guests in the village of Golubac and the city of Belgrade in Serbia. Zdravo da Ste (Hi Neighbor) is an NGO founded in 1992 to give psychosocial support to refugees and displaced persond in the aftermath of the breakup of Yugoslavia and the ensuing civil wars. Today the organization concentrates on human development activites, many for children and young people, that are grounded in a Vygotskian understanding of play, learning and development. I’ve been a close friend and supporter of Zdravo da Ste for ten years and make a visit each November to participate in thier annaul retreat. This year’s theme was “Playing for Development” — which we explored in conversation, workshops and improvisational performances. Here’s a photo of a few of us from a goodbye dinner._