Student Project to Fight Hunger

That students do not leave the faculty as mere theorists but as new young individuals who, in addition to theoretical knowledge, also possess practical skills and are better prepared to enter the workforce is evidenced by the story from the Zagreb Faculty of Economics.

The elective course ‘Change Management’ is intended for first-year master’s students. This year, nearly 190 students enrolled, divided into teams. Their professor Mislav Ante Omazić, along with assistant Rebekah Danijela Vlahov, teaches a course aimed at synthesizing the knowledge students have acquired during their education and utilizing it for the implementation of a socially beneficial project they have conceived themselves.
– The only condition is that teams consist of five to seven members. We guide them through all phases of the project, from conception to implementation and impact on all stages of the life cycle. Thus, we particularly focus on applying the acquired knowledge in reality. The realization of the student project is evaluated. It is innovative that part of the evaluation is the so-called anti-seminar where students must describe, in seminar form, how their failure contributed to success. We want to convey to them that there will certainly be ups and downs during their careers, but they will succeed if they have clearly defined goals. It is crucial that they define those goals themselves, rather than adopting them from their environment without criteria. In short, we are trying to teach them to achieve goals using their most valuable asset, their competencies, says Omazić.

A Two-Way Process Omazić also notes that all 130 previous projects have been realized in some form.
– Of course, some had ambitious goals that were not realized in the three months the course lasts, but it is interesting how these projects have served their colleagues today so that they do not start from scratch, but continue where they left off.

Education is, he claims, a two-way process in which he tries to explain that being a student is a privilege invested in by society, family, and themselves, and that every lecture is an opportunity to work on oneself regardless of how (un)interesting the professor may be.
– Investing in knowledge is undoubtedly the most profitable, especially in modern society. Thus, in the educational process, we are partners: I learn from students and they learn from me. Lectures are one way of transferring knowledge, but also the positive attitude of students towards every question they pose, collaboration during consultations, and even regular responses to emails. Employers are interested in the best students, and that is much more than there are, which is why I regularly have several inquiries in excess. Demand constantly exceeds supply, he asserts. One of the more interesting projects of young entrepreneurs is certainly ReFood. The course was introduced, explains team leader Kristina Kopić, a few years ago, with the vision of initiating changes in several aspects. The most visible, social ones, have attracted public attention in recent years, which is indeed their indirect goal.

Multiple Benefits – Some projects have already been written about: equipping a nursing home with Wii devices; the project ‘The Brain Loves Healthy’, which continues this year; the establishment of the Faculty of Economics Choir, etc. We are not yet familiar with this year’s projects, but we are diligently working on our own project which we, inspired by successful practices in Portugal, have named the same – ReFood. With this project, as stated in our vision, we want to use food as a means to strengthen the community. How? By presenting a unique model for utilizing leftovers of completely intact, edible food from restaurants, retail chains, bakeries, etc. In this way, we fight against hunger, reduce waste, and lower harmful gas emissions. Since the model we aim to present to the relevant ministry is based on volunteer work, we will strengthen the community and raise its awareness of these issues, explains Kopić, adding that it may sound ambitious, but it will mean something if they solve the hunger problem for ten families.

Student Matea Parać is pleased to be part of the ReFood project and hopes to raise public awareness about the significant problem of hunger in the world and Croatia. Her colleague Matea Zelenika adds that she believes young people can contribute to the development of the economy with good and original ideas and knowledge, emphasizing that significant obstacles are legal regulations and the sluggishness of the system.
– Any change for the better seems almost impossible, and that is precisely why courses like this show us that we can change something after all, she says.
This project would certainly follow global trends and align with the European Union’s policy, whose Parliament has adopted a resolution to implement urgent measures to halve the amount of food waste by 2025.

People for the 21st Century
Omazić continues to address this issue, asserting that today’s world is extremely complex and interdependent. More than 50 percent of the world’s population is under 27 years old, and these young people are disappointed with how problems in society are being addressed, which will only increase.

– The crisis is merely an indicator that organizations, which mostly emerged in the 18th or 19th century, do not have the level of awareness necessary to address 21st-century problems; they are simply too slow and ineffective, and the people who lead them are vain and arrogant. People seem to forget that the crisis is a process that over time leaves increasingly alarming consequences and that it is always better to resolve it as soon as possible. Therefore, we need people who are not afraid to tackle problems and who see solutions in crisis situations, rather than reasons to bury their heads even deeper in the sand, emphasizes Onazić.
He also notes that a local branch of the Global Shapers Initiative was recently launched in Zagreb, where young people identify problems in society and effectively address them.
– I was pleasantly surprised by the selection process, which once again showed me how much potential we have in Croatia and what brilliant young people live here. Reading their resumes, I realized how much better they are than I was at their age, which gave me great hope. Therefore, I am not afraid for our future, but of course, I would like these young people to be given trust and provided with the appropriate space to act.

Soon the First Faculty Kindergarten
Soon, students of ‘Change Management’ will attempt to solve the problem of queues, improve nutrition in the student cafeteria, and initiate the first playroom at the Faculty.
– We have single mothers attending classes according to Bologna, and their parents are outside Zagreb and do not have the right to kindergarten. Thus, their constitutional rights to education are being violated, as well as the rights of their children. I hope that the Ministry of Education will support this project and utilize what we are doing as a pilot, applying the project’s results throughout Croatia, says Omazić, adding that students have strong support from the Faculty of Economics Administration, and for the last two mentioned projects, also from the University Administration, which is important.