CURRICULUM VITAE

MARIJA GAJIĆ,
Psychologist; International Free Lance Trainer & Facilitator of personal, professional and civil society development; Interactive Theatre Director

DATE AND PLACE OF BIRTH
June 25th, 1972, Paraćin, Yugoslavia

EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND
10/1997 - B.A. in PSYCHOLOGY, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Philosophy, University of Belgrade (average mark 8.93).
From 1995 onwards
Participated in many national and international trainings, seminars and conferences on peace education, community building, conflict resolution & non violent communication, intercultural learning, diversity, organizational management, stress management;
International Certificate to competently prepare, run and evaluate training activities with an international and intercultural dimension; Council of Europe's Directorate of Youth and Sport (2001)- European Youth Centre, Budapest
Educated in Expressive Arts (Italy 2003, Germany 2002, - Advanced Courses in Expressive Arts Therapy - EGS) Techniques; Developing Creative Potentials; Intuition Development Advanced Level (2000-2004);
Certificated director and facilitator of Interactive Theatre - Theatre of the Oppressed (London, 2002);

PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES
I'm working as trainer, coauthor or author of numerous projects in following areas:

Conflict Resolution & Non violent Communication
Tolerance & Diversity
Teamwork & Cooperation
Leadership
Peace Building
Change Management
Creativity Development
Techniques for Working with a Group (Training for Trainers)
Intuitive Development
Theatre of the Oppressed and Expressive Arts Theatre

The projects targeted various groups: youth, students, minorities, school staff, politicians, NGO activists, artists, journalists, managers; I'm working throughout Serbia and Europe;

2006/2004 current
Trainer of Long-term Training of Trainers for European YOUTH Projects 2004/05, 2005/06
- YOUTH Programme of the European Commission;  Interkulturelles Zentrum (IZ), Austria and SALTO Training and Cooperation Resource Centre (RC) in the name of the network of National Agencies for the YOUTH Programme of the European Union (Romania, Greece, Italy; Turkey, Belgium;Italy)

2006
Trainings for Corporate Sector
2 training (M San Group, IT regional leader, training   "Teambuilding and values of the company", Teslić; Public Relations Agency (PRA) Belgrade;)

2006  - 1997
Conflict Resolution & Nonviolent Communication;
33 trainings (Center for Development of Serbia; Group MOST; Ministry of Education and Sport Serbia; Center for Children Rights; UNICEF, Association of Schoolteachers)

2005 - 2002 
Training of Trainers;  
4 trainings (Promoting NFE in Serbia & Europe - Group  "Hajde da";  Trainers' skills - Balkan Youth Initiative; Elements of training methodology - Opto International; ToT on programs for youth - Centre for Children Rights)

2003 - 2002
Project Proposal Writing & Fundraising; Teambuilding, Leadership and Cooperation;
15 trainings (Group "Let's...", Group MOST, UMCOR)

2003 - 2000
Intercultural understanding and Promoting Tolerance; 9 trainings (Roma Informative Centre, Group MOST, HEKS, YOUTH Programme - European Commission and SALTO-UK)

2003 -1999
Long Term Training Courses of Civil Society Building (including all topics above); 11 trainings (People's Parliament Leskovac, Youth Club of Democratic Political Party Belgrade, Group MOST, Olof Palme, UNICEF, Balkan Children and Youth Foundation, Post Pessimists Belgrade, Group "484")

THEATRE AND EXPRESSIVE ARTS
Theatre performances - drama facilitator, author and director of:

2005
  "Passion and Killers of the Passion", expressive arts theatre training and performance; Cultural Centre REX, Belgrade

2004
"Be yourself but in Your Leisure Time", Theatre of the Oppressed Performance; InterArt & Cultural Centre REX, Belgrade

2003
I don't Like Carrots, but I still Eat Them", Forum Theatre Performance - Festival of Alternative Theatre, Ruma
"Do Not Watch - Participate" - Forum Theatre Performance Students' Cultural Centre, BelgradeTheatre and expressive arts workshops & trainings - facilitator and author:Theatre of the Oppressed, Rainbow of Desire (Augusto Boal - Theatre as rehearsal for reality), Expressive Arts Theatre, Community Theatre;

PROJECTS:

2006-2005
"Artist's Way" - 3 months program for opening creativity;
"Creative weekends" - using theatre and painting as tool for self discovery and empowerment;

2005
"Living in Serbia with Full Capacity" - Expressive Arts Training - painting & theatre; "I'm a Woman - Do You See Me" ("InterArt" Belgrade & CIDA); Theatre workshops on gender issue;Youth Camp "Tools for Action" (Group "Hajde da.", Belgrade);  Using theatre in PR;

2004
"Communication through theatre" workshop - European Congress of Students of Psychology;

2004-2003
Project "Dialogue is Key", theatre workshops for marginalized youth;

2002
Project "Resisting Violence", Theatre of the Oppressed and Invisible theatre performances;

2001
Project "Psychology of Democratic Mind" - International workshop in Theatre of the Oppressed;

1999
Project "Face the Oppression - Theatre as Rehearsal for Reality"

Children performances:
2004
"Be what You Are" - children performance; author & actress

CULTURE AND TV PROJECTS

2005 - 2003
Consultant and facilitator in the Project: Combating Racism & Xenophobia & Discrimination against Minorities, aimed to promotion of positive interethnic relations in Serbia; responsible for developing and carrying out program within cultural mediation; COOPI - Cooperazione Internazionale (European Commission)

2002 
TV Project >Reporting the Past< - BBC and ECBJ (European Centre for Broadcast and Journalism, Fund for Open Society)
Education of journalist and making documentaries on the past events in Balkan region. Member of the research team, trainer and facilitatorof focus groups. Coauthor of final documentary about the project- Belgrade, (Serbia)

2002
Project "Media and Advocacy" (NGO Millennium); Lecturer -Communication skills for media people

1999 - 1998 
TV serial "The Wiser One Does Not Always Yield" (Group  MOST & B92)
Co-author and director assistantin the realization of aTV-series (6 half an hour episodes) on non-violence and constructive conflict resolution- Belgrade (Serbia)

MEMBERSHIP IN ORGANIZATIONS

2005 - current 
Trainer-expert in Agency for organisational and personal development for corporate sector "Horizont Internacional"

2003 - current
Engaged as a consultant, trainer and a facilitator within NGO "Let's." trainers' pool - responsible for creating, developing and carrying out various non formal education trainings and seminars

2003 - current
Founder and director of InterArt, Center for Creative Development aimed to personal and community development through arts and creative expression

2003- current
Became member of Salto Youth Trainers' Pool (Support for Advanced Learning and Training Opportunities for the Youth Programme of the European Commission).

2001- current
Became member of international Council of Europe Trainers' Pool.

1995 - 2004
Member of Group MOST, an association for co-operation and mediation, founded in 1993. Group MOST is non-governmental and professional organization and basic orientation of its activities is education of individuals, groups and institutions for democratic action and dissemination of the culture of peace.

2006 - 2005
Agency for Branding, Consulting and Advertising "Mosaic", Belgrade; engaged as writer of internal HR manual for client;

2003 - 1998
Employment in the Belgrade City Library, Children's Department as a psychologist and member of creative team for launching programs for children and parents: Conflict Resolution and Non-Communication workshops for children; Art workshops; Project Book Therapy; Parent Effectiveness Training; Children Library PR
.
2002
Program for Children, Studio B - engagement as psychologist - consultant in TV serial for children; Belgrade (Serbia)

2001 - 1999
Engagement as psychologist in Toy Library - integration of disabled children (Save the Children Fund Project) - author of programs for integration of disabled children - Belgrade, Yugoslavia.

1998 - 1996
Co-director and actress in Children theatre "Maja". Directing, writing scripts, acting. The plays were performed in kindergartens, schools and theatres, in more than 100 towns throughout the FR of Yugoslavia.

2005
Publication "Steps towards recognition of non-formal education in Serbia and Montenegro"; Article "Quality in Nonformal Education", European Agency for Reconstruction, Group "Hajde da."

2003
Manual for youth NGOs on: Intercultural understanding; Conflict Resolution and Nonviolent Communication; Teambuilding and Teamwork; Project Proposal Writing and Fundraising;
Co-author; Project "Democracy learning - Youth Participation", Group MOST & Balkan Children and Youth Foundation

2000
Manual: Management and Program Development of Toy Libraries; Save the Children Fund; Belgrade (Serbia)

LANGUAGES
Serbian- mother tongue
English- fluent  speaking, reading and writing

OTHER SKILLS
Computer skills - Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Internet
Finished Pottery Course
Painter
Poetry writer / Published poetry book "Last Remains of Poetry in the City", LOM, Belgrade, 2005

REFERENCES

Paul Kloosterman                                                   
Trainer                                                         
Youth Program, European Commision                  
Tel: +39 32 9395 5753                                    
Email: paulkloosterman@planet.nl                     

Susie Green
SALTO-UK Coordinator
SALTO = Support for Advanced
Learning & Training Opportunities, in a European non-formal education context
Tel:  +44 (0)20 7389 4028
Email: susie.green@britishcouncil.org

CONTACT        
Gospodar Jovanova 56/13, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia & Montenegro 
+381 11 2 621 619,
+381 64 175 77 37
maricat@yubc.net,