A Hero Off the Pitch! Vlahović and UNICEF Help More Than 1,700 Young People Across Serbia
Youth mental health support programme implemented in fifteen cities across Serbia
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Belgrade, 30 June 2026 – More than 1,700 young people across Serbia took part in a mental health support programme implemented by UNICEF and the youth organization OPENS with the support of Serbian national football team player Dušan Vlahović. Through workshops, peer education and connections with professional support services, young people gained knowledge and skills to help them take care of their mental health, recognize when they need support and provide support to their peers. The programme was implemented in 15 cities across Serbia.
Dušan Vlahović’s support enabled the programme to be launched in its first four cities, laying the foundation for further expansion and the inclusion of a larger number of young people across Serbia. In addition to his financial contribution, Vlahović served as the public face of the campaign, participated in conferences and spoke about the importance of mental health for children and young people, as well as the role of family and community in overcoming life’s challenges.
“Partnerships like this shape the lives of young people and influence the future of generations to come. Our shared role is to help them adapt to complex changes and enter adulthood aware that challenges will be part of their journey, but with confidence in themselves and their ability to overcome them and make healthy life choices. Dušan Vlahović, UNICEF and the youth organization OPENS shared the same goal: to remove stigma, promote well-being and ensure integrated support for young people by strengthening all actors in the community who are part of their support network,” said Stanislava Vučković, Youth and Adolescent Development Specialist at UNICEF Serbia.
Following the programme’s success in fifteen cities, the next step is to expand activities to new communities and continue working with the existing network of educators, so that even more young people can learn that seeking help is a sign of strength, not weakness.
While scoring goals on the pitch, Dušan Vlahović has shown through this project that the greatest victories are not measured only by sporting achievements, but also by the number of young people he has helped feel heard, accepted and supported.
About the Project
UNICEF, the youth organization OPENS and Serbian national football team player Dušan Vlahović launched a youth mental health support project that began with the training of 15 young mentors, who then strengthened a network of 110 peer educators. Together, they organized 92 workshops through which young people learned how to recognize problems, support their peers and seek help when needed. At the same time, experts from the Belgrade Psychological Centre trained 120 professionals from 78 health, education and social welfare institutions, helping ensure that young people who seek support can receive adequate assistance within their communities.
Results
• 15 cities included in the programme
• 110 peer educators
• 92 workshops conducted
• 1,765 young participants
• 120 trained professionals from 78 institutions
• 90 young people brought together in a peer support community
• 9,000 informational leaflets distributed to young people across Serbia
• In Vranje, Požarevac, Petrovac upon Mlava and Zrenjanin a Cooperation Protocol was signed to strengthen cross-sectoral support for the mental health of children, adolescents and young people
