The warm November day was an ideal opportunity for Milica Boca and volunteers from the “Don’t Throw Bottles” organisation to gather on the beach in Igalo. Although sunny, the day was not suitable for swimming, but it was definitely so for cleaning up the beach. The autumn storms brought with them garbage on the Igalo Beach; therefore, Milica Boca and the team did their best to collect everything.
With the volunteers from the company “Čistoća,” students from the high school “Ivan Goran Kovačić,” as well as the elementary schools “Dašo Pavličić” and “Milan Vuković,” Milica and the company devoted their Saturday afternoon to cleaning up the area with laughter and fun.
“The day was perfect to have a fun time while doing something useful. We waited for the rainy days to pass, and once we spotted the sun, we finally decided to meet up. We’ve made it a habit and have gotten used to comign together like this with gloves and bags. The more garbage we put in the bags, the less will be left on the beach,” said Milica Boca.
Milica is one of the faces of the campaign “Set an example. Join in!” which was initiated this fall by the Delegation of the European Union to Montenegro and the EU Info Centre. Activities for nicer and healthier mornings have been popularised through this campaign. In addition, healthy lifestyles, sustainable development, planting, recycling, waste collection and any activity which can be beneficial for all and serve as an example that can be followed has been promoted, as well.
“The campaign “Set an an example. Join in!” has shown that people in Montenegro are very interested in the environment, that they are interested in being friends with nature, and that they have the will to change themselves and their habits. This campaign has also shown that the youngest are the best at this,” stated the EU Info Centre.
Milica’s selfless example, now long overdue, was also followed by pupils from Herceg Novi. About thirty of them decided to join and set aside some of their time for the common good. The clean beach in Igalo was a true picture of what we can do together.
Milica went on the whole venture on her own. Once she decided to go, nothing else could stop her. She started off by cleaning the trash on her street, in her neighbourhood, and then on her beach. Learning through her example, more and more peers and older enthusiasts began to come to her aid. Milica’s dream is to clean the whole of Montenegro, but she needs our help for it.
The English Professor, Ivan Mitrovski, from one of the schools is among those who talked to his students about topics related to the campaign “Set an example. Join in!”. His students were also among the volunteers who gathered to clean the beach.
“It is great when your job as a lecturer can be an excuse to talk to young people about various topics about life. These are the type of topics that interest them and help them think the right way. The fact that they are here with us shows that there is hope for Milica’s dream to come true,” Mitrovski said.
This time, Milica cleaned up the Igalo beach with her team. Next time, her crew might come and clean up near you. Then, you will have no room for excuses until Milica fulfils her dream – to clean up the whole of Montenegro.