A significant milestone in youth prevention and education was marked in the municipality of Zvezdara, Belgrade, with the successful completion of the pre-pilot implementation of the UNODC “Friends in Focus” programme in eight secondary schools. More than 170 students aged 14 to 18 participated in the programme during the 2025/2026 school year.
The programme was implemented through close cooperation between the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the City Municipality of Zvezdara, with the aim of meaningfully implicate youth in prevention through strengthening protective factors among their peers and promoting healthy, informed, and responsible choices. The implementation of the pre-pilot phase was made possible through the financial support of the Government of Italy.
“Friends in Focus” is an innovative prevention programme developed by UNODC and grounded in the International Standards on Drug Use Prevention and scientific evidence. Its innovation emanates from the fact that further to its alignment with science and implication of many experts in the field, it was also co-developed by youths who are part of the UNODC Youth Initiative. Through peer support and interactive learning, Friends in Focus encourages young people to build critical thinking skills, strengthen resilience, and develop the confidence to make positive life decisions. The programme follows the “youth for youth” and “youth to youth” approaches and applies a cascade training model, in which trained peer educators – students from relevant social science disciplines – facilitate workshops for secondary school students with ongoing mentorship and support.
Following its first inception in terms of process and content, Serbia is one of the few countries globally taking part of its pre-pilots availing input to finalize its concept for further implementation globally.
Over the course of its local implementation, participants attended a series of six interactive workshops in each school. Through practical activities and open discussion, students explored topics related to risk and protective factors, examined common misconceptions surrounding psychoactive substances, strengthened communication skills, and developed strategies to respond to peer influence in constructive and informed ways.
Initial feedback collected through the accompanying evaluation process indicates a high level of engagement and motivation among participants, as well as strong acceptance of the peer-support model as an effective approach to prevention and youth empowerment.
To mark the completion of the pre-pilot phase, a closing event was held on 19 May 2026 at the “Kult” Stage of Teatar Vuk, as part of the accompanying programme of the 20th edition of the “Theater Zvezdarište” festival. The event brought together students, school representatives, programme partners, and peer educators. Certificates of participation were awarded to students who completed the programme, followed by a musical performance by the school band “Sixth Element” from the Sixth Belgrade Gymnasium.
The successful implementation of the “Friends in Focus” programme in Zvezdara represents an encouraging step toward strengthening evidence-based prevention approaches and expanding youth-centred prevention initiatives across Serbia and South-Eastern Europe and guiding its implementation globally.
