Serbian Youth League

Serbian Youth League (Serbian: Српска омладинска заједница) is a registered non-profit organization, with the purpose of bringing Serbian youth together and promoting Serbian culture in the world, cultivating interest in Serbian heritage, and organizing events that relate to Serbian culture in Serbia and the Serbian Diaspora. It was founded in 2008.

Currently there are 4 regional chapters of the Serbian Youth League. Those include the Canadian cities of Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary and Montreal. The goal of the Serbian Youth League in Canada is to serve the interests of the Serbian and Canadian people, and promote Serbian-Canadian friendship - their official motto is "Strength in Unity".

Purposes of the Serbian Youth League

The purposes of the Serbian Youth League:

*To unite the Serbian youth in the "Kosovo is Serbia" movement, to respect and promote international law, the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Serbia, to educate people about the tragedy of the Serbian people in Kosovo and to promote good Serbian relations with the world community in relation to the Kosovo issue.
*To unite Serbian and other youths who appreciate Serbian culture in a society.
*To promote awareness of and involvement with Serbian life, culture and tradition within local communities and beyond.
*To provide a forum for Serbian youth and all those who are interested in Serbian culture to exchange ideas and share experiences.
*To familiarize youth of other nationalities with Serbian life, culture, and tradition.
*To establish and maintain educational, cultural and information resources on Serbia and Serbian lands for students and faculty of high schools, colleges, universities, as well as members of the community.
*To provide recreational and social activities for its Members.

Activism

Members of the Serbian Youth League of Toronto organized a protest against Kosovo's illegal declaration of independence on February 23, 2008. More than a thousand demonstrators gathered outside the U.S. consulate in downtown Toronto. Waving Serbian flags and chanting "Kosovo is Serbia", the peaceful crowd listened to impassioned speeches about their homeland and lit candles before marching up University Ave. to circle Queen's Park. The protesters also spoke out against U.S. support for the new status of Kosovo. [cite web |url=http://www.thestar.com/News/GTA/article/306410 |author=Joanna Smith
authorlink=Toronto Star |title=Serbs protest over Kosovo |accessdate=2008-09-19 |date=2008-02-24 |publisher=Toronto Star]

On February 24, 2008, the Serbian Youth League of Vancouver organized the largest Serbian protest since the protests against the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia in 1999. Serbian flags and protest placards dotted a crowd of about 1000 who rallied in front of the Vancouver Art Gallery against Kosovo's breakaway move. [cite web |url=http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080224.wserbs0224/BNStory/Front/?page=rss&id=RTGAM.20080224.wserbs0224 |author=Canadian Press |title=Protesters rally against Kosovo independence |accessdate=2008-09-19 |date=2008-02-24 |publisher=The Globe and Mail]

On the same day, the Serbian Youth League of Montreal organized a similar event. Close to 200 demonstrators marched through downtown Montreal before holding a vocal but peaceful rally in front of the U.S. consulate. Several speakers criticized countries like the U.S., France and Germany for quickly endorsing Kosovo's break from Serbia last week. Several supporters from the Greek Orthodox community also joined in the protest as they, like Serbians, trace their spiritual roots to medieval Kosovo. [cite web |url=http://www.redorbit.com/news/general/1267145/serb_nationalists_hold_rally_outside_us_consulate_in_montreal/index.html |author=Canadian Press |title=Serb Nationalists Hold Rally Outside U.S. Consulate in Montreal |accessdate=2008-09-19 |date=2008-02-24 |publisher=redOrbit]

References

ee also

*Serbian diaspora

External links

* [http://www.serbianyouthleague.org/ Official Web Site of the Serbian Youth League]