Can they do it? You bet they can! We Can Do It, Too! was the official name of the project Slobodna Dalmacija undertook along with Juraj Bonači, a center for education and nurture.

Juraj Bonači provides social services to children with developmental disabilities and adults with autism spectrum disorders and intellectual disabilities. Its mission is to provide them with a better quality of life and active inclusion in society, thus giving their protégés a chance to improve the quality of their lives.

As a part of the We Can Do It, Too! project, the protégés of the center attended art workshops where they made indigenous handicrafts and souvenirs. The long-term goal was — and still is — to open a souvenir and gift shop in Split and engage adult protégés in this entrepreneurial project.

Elevating the programme

In 2021, Slobodna Dalmacija and Cropix accepted the challenge to take the project to a higher level. Cropix photojournalists followed all the workshops, and the finale of the project was an exhibition accompanied with souvenir sales in the mall City Center One Split. The whole project was featured in both digital and print editions of Slobodna Dalmacija.

But how did it all start?

In the whirlwind of war that swept Croatia in the early 1990s, people with intellectual disabilities were evacuated from the war zone to a safe place in Split. Usually, marginalised people were in the worst state. The lack of adequate care, space, and resources prompted a young photo reporter, Matko Biljak (who is now a chief photo editor at Slobodna Dalmacija) to create a shocking exhibition of realistic photographs in hopes of making the citizens of Split more aware that these people existed and that they are in dire need for help.

Thirty years later, the now-experienced Biljak, with the support of his colleagues and the entire media company, participated in the production of another exhibition. Only this time, pictures show something completely different — faces with big smiles and an overwhelming feeling of joy.

Is that an indication that our society has progressed? We would like to believe it is.

Although of a completely different character, the same conclusion remained after both exhibitions: We are simply obliged to do more.

The objectives of the We Can Do It, Too! project were to:

• Raise awareness of the local community about needs and social integration possibilities.
• Educate local government about the project’s needs.
• Achieve great project visibility.
• Increase sales of handicrafts.
• Put a spotlight on a marginalised group of people and brighten up their holidays.

Creating an exhibition

Our focus was on the exhibition held in the mall during the pre-Christmas shopping rush. The mall was chosen as a perfect spot for the project because of the high frequency of visitors, and there was no need to be concerned about the weather. The timing (December 15 through December 23) was ideal because people are especially compassionate and willing to help in the days before Christmas.

The goal was to make the center’s sales booth stand out in a mall full of Christmas bliss and highlighted commercials. The exhibition was installed on big free-standing panels around the booth. The exhibition started with an opening event and warm music and dance.

Moreover, our design studio has designed the visual identity of the entire project to build a recognisable brand.

At the Slobodna Dalmacija portal, we launched a microsite, which was conceived as an accompanying virtual exhibition. The microsite contained photos and 10 videos taken at the workshops. We considered that the mix of print, Web, and social networks will be a great addition to support the exhibition and achieve our goals. And we are extremely proud to ascertain that the project did just that.

All the goals were achieved, the artwork sold out, and there were orders for more. Thus, the protégés of Juraj Bonači are a few steps closer to opening up their store.

Banner photo by Paun Paunović/Cropix.

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