In 2015, I co-founded Art Aparat, a non-profit organization born from a simple yet powerful question: How can music help people connect?
The idea first took shape in 2013 while I was volunteering at a Drop-In Shelter for street-involved Roma children in Belgrade. Working with children who had few opportunities to explore their talents, I discovered that music was not only a tool for empowerment—it was a universal language. It could connect children with adults, bridge cultural and social divides, and create a shared space between people from very different worlds.
At Art Aparat, we combine music education with cultural learning, human rights awareness, and collaborative music production. Together with communities, we write and record original songs, produce music videos, and organize public concerts.
I believe music has the power to build bridges—between generations, cultures, and life experiences—and that these connections can spark real change.
Over the past 10 years, my goal has been to develop—and continuously refine—a model that uses music to overcome social barriers. For the last 10 years, I'm working with Roma children and youth, as well as with refugee populations, the elderly and many others who face exclusion or limited access to cultural participation. Through music, I strive to create meaningful exchanges between people who rarely meet: those who live on the margins and those in more privileged positions.
Through this program, in addition to ordinary people singing with children, we managed to involve many schools across Serbia, which became part of the Svi UGLAS program and learned about the Romani community.