UK-based Entrepreneur & Investor magazine has named Serbian-Canadian @filipfilipi to its ‘Top 5 Most Inspiring High Profile Philanthropists’ in company with Mark Zuckerberg, Bill and Melinda Gates and actress Rosario Dawson.

The profile piece touches on the current success of the Canadian music scene, which Filipi left at the age of 24 to found the 28. Jun humanitarian organization, the £7m of aid they donated since and fleeing his homeland as a child due to war.

The article comes on the heels of a HipHopCanada cover story – made viral by Post Malone’s DJ – about Filipi’s humanitarian work at the United Nations and participation at last month’s UN Climate Action Summit along side Greta Thunberg.

Link: http://entrepreneurandinvestor.com/the-top-5-most-inspiring-high-profile-philanthropists-using-their-platform-for-good

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The UN’s Youth Climate Summit provided a platform for young leaders to showcase their solutions and meaningfully engage with decision-makers. The event took place as a lead up to the UN Secretary-General’s Climate Action Summit and the United Nations General Assembly this week. 28. Jun’s Nicole Vicentic had the honor of attending and sharing perspectives from the Western Balkans. As her team lead, Nicole addressed Liz Rodgers, VP of Sustainable Product at Nike, and discussed some of the challenges and opportunities to enabling circular apparel to reduce impact on the planet.

Several weeks ago, 28. Jun’s delegation of Filip Filipi and Hristina Radonjic were at the 68th United Nations Civil Society Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah representing interests of the Serbian Diaspora. This was the premier UN event on the NGO calendar. ~5,000 civil society representatives from around the world were in attendance. The international forum also brought together senior UN System officials, prominent international civil society organizations, academicians, public opinion makers and international media to discuss issues of global concern.

28. Jun is the first humanitarian organization from the Western Balkans to be granted Special Consultative Status with the United Nations’ Economic and Social Council. With an estimated 10 million NGOs in the world, less than .0005%, or 4500, have achieved Consultative Status.

Jeffrey “Smitty” Smith, the DJ of international superstar Post Malone was honored in Vancouver, Canada for his contributions to humanitarian work in Serbia. He was presented with the ‘Humanitarian of the Year Award’ for 2019 from 28. Jun, one of the leading philanthropic organizations operating in the Western Balkans.

28. Jun President Filip Filipi thanked Smitty for using his social media reach to spread a recent fundraising drive which resulted in helping deliver a container with nearly $1 million worth of medical equipment and supplies to Serbia. The two have known each other for over a decade and collaborated musically in the late ’00s.

Post Malone is one of the most popular musicians in the world having sold 60 million records and is one of the most streamed artists of all time with over 10 billion streams. 28. Jun is an international humanitarian organization in Special Consultative Status with the UN which has delivered $7 million in aid to the Balkans.

The beginning of the school year carries with it significant expenditures for parents, with that in mind the aim of our action was to help families with severe financial problems so that the children could begin the new school year without added stress. Throughout the year, we receive a large number of requests from parents seeking the most basic school supplies (notebooks, pens, backpacks) and this number increases dramatically in September as school begins.

We are pleased to inform you that this year, our organization has provided ’28. Jun Nikola Tesla’ scholarships which consist of school materials for all Serbian children in the Knin municipality of Kistanje in Krajina. The joy and gratitude of both children and parents was more than evident.

In Herzegovina, at “Petar Petrovic Njegos” school in Bileca, we met our goal and provided 60 first-grade students with backpacks full of school supplies so our little ones have a happy start to their school year.
“Parents and children were delighted and I made a new friend which is the greatest gift. Apart from the fact that school supplies brings material help, it also shows parents they still have someone who thinks of them. To me personally, such actions restore confidence in people. That there is goodwill in people. People are generally good, but many times situations make them appear selfish and self-serving. I really thank Darko, and your directors and all the people of goodwill from your organization. May they be alive and well for many summers!“ —School teacher Miodrag Parezanin
The goal of our project was exactly what the teacher stated; to help the community regain trust in one another and that by example we can illuminate the path for future generations. We did not inherit this world from our parents, but rather we are borrowing it our children. Let’s leave something for them to remember!

As adolescents in 2011, we watched the unfair treatment of people peacefully protesting for access to basic needs— food, medical facilities, justice— and decided to use our privileged positions to join their brave fight.

On July 31, 2012 our spontaneous, student-led movement to make this world a little easier for communities in need, took a leap forward and incorporated as a Canadian Not-for-profit.

Seven years on, we have organically grown into a world-class humanitarian organization and want to share with you the challenges and achievements that enabled us to make a difference in the region many of us call home.

Our 7-year report is available in:

Web format – https://28jun.org/7-year-report

PDF format – https://28jun.org/28-Jun-7-Year-Report.pdf

We are extremely proud to announce that on Vidovdan, the day our organization is named after, we have surpassed 1.3 Million subscribers on our mailing list. This weekend in Niagara Falls we will kick off a month of celebrations marking 7 years since our first humanitarian delivery and 7 years since 28. Jun was incorporated as a Not-for-profit organization in Canada.

We have been tirelessly building our network for nearly 8 years and our recent ‘Serbs For Good’ viral campaign brought us to this astonishing figure. In July of 2012 our organization delivered the first, of what would be over 30, large shipments of medical equipment and supplies to Serbian institutions throughout the Western Balkans. Seven years after that delivery to the Health Center Gracanica, we invite you to celebrate those achievements as we mark our final delivery with an international media press conference at the Clinical Center Nis, tentatively scheduled for the middle of July.

Since 2012 our organization has seen immense growth— we are honored that in 7 years we donated nearly $7 Mil worth of aid, successfully upgrading the medical infrastructure for our people throughout the region. Additionally, we are the first humanitarian organization from the Western Balkans to be granted Special Consultative Status with the United Nations. We have delivered 184 tons of humanitarian, medical and disaster relief to the region; this included leading the global response to the 2014 Southeast Europe floods. Our 500+ members have held events in over 120 cities across 30 countries.

We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for being one of this astronomical number! Your championship and support of our organization enables us to make a difference in the lives of the most vulnerable of our population. We do not take your trust in our organization or our responsibilities lightly.

Our global network will unite Serbs in preserving cultural heritage, sharing humanitarian responsibility and supporting the region in times of crisis.

28. Jun Relations Manager Selena Despotovic had a very productive weekend at the World Conference of Ministers Responsible for Youth 2019 in Lisbon, Portugal. She met with Jayathma Wickramanayake, the United Nations Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth, the UNESCO delegation as well as the Portuguese Minister of Education Tiago Brandão Rodrigues. The World Conference of Ministers Responsible for Youth 2019 and Youth Forum Lisboa+21 was an event organized by the Portuguese Government and the Portuguese Youth Council in collaboration with the UN-System partners.

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted in 2015, is the international community’s ambitious response to nowadays most pressing global development challenges and will guide our development priorities for an entire generation. Young people played a key role in shaping this agenda and experience first-hand many of the issues it seeks to address: “The future of humanity and of our planet lies in our hands. It lies also in the hands of today’s younger generation who will pass the torch to future generations.”

The most dire situation Serbs face in the Western Balkans is in Croatia.
This is why 28. Jun will undertake a major project to protect Serbian cultural heritage and offer humanitarian and economic assistance to Serbs living in Croatia.

28. Jun, the only humanitarian organization from the Western Balkans in Special Consultative Status with the United Nations, is seeking new members for multiple positions as we continue our expansion.

Our ideal candidate is someone with a personal commitment to serve society at a local and global level and a desire to channel their skill set to benefit our people. In order to execute international projects we emphasize team work and therefore seek team players with a strong willingness to learn. We are proud that all of the original members who participated in our first project in 2012 are still with 28. Jun. This type of loyalty is rare in the not-for-profit sphere and we attribute this to our family atmosphere and dedication to our members.

To our volunteers we offer a sense of purpose in knowing that you are making a real difference, personal growth, recognition and exclusive networking opportunities. Our reference letters assisted hundreds of members with university admission and employment. 28. Jun delegations have met with Heads of State, Secretary-Generals of the UN, members of congress, ambassadors, professional athletes and business leaders. Work-related travel and accommodation is entirely covered for senior members, as is exclusive merchandise, event access, etc.

If our mission of engaging in humanitarian, social and philanthropic projects to assist underprivileged communities resonates with you please apply at:

ENGLISH

SRPSKI

Email volunteers@28jun.org with any questions.