At the ceremony at the Zagreb City Hall, President of the City Assembly Andrija Mikulić and Mayor Milan Bandić presented this year’s Luka Ritz Award for humanitarian engagement to Nika Barić and Nikolina Jelenić.

The Luka Ritz Award is honoring young persons whose work significantly contributed to the affirmation of human rights, extreme tolerance and promoting peace, freedom and equality among their peers.

Nika Barić is going to the Kustošija Elementary School and she is teaching Karate to the children with Down Syndrome at the Karate Club Čigra. Nika also donated her hair to the Kosa ljubavi Association, and participated in campaigns organized by UNICEF and Caritas.

Nikolina Jelenić is a student of the Zagreb Ruđer Bošković High School, where she is very much involved in anti-tobacco, anti-alcohol and anti-drug campaigns. She is an active member of the volunteer club and the Plavi telefon Association, which is providing counseling services for adolescents.