Be The Change

Our tour guide during our visit to Sabor, the Croatian Parliament, was Marija Lugaric, age 30. Given her age, most of the group thought she was a junior delegate. Ne (no in Croatian). Marija Lugaric has been in Sabor for almost 10 years. She first got involved in politics at 18 when she and her friends lobbied the local government in Zagreb to free up the city’s nightclubs and concert halls from the strict state controls of Titoist Yugoslavia. From there she worked her way up quickly through the youth branch of her party and is now one of the senior members of Sabor, much to the chagrin of some of the older, but not yet senior delegates. Her message to us was clear. It doesn’t matter what you want to get involved in, whether it be politics, civil society, or the private sector. Just get involved. Make a difference. Be the change. Obama…Lugaric…us…coincidence? Yes we can.