In Čokešina, a small piece of land surrounded by trees and a stream is becoming part of MONOMIT’s longer-term thinking about rural learning, creativity and community.
Some MONOMIT ideas begin with a project. Others begin with a place.
In Čokešina, near Šabac, MONOMIT has access to a 33-are rural plot surrounded by woodland and a stream. Today, it is not a finished centre, campus or formal programme venue.
It is a place with potential.
We are exploring how spaces like this could gradually support the kind of work MONOMIT already develops: experiential learning, creativity, wellbeing, community activities and connection with nature and rural environments.
The idea is not to separate the place from the community around it or to create an artificial retreat isolated from local life. What interests us is the possibility of developing activities that respond to the character of the place itself — its landscape, pace, local context and relationship with the surrounding community.
Our growing interest in rural activation and sustainability has also been shaped by international learning experiences and partnerships. These experiences have encouraged us to look more closely at the resources that already exist close to home.
Čokešina therefore represents more than a future physical space.
It is also part of a question we continue to explore:
How can a place become an active part of learning?
A forest, a stream, a village landscape or an outdoor gathering space can change the way people meet, move, reflect, create and learn together. This does not require turning nature into a backdrop for another conventional programme. It requires designing learning around the qualities of the place.
MONOMIT’s plans for Čokešina are still developing. We do not want to present a finished centre before one exists.
Instead, we see the site as part of a longer journey — one in which rural spaces can gradually become settings for meaningful educational, creative and community experiences.