December 14th, 2011

2011 - YEAR OF SUCCESS OF PARTICIPATION OF YOUTH FROM SERBIA IN THE YOUTH IN ACTION PROGRAMME OF THE EUROPEAN UNION

During 2011 youth organizations from Serbia broke all previous records of participation in the program "Youth in Action" of the European Union!

Number of projects supported in Serbia has grown from year to year, and in 2011 youth organization from Serbia had a most successful year from the start of implementation of the Programme "Youth in Action" in Serbia! With approved 53 international youth project in Serbia by the Executive Agency in 2011, this number was increased by 1/3 from previous year when 40 projects where supported. After five years of work groups as Contact points for Youth in action Programme, Group "Let's ...", BalkanIDEA and Educational Centre Krusevac congratulates organizations from Serbia on this success!

The projects approved in 2011 will encourage cooperation between young people from Serbia and their peers from the Balkan and EU countries. Projects will give youth quality opportunities for non-formal education and intercultural learning, they will try do provide answers of problem of youth unemployment, promote volunteerism, promote importance of environmental protection and challenge racism and violence in Europe today. For more information on supported projects in period of 2008-2011 Serbia please visit http://www.mladiuakciji.rs/statistika.php.

In addition, Serbian finishes 2011 with 48 organizations and youth offices accredited for sending and receiving young volunteers using the European Voluntary Service. This component of the program "Youth in Action" provides an opportunity to young people to volunteer and live in other European countries and contribute to the local community as volunteers.

The main promoters in Serbia of Youth in Action Programme are Contact points. In last five years Contact points had continuous support from the Ministry of Youth and Sports of the Republic of Serbia and SALTO SEE Resource Centre. This support was crucial for the realization of more than 40 specialized trainings, seminars, workshops and info-days throughout Serbia, where more than 600 organizations, youth offices and representatives of municipalities in Serbia where trained on how they can use the Program. Contact points also informed and more than 60,000 young people about what the program "Youth in Action" offers to young people in Serbia.

November 24th, 2011.

The group "Let’s..." in cooperation with the Association of blind and visually impaired people of Serbia "White Cane", War Trauma Center, Cultural Centre "Vuk Karadžić" and REX Cultural Centre is organizing the first regional Festival of socially engaged theatre under the name "Off Frame" (“Van okvira”) from 4th to 10th December 2011.

The Festival will gather artists willing to ‘speak’ about important social issues – violence, exclusion/inclusion of people with disabilities, juvenile delinquents’ issues, the consequences of wars in former Yugoslavia, the challenges faced by modern man and woman and about the potential of working with elderly people and children in theatre and through performing arts.

The Festival will host ten performances from Serbia and the region (Macedonia, Slovenia and Hungary). We will also organize interactive round table discussions about important social issues and theatre workshops where participants will be able to gain experience on how one can work in theatre with sensitive groups.

Republika Srbija Ministarstvo rada i socijalne politike

Skupština grada Beograda Sekretarijat za kulturu.

September 1st, 2011.

Physical theatre workshop, intended to war veterans and young artists/activists

Group „Let`s…“ and War Trauma Centre, in collaboration with Cultural Centre REX and Bitef Polyphony, will implement from 22.-24. September 2011, a physical theatre workshop.

Workshop is intended for youth (artists and activists) and veterans who returned from the wars waged in the period from 1991 to 1999. We believe that war veterans have a valuable understanding of the past and the consequences that certain decisions can produce.

Through a range of activities, we wish to stimulate dialogue between young people, war veterans and broader society about non/sense of war, about destruction, where to find the strength to survive difficult situations and hope that changes are possible.

Workshop leader – Boris Caksiran. Boris is international artist in the field of movie and contemporary theatre.

May 17th, 2011.

Call for participants  
“Non-violence communication and conflict resolution- piece of cake „ Training course

Group "Hajde da..." supported by European Commission and Youth in Action Programme, is organizing the training course "Non-violence communication and conflict resolution- piece of cake"

The objectives of the training are the following:

• This training course will facilitate a non-formal learning process that helps to create knowledge and understanding regarding conflict. Through the reflection of experienced conflicts on a personal and a group level, participants will learn to understand and analyse conflicts.

•  Variety of (communicative) non-violent conflict transformation approaches, methods and tools will be shared and practiced, such as - active listening, paraphrasing, feedback, assertiveness, empathy. We will use some techniques like fish bowl discussions, simulation and forum theatre. We will present 3 partied model of communications skills, and increase understanding and usage of every element.  

• Participants will get the opportunity to exchange good practices from their own work with youth to see how they facilitate an experiential (learning by doing, self reflecting) workshop on conflict transformation.

The project will involve participants from : Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Ireland and Italy .

Interested participants should fill the application form by 30th of May  2011. and send it to the address marijana@hajdeda.org.rs 

The number of participants is limited. The selected participants will be informed on 03.06.2011.

February 14th, 2011.

Group “Hajde da ...” supported by European Commission and Youth in Action Programme, is organizing the training course “Let’s perform with Socrates”

The goal of training is to increase understanding of concepts and principles of democracy, and to train participants to use the techniques and skills necessary for carrying out performance, in order to demonstrate to the needs of young people in local communities and the European context.

The first part of training will enable participants to explore their knowledge and understanding of the concept of democracy, as well as knowledge of various concepts in political and daily life. The second part of training will be devoted to learning the performance as a form of art and form of social dialogue. Participants will gain skills and use it to create performance related  to democracy issues.
The project will involve participants from Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovenia, Italy, Ireland, Macedonia, Romania and Montenegro, who will work together during the process of creating a performance, which will demonstrate in the streets of Nis.

Interested participants should fill the application form by 1st  of March 2011. and send it to the address suzana@hajdeda.org.rs

The number of participants is limited. Participants who pass the selection will be notified no later than 5 March. More information about the project can be downloaded here

The project is supported by the European Commission.