Author: Marta Karabova

When I had heard Gen Rosso was coming to the Czech Republic, I was more inquisitive than excited about it. A couple years ago I happened to be the audience to Gen Rosso show in a packed stadium and this year I decided to take part in it, although it meant my final exam preparation would be very much neglected. Still, I was attracted by the notion of volunteering in a project that serves a good purpose.

The arrival of Gen Rosso is the finale after teachers’ months-long work with pupils at the Elementary School of Křídlovická in Brno, the second largest city in the country. Gen Rosso is an international performing arts group comprising of amateur enthusiastic musicians who have made the performance more a personal commitment than a professional career. It has 18 male members of 9 nationalities from all over the world – from Brazil through Italy, Kenya to Philippines. These guys cruise the world with an elaborate project of theirs called Strong without violence. As the name implies a bit, the project aims at schools that are troubled by bullies and school violence. The school that has been picked out is then involved in a long-lasting program for teachers and pupils. Trained teachers present topics tackling bullying and anti-bullying practices during special, but even regular classes.

One would say that there is nothing extraordinary about a youth violence prevention program: they all include training and lectures on a regular and obligatory basis. But, here, the cream of the crop was yet to come – the project week with Gen Rosso – a busy week for performers as well as for coordinators and us volunteers. It was time when Gen Rosso was to oversee the creation of a musical called Streetlight and what I mean by creation is starting off from scratch.

Why Streetlight? Streetlight is a true story about a Streetlight band trying to come through with their gig and a ghetto gang caught up in the whirl of violence. There is one boy named Charles in the middle of the fuzz. In the band he learns the true values of friendship, reliability and unity between people, whereas his roots in the ghetto are difficult to abandon. He suddenly has to make a choice about where he is going with his life. To spice it up, his best friend Jordan is in love with a gang leader’s sister who gets killed in crossfire. And naturally, the musical comes with original songs and lyrics by Gen Rosso and might I say catchy ones.

When performers hit the place on Sunday, there was an introduction evening and volunteers were assigned to each of the performers, depending on the language they needed to translate from. There were full three days of workshops with children ahead of us when we were translating and basically, enabling the communication between the guys and the pupils.

I was assigned to Adelson from Brazil who was in charge of dancing and choreography workshops, but I had a chance to look through other sites and observe how Gen Rosso was working with children. Crowds of children could choose the type of workshop and this way each one could participate in the creation of Streetlight. In addition to dancing classes where the choreography to each part of the musical script was being taught, there was a lighting workshop, props production, sound engineering, band rehearsals and above all, a big workshop of fun and unity between classes, between boys and girls, between older and younger, stronger and weaker. Their biggest advantage in communication was the actual goal of cooperation, the mutual effort towards the evening show and each individual of Gen Rosso, their charismatic characters, their psychological skills and a natural devotion of what and with whom they do it.

Even though Gen Rosso is not made up of professional actors or singers, they could motivate kids and be evenly responsive to the needs of each kid, even the outsiders – the usual target for bullies in such an environment. The project week with Gen Rosso is a kind of experience pedagogic technique when through experience of a person’s own value he/she can be taught assertiveness and how to deal with oppression.

What children had learned was soon to be tested in the real-time show. After two days of hard work, there came the performance day. All the preparations were being held already at the concert site, one of the halls of Brno Exhibition area and all of us – guys from Gen Rosso, volunteers, teachers, pupils joined in these. The stage was set up, the props installed, lights prepared, the auditorium placed and the buzz of last rehearsing bits could be heard in the back of the hall. The show was anchored by Honza Musil, an anchorman of Czech Television and it consisted of two parts – the musical Streetlight and the program before – introduction of the project by the lead coordinator and the principal of the Elementary School Křídlovická, dance and music performances.

My task at the concert hall was to be a manager of merchandise shop, so I was selling Gen Rosso brand products – printed T-shirts, badges, belts, autographed cards, CDs, DVDs and others. I had a good view on the stage, so I could clearly see the result of our efforts and also, I could talk to parents, kids and get the immediate feedback from the audience and children during the show.
Suffice it to say that the whole evening was successful, the audience as well as pupils were thrilled and finally we all could watch the complete musical and the result of Charles’s decision in the Streetlight.

This volunteering – from doing small tasks at the elementary school and exhibition hall to constant interpreting during the time with Gen Rosso – was exhausting, yet enriching in so many ways. Having seen their vocation and dedication to teaching children and how many different people can cooperate to create a magnificent project has fired me up and taught that once you choose to do something and you do it with effort and love, even one person can succeed in changing the world. But not alone.

The project week took place from 11^th to 14^th April with the musical Streetlight staged on 13^th April, both in Brno, Czech Republic. Have a look at the webpage and get inspired.

Please note that Mladiinfo does not give scholarships or any financial support, but only informs about different opportunities. Click on the direct link to the official page above to apply for the program.

Mladiinfo interviewed the Secretary General of Active, Kristina Sperkova. Learn more about Active, sobriety and activities they organize or even participate in the summer Camp in Latvia.

What is ACTIVE all about? (Vision, values, ideology)

Active’s vision is a democratic, diverse and peaceful world free from alcohol and other drugs where any individual can live up to her full potential. We consider alcohol and other drugs a hindrance for development of both – society and individuals. We empower young people and create alcohol free environments to enable their development and self realization.

How long does ACTIVE exist? How many members do you have?

Active was established in 1990 and it was first called EGTYF. This name was changed for Active by the Congress in Switzerland in 2006. Active has approximately 30, 000 around Europe.

Talking about activities, how does a year in ACTIVE look?

The main core of Active consists of our European seminars. Each year we have at least 2 seminars where 30 – 45 young people from our member organizations participate for one week. The seminars build up on non-formal education and learning by doing. We discuss various topics such as Human Rights, Rights of young people, Culture, Environment. All the topics are, obviously, always connected to the issues related to alcohol such as young people’s rights in alcohol culture or alcohol and environment. Every year we organize a summer camp where around 100 – 150 young people participate.

Every other year we have a Congress and Camp that is attended by approximately 300 people. The Congress decides our future activities for the coming 2 years. When you say Congress, people usually think of ties and formal environment, which does not resemble our congresses. Of course, young people sit inside, read papers, vote and discuss but as it is all arranged by young people for young people, the atmosphere is relaxed, the methods of work vary from group work to plenary discussions, some parts take place outside and at the end the delegates join the camp participants for disco, night café or midnight volleyball tournament. Few years ago, we started arranging campaigns to involve several countries in one common topic. This year we work on Human Rights violation and young people’s perspective on it. The whole campaign called Human Rights Generation will result in an exhibition in the European Parliament and European youth centers. Besides these European activities, there are many regional and national activities going on. We have Baltic seminars, Balkan and Nordic gatherings.

Lets’ stick to the summer You mentioned summer camp? Norway?

In summer 2010, the Congress and Camp took place where we had around 400 participants. The event was held in Fredrikstad, Norway at the beginning of August. The Congress adopted our new Alcohol Policy Paper, approved Plan of Action for 2010 – 2012 and elected new Active board. The Congress was accompanied with the Camp that offered many workshops of various type – from bubble making, dominoes playing or juggling to making an audio CD or discussing intercultural learning. Active celebrated 20 years that summer so we had a big B-day party with a foam party, fireworks and loads of performances.

What kind of activities are there at an ACTIVE camp? How do people party sober?

People party sober exactly the same way as people who party with alcohol. They dance (well and badly), jump, laugh, talk, do crazy things, there are those who prefer just sitting in a night café, talk and listen to music and then there are those who go completely nuts. We have concerts, discos, as I mentioned above, for example, foam party, we have loads of workshops of all kinds, we have people performing on stage or even playing midnight volleyball tournaments.

Can you share your favorite summer camp memory?

It’s not easy to mention just one memory and, of course, the understanding of “funny” differs between those who were there and those who will just read these lines, but pretty funny was one Norwegian performance when a Norwegian group had a member who was a pyrotechnician, so, naturally, they used some fire effects and one of those who were on stage caught fire but as everyone thought it was part of the performance, people were laughing and clapping when he was running around and rolling on the ground to put out the fire. Many people still do not know that it was not a part of the programme.

What about this year’s camp? ROUTE 2011, Latvia? Who can sign up? What can we expect? Will it create as good memories as yours?

All the curious and adventure seeking young people from all around the world are, of course, invited to take part in this year’s Camp! It will be held this summer (1 – 7 August 2011) in Latvia and its name will be “ROUTE”. It is going to be really great. We are going to live in a boarding school surrounded by forest and nature, but still close to the capital city. Our camps are open for everyone regardless of age or country origin and so is Route. It is very simple to sign up on this web page. The camp is drug free, so we expect the participants to be sober the whole week – in that way fun for everyone is guaranteed. The good memories will come with all the great people who come from many countries. We will have parties, workshops, excursions, sport tournaments and we will shoot a video that will be shown in the European Parliament and European Youth Centers.

How would ACTIVE look after the camp? Autumn plans?

Active will not take a break after the Camp and we will directly jump into preparations of our next seminar that will be held in Rome at the end of October. We will continue with our campaign – Human Rights Generation, we will host new EVS volunteers in the office, we will start preparation for the biggest event of 2012 – our Congress on Iceland – and we will, of course, keep helping our member organization to rock the drug free world.

For more info about Active please go to the official web page or Facebook pages.

Please note that Mladiinfo does not give scholarships or any financial support, but only informs about different opportunities. Click on the direct link to the official page above to apply for the program.

Author: Zane Boreiko

We all know what it is Erasmus programme, but do we know how many opportunities Erasmus programme offers to Erasmus students apart from just studying in foreign country for a year or semester? This article is about Erasmus students in Riga who alongside their academic studies at University also find time to make positive contribution towards community they live in by Volunteering…

Erasmus Student Network is a non-profit international student organisation. Our mission is to represent international students, and thus provide opportunities for cultural understanding and self-development under the principle of Students Helping Students. Also Erasmus Student Network is running international projects and one of them is Social Erasmus!  What is Social Erasmus all about?

Social Erasmus is an Erasmus Student Network international project which was created in 2008 in Poland. The project gives international students the opportunity to do charity work in the local community as well as getting to know a new culture and system of education.  For the first time on March 29, 2011 in Riga the first “European lesson” in frames of Social Erasmus project was held. For the first time in Riga, Erasmus students had a chance to become volunteers!

The “European lesson” is based on voluntary participation. The objective of “European lesson” is to familiarize the participants with Europe and European people, their traditions and customs existing as well as to overcome stereotypes. “European lesson” is an opportunity for international students to get into contact with local society and promote their homelands. On the other hand, the “European lesson” gives children the first
opportunity of direct contact with other cultures.

The first “European lesson” took place at Agenskalna State Gymnasium, in Riga, one of the oldest schools in Latvia. In frames of Social Erasmus project nine Erasmus students from Hungary, Germany, Poland, South Korea and Venezuela were holding the “European lesson” on their chosen topic.  The Erasmus students in Riga chose different topics for their “European lesson” including European Union and European studies, traditions, culture and architecture about their homeland. In fact, volunteers were also telling about their volunteering experience back at home and in other countries, travelling experiences, about Erasmus programme and why they had applied to take part in project Social Erasmus. Moreover, Erasmus students from South Korea and Germany even prepared their traditional food, so the children at school could taste it!

The Student Union of Agenskalna State Gymnasium was very well prepared for the “European lesson”, too. They took the Erasmus students on a tour around the school, introducing them into the history of the school. The “European lesson” in Riga was a great opportunity for Erasmus students not only to gain a volunteering experience but also, to get to know Latvian culture and the system of education, tell about their culture, traditions, promote their homelands, teach their language, make long-lasting friendships, broaden their views and perspectives and to get into contact with a local community.

The “European lesson” was very successful! The Erasmus students in Riga enjoyed it very much and were overwhelmed with positive emotions; they felt that they can make a positive change and that it is not that hard to make other people around them happy. It was a life time experience for them! Volunteering is perfect for tapping into the idealism and drive of young people, and gives them a real space for participating in community development. As a matter of fact, 2011 is the official European Year of Volunteering – a year-long campaign to celebrate the work of existing volunteers, address the challenges they face and encourage more people to get involved – amazing journey when good things happen. Social Erasmus is proud of Erasmus students in Riga – they are brave, open-minded, they do care about the local community – and they were a part of this amazing journey!

See what the volunteers say…

We appreciate this interesting opportunity to enjoy ourselves. We were very glad that children tasted our home-made sushi …..

Choi and Kim, South Korea

The event itself was also very nice. I also liked that we were sitting together after our lesson. I enjoyed it very much!!! I think you and your team did a really great job!!! Thanks

Daniel, Germany

I was so proud, when I saw, that students were interested in our country and culture. It was much better than I expected! They knew a lot of things about Hungary! I’m really happy that I applied for Social Erasmus.

Kitty, Hungary

When I heard about Social Erasmus I knew it’s a project I want to take part in. The idea is simple – you share your own culture with foreign pupils. In a creative way you can show them your country, traditions and teach them some basic phrases in your mother tongue etc.

Speaking honestly, I was a little bit afraid before my “European lesson”. I just didn’t know the group, so I felt a little bit uncertain about students’ reactions. It was a challenge! It was a great adventure, inspiring experience and joyful time! Thanks to “European lesson”, I not only met new people, but also get to know myself better.

Dorota, Poland

I loved these hours in that school! Everyone was so nice, and they were interested in our culture and country and wanted to know things about us. It was such a good feeling! We’d need more time to show everything what we had, but it was okay. They saw the video and that was the point. The posters which they made us about Hungary are already decorations in our room Great!!

Bianka, Hungary

Social Erasmus Volunteers in Riga @ Agenskalna State Gymnasium

Reach Higher! Go Further! GO SOCIAL!

Please note that Mladiinfo does not give scholarships or any financial support, but only informs about different opportunities. Click on the direct link to the official page above to apply for the program.

by Gordana Angelichin

V-Day is a global activist movement to stop violence against women and girls. It promotes creative events to increase awareness, raise money and revitalize the spirit of existing anti-violence organizations. The movement fights to stop violence against women and girls, including battery, rape, incest, female genital mutilation and sex slavery. Local volunteers and college students around the world participate in the V-Day campaigns; they help organize benefit performances of The Vagina Monologues, screenings of V-Day’s documentary Until The Violence Stops, workshops to educate people in their communities about this issue and many other events.

We are three students from Macedonia, Gordana Angelichin, Sandra Kostadinova and Aleksandra Simoska, who had the opportunity to volunteer in a V-Day college campaign last year in the USA. We got involved in it because we recognized the enthusiasm the organizers had and how much it fulfilled them to know they would help victims and make them feel better about themselves. Being compelled by the experience, we decided to do some of V-Day’s activities in Macedonia this year. Having the authorization of this global movement, we started with activities in October 2010 under the official name Vday Macedonia. Our campaign successfully ended on 5 March, but I will explain more about it later. First I would like to share with the readers our plan and our goal.

We planned this campaign to have three phases and so it was. We started off with little money and planned to make our budget larger step by step by donations. First we held educational workshops in order to make young people talk more about violence against women and realize how big that problem is in our country, and then to tell them about VDay and encourage them to spread our word and message. Secondly, we spent two months doing media campaign in order to “prepare” people for the final phase which was screening of the VDay documentary Until the violence stops and performing the Vagina Monologues. The goal was to raise funds for these two events, but spend as less as possible since our main goal was to donate as much money as possible to a crisis shelter located in our capital. The three of us worked as a team from the very beginning and having good cooperation with each other helped us achieve our goal and finish our project successfully!

V-day Macedonia’s first workshop in Ohrid

So firstly, we held four workshops in three cities in Macedonia – Ohrid, Stip and Skopje, starting in October. We wanted these workshops to be as interactive as possible and in that way we thought it would be more effective for young people to change social attitudes towards violence against women. The first workshop was held in the city of Ohrid, where the Red Cross Organization helped us both promote and organize it. The participants who were previously familiarized with our topic and who voluntarily came were at the age from 15 to 20. The program of the workshop was carried out in the following order: what violence against women is in general, what types of violence exist, what the reasons for violence are, statistics about the issue in Macedonia and in the world and how to prevent from it.  The participants were also familiarized with V-Day’s cause and encouraged to volunteer in the further events. As I mentioned earlier, we made the workshop as interactive as possible and the outcome was great! And it was a lot of fun since we had energizer games, which helped the participants relax and be open. That was the most important thing because in our country this issue is not something people openly talk about. The mentality plays a big role in this, so we were very happy to have managed to make young people say their opinion out loud. So, as the first workshop went great, we began to realize we could really be successful with the other three. And so it was! The American Corner in Stip and Skopje helped us organize the two other workshops in November and the NGO called Youth Can helped us with the last one in late December 2010. Collaborating with these organizations brought us much more success, since they connected us with the people who were deeply interested in helping us and spreading the word.

Vday Macedonia’s third workshop in Skopje

In early February 2011, VDay Macedonia started with the second phase which was a large media campaign and advertising on social networks on the internet. We also started with preparations for the two main events: screening of the documentary Until the violence stops and performance of The Vagina Monologues. Speaking publicly and using every media source available we managed to gather a decent amount of funds in order to organize the final phase of our project. But in that way, also, many people were informed about us and decided to help us.

February was a busy month indeed: we were handing out flyers, printed posters, tickets for the main events and T-shirts with the Vagina Monologues logo and we were selling them in one of the shopping centers in the capital, where many people, too, got informed about our campaign.

Our campaign in Ramstore shopping mall in Skopje

Also, on the 4^th February we held auditions for the Vagina Monologues. Vday always auditions girls and women who voluntarily want to participate and act in the Monologues, and so we respected that. Again, the audition was a great success, because many girls showed up and were interested in participating.  One of them even took the role of a director of the Monologues, and she did a great job. She had this amazing ideas and concepts and worked tirelessly with the rest of the girls for a month, preparing them for the big show! Having her helping us with that part of the finale, we dedicated time to other organization details and of course trying to get more donations. We were so happy that our campaign was successful especially because we wanted as many people as possible to come to our two main events, which meant we could really achieve our goal of raising funds to donate later to the crisis center! What was even better, many people approached us, willing to volunteer, which meant our voices were heard!

After a couple of months of hard work and organization, it finally happened! The great finale! We held both of the events in a small humanitarian theater which was suitable for the occasions.
On 4^th March we screened the documentary Until the violence stops which is about Vday’s goals, how the founder of Vday, Eve Enstler, came up with the idea for the Vagina Monologues and how Vday has helped many women around the world. The interest for the documentary was big, we had tickets sold out beforehand and many people showed up.
On 5^th March, for the performance of the Vagina Monologues, which are actually stories from interviewed women around the world, we had more things planned out, since it was the last and most important event. Following Vday’s organization rules, we decorated the theatre in the Vday spirit – in red and pink. We set decorated tables in the corridor, where an auction took place after the performance of the Monologues. An hour before the beginning, we didn’t imagine what would follow…SO MANY PEOPLE came that there weren’t even enough seats for all of them!!! We really didn’t expect that to happen. The theatre was full, which meant we did it! We couldn’t believe it, we were so happy! The performance of the Monologues was great, at the end the applause just wouldn’t stop. But, that wasn’t the end. Like I mentioned above, afterwards we held an auction, where people were able to buy previously donated funds by individuals or organizations in the form of handworks, ornaments, T-shirts and books. Needless to say, it was a success as well and we actually raised a lot of money.

The Vagina Monologues

Couple of days afterwards, still being under impressions, we officially donated 90 percent of the funds we raised to the shelter centre Nadez (Hope). The wonderful women who work there were so grateful and at the same time happy that three girls with the help of many volunteers managed to raise those funds. The other 10 percent of the proceeds were donated to V-Day’s Spotlight Campaign for the Women and Girls of Haiti, since each year V-Day spotlights a particular group of women who are experiencing violence with the goal of raising awareness and funds for them.

The three of us are honored to have been given the chance to organize all of these events. We feel so fulfilled knowing we have helped as much as we could to raise awareness about violence against women in Macedonia. And we were so lucky to have worked with so many amazing volunteers who will continue to spread Vday’s message. We are especially proud of the fact that we everything we did was met with success, although it was the first time we did such a thing.

Positive reactions won’t stop, and we hear people want us to do the Vagina Monologues once more. Knowing that keeps us motivated and encourages us to continue this project in the years to come.

Please note that Mladiinfo does not give scholarships or any financial support, but only informs about different opportunities. Click on the direct link to the official page above to apply for the program.

Author: Ivana Kiprijanovska

The story began back in April, 2010 when I packed my suitcase with some extra clothes not to be cold, some books not to be bored and some hopes that the trip I am about to hit won’t be just a waste of time. It turned out that I didn’t need the extra clothing I took because it was a wonderful, warm and sunny week, I didn’t need the books because I didn’t have a single minute of boredom and I would eventually save my hopes for something else because it turned out that instead of waste of time, that one week became one of the best times of my life so far. My “Balkans, let’s get up” experience is one of the dearest and warmest memories I carry within me and I am glad to share the story with you.

It is a story about a good and human idea of some young smart people, all scholars from the Theodor-Heuss-Kolleg of the Robert Bosch Foundation. They wanted to do something nice and good for other young people from the sleeping Balkan countries and to just give them the seed for planting their own better future based on welfare, progress and democracy. “Balkans, let’s get up!” is about finding ways of practicing active citizenship, civic engagement, youth activism as well as learning about project management! But it is even more – it is about developing personalities and personal skills, facing personal challenges, achieving huge goals through small steps and about awaking our own responsibility for making things better, growing higher and becoming happier.

The concept of “Balkans, let’s get up”, at that time still just an ambitious idea, was presented to us at our first ‘kick-off’ seminar, held in Sremski Karlovci back in April 2010. Then we – 20 participants from 8 Balkan counties – met for the first time and for the first time got on the “Balkans, let’s get up” – a train of ideas, projects, hugs and smiles that travelled for the following 8 months, before our trip eventually finished and we had to get off the train and make place for the next generation of new smart and creative participant that will join the warm family of “Balkans, let’s get up”.

Kick off seminar in Sremski Karlovci 2010

At our first meeting (the “kick-off” seminar) we had 7 days to meet each other, talk about issues that bother us in our societies, share some creative energy and initiatives about possible fields we would like to contribute with our work to, divided into teams that best fit our personalities. We got some basic project management skills and then came back home full with impressions and memories to work on the realization of our own project ideas.

The first good news came out very soon after the seminar. Our trainers received the “Youth Democracy Award” of the German Federal Agency for Civic Education for their great and valuable project “Balkans, let’s get up!”. With the award grant they would be able to finance the realization of our projects.

We congratulated them but we had to stay focused on developing our project drafts because the deadline for applying with our different independent project ideas was close. Of course, all our projects were approved and got the finances to be implemented and we, even more excited, entered into the next phase of deeper studying of project management. This happened during the next so called “follow-up” seminar which took place in June 2010 in Belgrade when we – the participants – met again. We attended useful lectures and spent joyful time together. After this training course, we faced the greatest challenge: it was time for us to implement our project ideas and see what the outcomes of this process would be.

presenting "Balkans, let's get up!" at the 2. international Demokratie-Symposium

In this first year of “Balkans, let’s get up!” six different projects were funded and implemented. All of them, having their own beauty and value, were implemented and finished by the end of November 2010. Mila from Bulgaria, Kristina and Erseld from Albania chose to do the human and very heartwarming projects and help orphans to get better integrated in their societies or they just spent some time walking and talking to them so that they would feel better. A Romanian team of three funny girls – Mihaela, Anabella and Ecaterina – decided to “Click it and fix” the destructive attitude that young people from the Hungarian and Romanian majority often have towards each other. Milan from Bosnia decided to do a nature friendly project by organizing an eco-cleaning action. He called his project “Let’s keep our treasure”. A very Balkan team consisting of Milan from Serbia, Andrej from Montenegro, Tomislav from Croatia and me, Ivana, from Macedonia, implemented a project aimed at motivating young people to take more active participation in the issues important for society and get involved in different forms of activism in order to “Wake up (and) Make a Difference”. The project “Breaking the wall” was implemented by Radan from Serbia and Ida from Croatia, who brought young people from these countries together, breaking the wall which the unpleasant past of wars and conflicts had built up between them.

Our projects were (more or less) structured and (more or less) useful, but undoubtedly, to us they were all successful because the greatest success is the fact that we managed to create them and finish them, giving up neither when difficulties and obstacles came in our ways, nor when we were scared and feared to fail or became frustrated.

Last Skopje seminar in December 2010

The last seminar for final evaluation and sharing our experiences took place in Skopje at the beginning of December 2010. We did a public presentation of our projects, talked about our involvement and shared how great and nourishing the whole “Balkans, let’s get up” experience was and how wonderful it was that we had had the chance to participate and meet each other. With tears and hugs we had to say “goodbye”. But you never truly say “goodbye” to ones you love and admire, right? I am grateful for the chance to learn and grow and even more – for such good memories and meeting such delightful and lovely friends.

The beauty of my awakening experience is that I realized how deeply asleep I was, putting all my efforts  and abilities in a dark and safe place, being lazy and fearful to say out loud what I think and need, choosing to be quiet, obedient, suspicious, frustrated. It would have been such a pity if I had stayed on ‘the safe side’, (day-)dreaming and wishing things were different but not doing anything for that to happen!  Now I know that it is me who makes the decision to live better, it is me who chooses to go further. It is me who deserves to be happier by making a positive change in my closest surrounding and thus influencing also other people’s lives. People who also want to be woken up should get up so that they can create the reality they have dreamed of!

Apply for the next round of seminars HERE

Please note that Mladiinfo does not give scholarships or any financial support, but only informs about different opportunities. Click on the direct link to the official page above to apply for the program.

Author: Martin Valachovic

“Congratulations! It is our pleasure to inform you that your application for the European Forum of Students for Legality is accepted!”, was another one of the happy emails that can cheer you up and make your day all happy again.

But what is the forum really about? What are we going to do there besides spending (probably) some nice time together in Italy, networking and getting to know each other? Initial forum information mentioned something about the students declaration for legality or something like that (don’t worry, I wasn’t the only wondering what this exactly meant). One usually has this kind of doubts before forums of this kind.

That’s how our story begins.

Snowy morning, airport strikes, missed flights, changed airplanes, meeting strangers on the long bus journey, struggling through the streets of Turin. And here we are. Seeing a lot of young faces of different nationalities was a good sign. We made it! I mean, most of us made it till the first day and the rest arrived safely later.

Choosing Turin wasn’t a coincidence.

It was not neither because of the nice landscape, great football team, nor because of the largest square in Europe without any sculptures. Our meeting point had 2 other sides. Turin was 2010 European youth capital city, as well as the place where FLARE´s (Freedom, Legality and Rights in Europe) headquarters was sited.

FLARE is the first European network of civil society committed to the social struggle against transnational organized crime and the main organizer of this event.

Let me tell you now, what was going to happen there.

This small community of 30 young highly motivated and initiative students, all part of youth movements in their home countries, coming from 22 different European countries (please note that I am not referring to the European Union, but Europe as a continent) were brought to Turin for three days, with the aim of creating a strong community pursuing their student rights. This was supposed to be done at a later stage, as a follow-up, based on international tool for advocacy, which we were about to produce.

High expectations, doubts about the real results.

That’s what most of us claimed after the first day of introductions and presentations. Not a great mood to start off. Therefore there were these two wonderful , with energy loaded organizers from the FLARE network, Nina and Sarah, who I must say were the real engine pulling us away from negative thoughts.

The weather is how we create it.

– is one of my favorite life quotes proving to be right, especially in this case.

It all depends on you guys! If you want it, go and get it.
Together we are stronger!

-that was their slogan. They knew we wanted it.

And you wonder what the result was?

The three days were overfilled with really hard work full of discussions, sharing experiences from different countries we were representing (ranging from far east Georgia and Russia all the way to the UK and Spain), listening to and learning from brilliant speakers sharing their sometimes breath taking real-life experiences, such as Michele Curto (the president of FLARE), students from the students’ organizations at the University of Turin UniLIbera and Studenti Indipendenti about the current situation at their university, Milan Stefanovic and his participation in the student movement against Milosevic, and last but not least, Andrea Spagnolo regarding legality from the international criminal law point of view.

From all the activities you can say how full the schedule was, and of course don’t forget to add the Italian 30-minute coffee breaks (which even non-coffee drinkers always enjoy in some way), quick fun team activities to push the tiredness away, evening meeting and acknowledgement for the Mayor of Turin and the delicious Italian cuisine fully enjoyed during lunches and evenings’ aperitivos, as the Italians call it.

We took everything step by step, piece by piece,  split into smaller groups to make the discussions more effective, put our brains together, argued and compromised,  were serious and laughed, being critical and creative, finally we came up with lot of ideas in four different areas: Participation/Justice/Culture/Transparency. Final step was to put everything together, tighten what needed to be tightened and before we said our last words, there it was. We all could proudly say, that

We, students of the European Forum for Legality originating from all over Europe, collectively in one voice stand for respect, protection and fulfillment of the general principles of legality within Higher Education Institutions. Therefore with this declaration we state the following principals, demands and commitments for Participation, Justice, Transparency and Culture in the universities…

And that’s the day the declaration of European Students for Legality was born, all doubts were swept away and with the good feeling of hard work being done, we were finally ready for our last tasty aperitivo in Turin.

That wasn’t the end.

The next 2 days were planned for a trip to Brussels, “the capital” of the European Union, and see how FLARE operates on European level. As December 9 is the global Anti-Corruption Day and December 10, International Human Rights Day, we had the privilege to join the discussion and presentations in the European Parliament. The great success is that our declaration was mentioned there as well.

And what’s next?

Now we will all distribute the declaration at our universities, communities and student organizations, present it and let also YOU know, what the youth of 22 European countries stands for, demands and will fight for.

Lesson learned: We DO believe in change. That kept our minds focused and ready to make the first step. Let this article be a motivation for many others to participate and create our future.

Make the change happen! It is your time!

Please note that Mladiinfo does not give scholarships or any financial support, but only informs about different opportunities. Click on the direct link to the official page above to apply for the program.

Author: Zuzana Reveszova

This is a story of a girl whose life since the high school times has been markedly influenced by going abroad regularly and being part of international communities. I am taking the advantage to share my experience with youth work, just because it concerns one of the best things I have witnessed (or been a creator of) in my life. I shall want to share this also for the reason of supporting every doubting youngster who still hesitates to start his/her own activity in the field of youth work and international exchange organization. My opinion and statement is clear in a way – go for it and try it at least once in your life.

I joined the youth exchange within the Youth in Action programme for the first time by accident: I was a voluntary assistant at a camp for kids recovering from cancer in Slovakia. After the event, the camp organizers offered me to participate in such camps on an international level in Belgium and from then on I jumped on a train of “internationality” and “youth activity” and went to several other exchanges. I also went to other countries to take part in the Human Rights education trainings and I did all that being under the minimum eligible age – I was 17 and inexperienced in anything.

Having passed some trainings on organizing exchanges and writing projects and with my high school forcing me to take part in something more actively (meaning not only to take advantage of being “international” and not to go to school), I decided to take the opportunity and at the age of 19, i.e. old enough, start being the one that is actually active. At that time I tried to motivate (I guess successfully) some of my friends to help me organize several meetings concerning Human Rights education, promoting European Youth in Action programme and after a while, we wrote our own project of youth exchange on a topic of tolerance.

So, we did whatever it took, such as struggles with the principal discussing my way to Finland and my duty to organize something that wouldn’t represent just me but the school as well, and then, nine girls – all of them being younger than twenty – started counting the budget, calling partners and drafting a program that would fulfil (not only) their dreams about a beautiful multicultural meeting with participants doing some kind of theater that would result in an art piece. The actual challenge was to meet the European application conditions as well. In the end, the process itself was probably the best example of informal learning process if we take into account the applicability of the skills as the most attractive commodity in the current labor market.

Of course, the exchange itself brought something unique to the life of each one of us. To me – as a leader – I experienced the actual weight of responsibility for money, people and program in its complexity as well as to my friends who took care of the realization of the program and got to know the participants better and found friends or maybe even something more. We all have learnt to get on well with each other by sharing, giving and taking in this small ideal world isolated from the outer problems.

As for the program part, we created a theater piece on tolerance which was performed in Košice, Slovakia, right in the middle of the fountain in the city center. The preparation itself was a hard nut to crack: struggles about the topic, decision-making process for the screenplay, setting the roles and casts and rehearsing, rehearsing, rehearsing. That all was followed by a learning part about intercultural issues and tolerance as well as acting workshops. The great result joined us together even more because of sharing the power of taking part in one piece of “art”. The skills we gained through such an intercultural learning were very useful for our lives either personal or professional.

At this point I would say that it is a kind of a social pressure. We see a lot of opportunities to take part in, which seem to be very attractive, so why wouldn’t we leave? Am I going to be worse then the others? On the other hand, our local community still very often wants to bond us to the local place and tighten the ropes of good education in the curriculum. This issue is, in my view, very questionable. I think that the informal education represented e.g. by this kind of international trainings can in many ways be a supplement to the curriculum, if only the conditions at schools were more loose in letting the students participate in the informal learning system more freely.

In conclusion, answering the current demand of knowledge and experience in the labor market, international informal learning experience is a necessity for a youngster in these days. You may encounter some inconveniences in a struggle with conservative authorities, though. And that is why I think it is vital that the policy makers also participate to see what informal education gives you. And till the time it’s done, it’s up to you who you decide to follow. Just remember what can be more fun and “important” for you in the future…

This is one of the winning articles of the Mladiinfo Article Writing Contest. The content of the articles does not necessarily represent the view or the position of Mladiinfo.

- Get a grant to go get an online degree.

Please note that Mladiinfo does not give scholarships or any financial support, but only informs about different opportunities. Click on the direct link to the official page above to apply for the program.

Three Women of Mumbai by Steve Evans@flickr

Author: Charlotte Buchanan

This summer I had the opportunity to spend a week’s placement at an NGO, volunteering with street children in Mumbai, India. If you had met me at the start of the summer, I would have told you that I expected this experience to be incredibly emotional, at times even upsetting. I would have also told you – in perhaps, an arrogant manner – that I was determined to try and find a way to help. I assumed that because I was educated and from a ‘developed’ nation that I was obviously in a superior position to help. However, these assumptions were based on mythical characteristics of volunteering in a developing country and consequently, my real experience was far from what I expected.

My placement was with The Vatsalya Foundation, a charity that works to help street children in Mumbai. On the first day of the placement, I was unsure as to what to expect. Nevertheless, due to my arrogant and ignorant expectations I felt prepared. Armed with tissues (for the upsetting, emotional side) and a notebook (for my plan of action) I walked through the door of the centre. Upon arrival the children were ecstatic to see me, instantly breaking any awkward, unknown boundaries that might have been present. I spent the day simply playing with the children and allowing them to show me around.  My tissues were redundant as the majority of the day was spent laughing not crying and my notebook only proved useful in providing paper for some of the children to draw on. Unsurprisingly, I left after the first day feeling very confused – and very tired – as it was not at all what I had expected.

Washing Dishes on the Street by Steve Evans@flickr

The rest of the week continued – much to my surprise – in the same joyous vain. The children and I continued to play games, we danced, we sang, we painted, occasionally looked at their education and one day I was even permitted to partake in a religious ceremony with them. I never once used my tissues, my notebook is full of pretty drawings, not a plan of action and when I look back at the photos taken, they are full of huge grins and gleaming eyes – to say my experience surprised me is an understatement. I had expected it to be emotional and it was, although not in the negative sense that I had anticipated. On the contrary, I found the experience to be incredibly happy and by the end of the week I found the charity a truly magical place to be.

Nestled in a quiet and green part of the city, its hidden location was magical enough, however, it was the children’s happiness that made it truly magical. Despite everything, everyday that week when I visited the children, they were overjoyed to see me and proud to show me their world. They had nothing, but, yet they had the most positive outlook I have ever encountered. The charity’s slogan is “street children without home, not without hope” and this message really sums up the whole attitude and atmosphere. While you sit and watch the children play (admittedly, surrounded either side by children) you realise that this charity is magical as the personal attitudes of the volunteers and children are optimistic and content.

My initial attitude, therefore, that I would ‘help the situation’ was redundant by the end of the first hour, never mind the end of the week. I realised that I was ignorant of what these situations needed. And yes, materialistic elements may be nice and make things more comfortable but they do not and cannot replace the ambiance that is created by the personal qualities of the people. However, please do not get me wrong, I am not advocating that these children should continue to have no material comforts. (If anything, they deserve more as they are truly grateful for everything they receive.) But the experience really educated me on the reality that it is the personal qualities and atmosphere that makes a charity magical and ultimately a success.

I entered into my volunteering placement with ignorant and arrogant expectations about charities dealing with poverty. Looking back now, I realise just how wrong I was. By the end of my week volunteering, I realised it was me who was being educated. And me who was being left feeling utterly humbled and ultimately inferior. I witnessed first-hand a contentment that is un-paralleled in a materialistic, developed world. I met people who are completely enchanting in spirit to the extent that their persona dictates the overall running and success of a simple a charity. The mythical characteristics I had expected were nowhere, instead existed a beautiful magic, the likes of which I had never seen before. This hidden magic associated with volunteering is, in my incredibly humbled opinion, under-documented and understated.

This is one of the winning articles of the Mladiinfo Article Writing Contest. The content of the articles does not necessarily represent the view or the position of Mladiinfo.

Please note that Mladiinfo does not give scholarships or any financial support, but only informs about different opportunities. Click on the direct link to the official page above to apply for the program.

Author: Ana Alibegova

Within the framework of the Internship Programme of the German Business, students and young graduates from the Western Balkan Region undergo an internship in German companies, where they get practical experience, learn more about work processes in Germany, experience the German culture and help the region to move forward.

Thursday, 24th September…Around 50 Alumni from the countries of the Western Balkans are situated in Vlora, Albania, where they have their Regional Meeting. The former participants of the Internship Programme of the German Business are there to talk about their future activities, future seminars, to share their ideas and to discuss how they can improve the Alumni Network. The biggest alumni group is from Serbia, but there are Alumni members from Macedonia, Croatia, Albania, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina as well. These countries, in addition to their more or less common history and their political agenda which sets European integration as a high priority, have one extra thing in common: young people ready to contribute to regional reconciliation, to foster economic relations between Germany and the region and support economic reconstruction in their home countries.

Moreover, it is not just a programme that offers only a practical experience in a foreign country to students and young graduates from the Western Balkan countries, but it is also a unique opportunity to get to know a different culture, experience multiculturalism, develop cultural understanding and even become more open-minded. Scholars describe their internship experience in Germany as “a professional, but also a personal development”, adding that the successful story does not stop when the internship ends, but continues with every single contact among the Alumni members, every meeting, joint dinner, drinks or some party.

How did it start and what does it mean?

The Internship programme of the German Business and Dr. Zoran Djindjic Foundation was set up after a tragic assassination of the Prime Minister of Serbia, Zoran Djindjic, on the initiative of the Committee of Eastern European Economic Relations (OA). Alina Gumpert, the programme coordinator explains the aim of the programme:

“Students and recent graduates from the region have few opportunities to gain practical experience before they enter into professional life. The program offers them the opportunity to apply the knowledge acquired during their studies and to deepen it with practical knowledge. After their return, they integrate their experience with the German corporate culture in their everyday work, some of them, after they return home, start working in German companies and actively contribute to intensifying economic relations with and in the region.”

The programme started in Serbia in 2003, but later on, in 2007, was extended to other countries from the Western Balkans. “The goal was to preserve the legacy of Prime Minister Djindjic and to bring the region, Serbia and its people closer to the European Union.“ – is written on the web page of the programme. Officials from the Zoran Djindjic Foundation stress the importance of the programme for the regional cooperation:

„The idea was to give a support to young people in Serbia in such a difficult historical moment and to send them a message that they can still count on a support on the way to the European Union. Later on, the programme was extended to other countries in the region and became important from several aspects. Primarily, it helps the youth in the region to improve their knowledge and skills by becoming familiar with business processes in successful German companies. In addition, the programme contributes to better regional cooperation, because it brings together around 50 young people from the region who stay in Germany at the same time, they spend time together, mingle and create opportunities for their further cooperation.“, they say.

The perfect candidate

Until now, more than 280 young people completed internships in some 65 German companies. The feedback from the companies is positive; they say they were satisfied with the interns. To define what qualities a perfect candidate should have is not an easy thing to do, having in mind that good marks at university are not the only ticket “to get on board”. Good academic achievement, devotion and willingness to deepen your knowledge are also highly important, but it is the candidate’s personality that plays a significant role. We asked Ms Gumpert what kind of scholars they are looking for:

“Scholars usually have their educational background in economics or engineering. They should have a good professional knowledge, a special interest in Germany and be ready to “dive” into the working life in Germany for a few months in order to learn more about the work and life in the country. An important thing during the internship, is the person’s self-initiative – the more candidates contribute to the programme, the more they can learn.”, she explains.

For sure, it is essential for the intern to be an open-minded person who will not step out when the first challenge comes; a person ready to adjust him/herself and accept the differences and all the unusual situations that occur while living in a foreign country. Sometimes prejudices are the biggest enemy, so instead of complaining about the cold temper of German people or their habit to be always precise and on time, try to learn more about the culture and see what is hidden under the surface.

The application process

Moving on from the discussion about personal and professional development, one more good reason why to apply for the programme is an easy and precise application. The best thing is that you don’t need to prepare a large amount of documents and follow unnecessary bureaucratic procedures. Instead of this, you just have to go through several phases of the application process. The first stage is the online application on the web site of the programme www.stipendienprogramm.org. For this step, you should fill in the form and prepare your CV, Letter of motivation, Transcript of records (original scan and its translation), a photo and present some other diplomas or certificates, that according to you are important for your academic and professional experience.

If your application is selected, you will be invited for an interview where you will have a chance to explain your ideas and expectations better. The most successful candidates, after the interview, will be shortlisted and their profiles will be recommended to the companies which will make the final decision. The start of the internships is planned by the end of May / beginning of June.

Experience of a lifetime

After explaining the aim of the programme and the application process, we are coming to the most important part: the experience of the interns. Nothing can be a better evidence of a successful story than the testimonials of the former scholars. They confirm that the experience gained in Germany was actually their lifetime experience. Most of them agree that there were not only good moments, but also moments when you test yourself to which level you can adjust to the new environment, to the new culture and traditions. Apart from the new things learned from the everyday life in Germany, the scholars gained more knowledge in their professional surrounding. “All together was an unforgettable experience”, they conclude.

“I was working in Metro Cash & Carry International on the position of intern in the supply chain management department. It was very challenging to cross theory with practice collaborating with international experts and numerous students. Internship gave me a chance to meet German culture, cities and language, to feel and live European values and last but not the least to make great friendships. Experiencing high quality of life, I wished to make changes in my own life and improve society in my home country”, explains Miroslav Vulinovic from Serbia.

Jasmin Valjevac from Bosnia and Herzegovina recommends this experience to every young person in the Western Balkans:

“You benefit from two things: firstly, you get insight and experience of how it is to work in a real German company, and when you compare it later with a company from you home county, you will see it is quite different. Secondly, you see how it is to live in a different culture, different city and last but not least, you get to travel and see a big part of Europe…the opportunity which you often don’t have if you come from any of Western Balkans country.”

While in Germany, Jana Ivanovska from Macedonia, used the opportunity to make a comparison between the ways of working of the two countries.

“I have seen the basics of functioning and in this I saw some intercultural differences, but also some resemblances between Macedonian and German ways of working. I was positively surprised by the protocol and having so many procedures and ways to do standardized tasks on the right way. In the first place, this internship was a professional upgrade, but most of all it developed me as a person who can transfer the know-how into Macedonia.”

According to the young Albanian Elsa Denaj, the alumni activities are extremely important, as they allow the youth in the Balkans to regularly get in touch, to exchange ideas, share their knowledge. It is obvious that the activities of the scholars do not end when the internship ends, and probably one of the most important things, besides the professional part, that remains after is the friendship among the interns.

“After this experience you become a part of the alumni network that is growing every year and you get the chance to meet very interesting people with whom you can exchange experiences, ideas and (why not?) the part of your culture. And this is what the internship organized by OA and Zoran Djindjic Foundation Programme gives you: something like a never-ending experience. Beside this, I would like to emphasize the noble role that these two institutions are playing in bringing closer the region that has always been problematic and neighbour unfriendly. For me, it was an unforgettable experience and yet a growing one,” concludes Elsa, at the same time sending the message to all the youth in the region to apply for the programme. The application call will be opened by 14.11.2010 in Serbia, Croatia, Macedonia and Bosnia-Herzegovina and by 21.11.2010 in Montenegro, Albania and Kosovo.

Please note that Mladiinfo does not give scholarships or any financial support, but only informs about different opportunities. Click on the direct link to the official page above to apply for the program.

Author: Stevica Levajkovski

Intercultural cooperation between young leaders from 3 continents?
9 countries represented: Thailand, Laos, Myanmar, El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, Romania, Serbia and Macedonia.
Work, live, travel, have fun = all together !!!
9 months spent in Pestalozzi Children’s Foundation in Trogen, Switzerland.

Pestalozzi Children’s Foundation offers an intercultural “emPower” program for young adults coming from 3 different continents. All 17 students gather together in Switzerland to attend a 9 months training program and live together in one big house where they share everything.

Challenging enough for me, I took the risk to apply and I was lucky enough to be one of the selected. How did all this come out?

At that time, during 2007/2008, I was an active volunteer in the Center for Non-formal Education – Triagolnik. The organization started cooperating with the Swiss Foundation called: Pestalozzi Children’s Foundation. As a partner organization, Triagolnik got the opportunity to send 2 young people from Macedonia to take part in the “emPower” program.

I applied and I was chosen to go. With my long experience in youth work I had too many expectations about the entire study program. The fact that I was going to live in Switzerland for 9 months with all those different people, coming from such different backgrounds from mine, made me feel even more excited. The preparations took a long time, almost a year of attending interviews and taking English tests, visa procedures and papers being completed. Yet, the support from the Pestalozzi Foundation and the coordinator of “emPower” program, Mr. Samir Haskic, was excellent.

The time to depart arrived and since I had never in my life left home for such a long time,I had a strange feeling that this will be just another regular seminar alike those that last around one week. I was so wrong. It turned up to be something really difficult to put into words.

The plane landed on Swiss land. The Zurich airport in front of me, I headed into a strange small train with no driver. I immediately heard the cows with bells, yodeling voices and all the tourist attractions from the Zurich airport. Hmm… “Nicely done” – I said to myself. Impressed by the airport I went out with my colleague Driton (the second participant from Macedonia). The coordinator Samir Haskic was waiting for us in front of the airport and took us to Trogen, a village close to St. Gallen, in the house where we spent the rest of our stay in Switzerland.

As it was March 2009, of course there was a lot of snow and the stereotypical image I had about Switzerland previously, was only confirmed. Upon arrival at the Children’s Village of Pestalozzi in Trogen I couldn’t see much of the surrounding due to the snow. I spent most of my time at the so called emPower house 6; we were among the first participants to arrive. Besides us, there the Asian participants were also there: Law Eh and Win Aung from Myanmar, Att from Laos, Noi, Por and Jar from Thailand.

The whole excitement increased greatly when I saw all the diverse people. Slowly the communication between us started and I was honestly admitting that I have never heard of Laos and Myanmar before. I got the same statement from them regarding Macedonia. Only Thailand was a country I knew.

Later on the people from Central America arrived. It was easier to find a common language with them since they were all speaking Spanish, and as I explained to them, in the Balkan their language has its own popularity. In the end I met the rest of the people from South East Europe: Ramona and Natalija from Romania and Sladjana from Serbia.

17 people in one huge house. We started living together. The first month passed really fast and all of us were reserved and polite, taking care of everything which made it seem like paradise.

It was remarkably strange for me to notice all the differences in the behavior of people. Different habits, different cultures, different food, different way of organizing the day, different communication styles, different appearances and outfits. Sometimes it was interesting to see all that and to appreciate the differences, but as time was passing by, those differences began to create conflicts among us. I’ve never had as many doubts about things that seemed so obvious, but for the others were not as normal. There was a time when a question of right and wrong aroused. All of us had different attitudes towards things that were dependent upon within the house.

Food was not a problem yet, responsibilities and regulations were an issue. Paradise was gone. We were all asking ourselves how we will manage the remaining months. But as those conflicts became public and we started to speak about them we realized we have to do something about overcoming the obstacles.

Through argumentative discussions and fruitful debates we were seeking our rights, we were making compromises, we were arguing to tears – sometimes furious; at the end all came out to be a wonderful experience where we were learning to seek for possible solutions even in the most unpleasant situations.

The cultural differences were obvious. The misunderstandings were as common as the agreements when we were all together. From this perspective today, I can tell that I matured thanks to those struggles. I became independent, learned to do my food and laundry, took care of my finances etc. I also became more aware about many things that I previously never thought of.

Now I’ll let you know something more about the core elements of the “emPower” program. The program consists of 14 theoretical modules: 3 modules of full-time internship (practical work), 1 cultural excursion around Switzerland, 1 module for developing and writing diploma thesis (theoretical paper including the planning of an intercultural project) and practical implementation of the intercultural project in the partner organization after the students’ return in their countries. We had classes every working day from 9 am till 16:30 pm.

Individual learning objectives:
•    The acquisition of general cognitive, emotional and behavioral competencies, necessary for working in an intercultural environment.
•    Reflection on and Understanding of cultural diversity
•    Self-reflection on personal communication patterns and awareness of how one’s behavior affects others. Improving communication skills.
•    Understanding prejudices and mechanism of discrimination and how to avoid or overcome them.
•    Understanding the basics in developmental psychology, specifically identity building in adolescence
•    Basic understanding of culture theories, definitions of culture and cultural dimensions
•    Understanding the political, social, historical and economic causes for migration; migration and integration policies in Switzerland and in the countries of the participating students.
•    Improved competencies in handling conflicts, the ability to de-escalate and to be a mediating force.
•    Competence in project management in an intercultural context.
•    Transfer of newly acquired knowledge and skills to work situation in the partner organization.

During the practical work we were working with the staff members of Pestalozzi on the international youth exchanges (with participants from Belarus, Russia, Romania, Macedonia, Serbia and Switzerland) and the “Power Up Radio” – an internal radio station from Pestalozzi broadcasted in different parts of Switzerland and cooperating with many schools and common projects for children and youth.

With the different activities we visited many public institutions: Cantonal School of St. Gallen, Zurich University, International Red Cross Museum and United Nations in Geneva and the house of Albert Einstein in Bern. We went in the French, Italian and German speaking part of Switzerland, so many differences in one small country. We had a unique chance to meet all 7 ministers from the Swiss Federal Council. We presented our countries to them and asked them a few questions about the diversity that they are facing within Switzerland.

I can proudly say that through 9 months spent on issues, research and presentations I learned so much about my country and culture. I had a unique chance to compare the results with the rest of my colleagues and to realize that there are many similarities even though we live on different continents. Becoming aware about these sensitive intercultural issues made me think deeper about my role as a young leader who is involved in policy making in society. I started to love my country and my culture even more while I was living in the almost perfect Swiss society. It challenged me to bring new changes in my society and to work in order to improve some things. I understood how difficult it might be and what obstacles I can expect which motivated me to go on.

On December 5th 2009 I came back home in Skopje. I engaged myself even more intensely in youth work. I am now working in the Youth Association creACTive, Skopje as a youth worker and coordinator for the European Volunteering Service program (Action 2 from the Youth in Action Programme). In creACTive I am actively involved in one of the Youth Clubs located in Skopje. There I found space for transferring the knowledge I gained from the “emPower” program and I am trying, together with my colleagues, to give significant contribution towards the development of the young people that are visiting the youth club.

Let this be a call to all young enthusiasts out there to join us in creACTive and get similar experiences in future on various programs and projects. My colleagues and I will give maximum support for all active young leaders that want to make a change and to work on improvement of our society.

You can visit our web site www.kreaktiv.mk and take part in some of the activities that are currently available for all youth in the Youth Club creACTive in Skopje: www.sk.kreaktiv.mk or in the youth Center creACTive in Kavadarci www.kavadarci.kreaktiv.mk

Please note that Mladiinfo does not give scholarships or any financial support, but only informs about different opportunities. Click on the direct link to the official page above to apply for the program.