On the 11^th of March, in one of the offices of the South Bačka Administrative District, Ti u Akciji group has been invited by the district governor Darija Šajin to take part in a meeting about possibilities of voluntarism and youth policies in the area of South Bačka, along with many NGOs from the ten municipalities of the district and from Croatia (Volonterski Centar from Osijek and Šalter from Vukovar).

We began introducing in a funny way all the members of the group, then we continued talking about the history of Italian Civil Service and about how the Youth in Action Program and more accurately the European Voluntary Service work, to finish with the presentation of all the activities of Ti u Akciji implemented in the last three months, with a particular focus on Living Libraries and Book Releasing Parties.

We had also the chance of talking about our future ideas and of broadening the range of our acquaintances which could be useful to plan new events in other parts of Vojvodina. Let’s hope.

Sajam Omladinskih Ideja

Living Libraries in Kruševac and Leskovac

And we continue our trip around Serbia...

Our second stop was in Kruševac, our "Ti u akciji" collegue living there, Bouke, organize with the help of her organization, Edukativni Centar (and our participation), workshops and Living Library in the high school of Kruševac.
Unfortunately, the weather of this day was cold and the heating wasn't working in the high school, so we were missing some participants.
But we were there with the participants from this high school. As most of them don't have 18 years old yet, we spoke less about EVS project but mainly on how to create a Youth Exchange.
And as well, some workshops to connect the activities to the "non-formal" learning methods (learning by doing and participating).
We are waiting now the proposition of this youngsters to create and write with them a Youth Exchange.

And then, we arrive in Leskovac. The session was held in Edukacioni Centar with as well youngster from different high schools in the city.
We had very active participants and the session hung up with new ideas for the participants to create new projects now and after maybe EVS.
We had mainly games to get to know each others and the cultural diversity, it was an opportunity as well to exchange about culture and languages between all of us.

Thanks to all the participants as well...

Living Library & Book Release Party II in Belgrade

Yes, yes… the world does not end on Novi Sad! After all, every third potential Serbian volunteer lives in Belgrade! That is why Ti u akciji simply could not refuse to an opportunity of gathering in Belgrade. Our host was VEGA organization, in which Vicky is lucky to be an EVS volunteer. The organization is situated in Arka Barka Hostel and we were just astonished with the place. The building is floating on Danube, so just imagine… afternoon at Danube, with a great view to Kalamegdan Fortress by night!

Fortunately more people came to join us in admiring the great view and enjoying hot tea. Of course it did not end on staring through the windows. Soon we started workshops on Intercultural Learning and Living Library, completed with short movies from different Youth in Action projects. We gained a lot of new readers in our Volunteers’ Library. All of the Living Books were being read very carefully and with a lot of interest. Hopefully we got some readers, who will want to come back to the lecture and try to use the information in practice. In other words: GO FOR EVS! 8 letters of a one, good advise!

Suddenly from a Library we moved to a party place. It was time to start second edition of Book Releasing Party! People were coming, bringing books, taking some other books instead, more people were coming… It got really crowded in the floating hostel. Ti u akcji just took opportunity to sit, relax and watch everything going smoothly, with joining the dancing activities from time to time! Mardi Gras was close, after all!

THANK YOU to Vega for letting us to use the space and for facilitating the party. THANK YOU to all of our old and new friends, who joined us for the Library and Book Releasing! We are looking forward to see all of you again, soon!

Living Library in EHO

A session were held, on the 19th of February, in the Ecumenical Humanitarian Organization (EHO) in Novi Sad (www.ehons.org) who are actively involved in building a cohesive civil society in Serbia by working in the following areas: poverty reduction, development of interchurch cooperation and promotion of human rights.

We met in the organization, the participants who were interesting in the programme and our contact Tamara (and for the translation from English to Serbian) who received us and prepared the session with the youngsters with fewer opportunities. It was a real pleasure to meet them and to explain that they have the possibility to participate to the Youth In Action programme as everyone else. Indeed one of the priority of this programme is to encourage projects with a thematic focus on inclusion.

"One of the participant, who has a physical disability told us that he came because he was the first time that someone told him that he could volunteer and help the others as well."

We began the session with a name game to get to know each others, to get a good atmosphere and an active participation within the group.
During the session, we explain what is the Youth In Action programme, European Voluntary Service project and Youth Exchange project. The Youth Exchange was explained because some of the participants were under 18 years old. The EVS project is mainly for youth above 18 years old.
We explain how to build a Youth Exchange project, that the ideas are coming from the youth. And that we can build wide and different projects.

We are trying to send in short term, 2 EVS volunteer in Spain with fewer opportunities. We will apply for them in the Spanish National Agency to the deadline, 1st of April. For all of this work, thanks to Carmen, one of "Ti u akciji" member working mainly about inclusion.

And thanks to the participants who participate to the Living Library.

Living Library in Radio Cafe

On the 17th of February, in Radio cafe, we had one of our Living Library in Novi Sad.
First of all, thanks to Radio Cafe for providing to us the space and materials to made our promotion of the Youth In Action programme and voluntarism in general.
Our public for this Living Library was mainly students and their interests for traveling and volunteering abroad were, we hope, satisfied. We were focusing on European Voluntary Service (EVS).
We began our session by showing a movie made by EVS, to let them get a better idea of what can be the wide activities that made nowadays around Europe the EVS volunteers and countries of course.

Thus, to understand what is Youth In Action programme and EVS, we made as often an interactive questionnaire. The participants were divided in 3 groups to make them challenging each others and participating actively.

And finally, the Living Library as usual, thanks to Milovan from Volunteer Centre Vojvodina to participate with us. Milovan was doing an EVS in Sweden, so he explained his experience as EVS volunteer abroad; meeting with a new culture, dealing with a new language, new organization with their own activities, etc.
It was important for us to show that this programme is real and youth Serbian already participate and went abroad within it.

Thanks to all the participants...