Balkan Myth Busters – Youth Exchange in Kosovo
13th – 23rd of March 2017
deadline for applications 25th of January
This youth exchange will gather 30 young people from Greece, Macedonia, Kosovo, Serbia, Bulgaria and Germany. The program will be focused on deconstruction of national myths, stories and legends, through creative, non-formal and informal educational methods. During this youth exchange we will:
- explore backgrounds of different national myths
- learn about the role of national myths in shaping of identity
- explore collective identities, national, Balkan, European and other
- be deconstructing myths, and try to understand their impact on the society
- learn how history textbooks are being used for nationalistic propaganda
- learn about local identity of people in Velika Hoča
- visit Prizren, mosques, medieval churches and the fortress
- visit Visoki Dečani Monastery
- visit local cultural organizations
- enjoy local food, products, customs and traditions
This youth exchange is part of Balkans Myth Busters project, supported by Erasmus+ program and includes series of international youth events. In November 2016, a seminar on national myths and youth work took place in Tavankut (Serbia), while in August 2017, we will organize another youth exchange in Trstenik (Serbia).
The project is coordinated by VCV from Serbia and GAIA from Kosovo, while other partners in this youth exchange are CVS Bulgaria, SCI Hellas, SCI Germany and CID Macedonia.
PROGRAM, ACCOMMODATION AND FOOD
Program will be diverse, intensive and very much up to participants. We will be having sessions in the morning and afternoon, but also evening activities. Frame of the program will be prepared by the group leaders, but participants are expected to contribute with their own ideas, skills, questions, suggestions, games, movies etc.
We will be accommodated in several private houses around the village. 4-6 people will be sharing one house. The food will be prepared by local cooks and it will be traditional, local, seasonal and vegetarian. The village is traditionally rich in wine-growing and wineries, so participants will also learn about this old tradition and taste some of the best wines from Kosovo.
LOCATION
Velika Hoča (local dialect: Golema Oča, Albanian: Hoça e Madhe) is a village located near the town of Rahovac/Orahovac. It is one of the Serb enclaves in Kosovo, and houses some 13 Orthodox church buildings, most of which date back to the Middle Ages. It was first mentioned in history in 1198, but the region itself was populated even during antiquity. The village is famous for its viticulture, a tradition that also dates back to the antiquity. Therefore Velika Hoča is often called the “village museum”.
Photo by Blago Fund
WHAT IS A YOUTH EXCHANGE?
A Youth Exchange in the frame of the Erasmus+ Program is a project which brings together groups of young people from two or more countries providing them an opportunity to confront and discuss various subjects while learning about each other’s countries, peoples and cultures. Youth exchanges give young people the opportunity to become active, involved, creative, and critical, to learn from each other, to learn about and challenge themselves, to make mistakes and learn from that, to experience diversity in small…
REQUIREMENTS FOR PARTICIPANTS
Each partner organisation will choose 5 participants, among which one will be a group leader, who took part in the BMB seminar in November last year. Previous experience in international youth gatherings (exchanges, seminars, workcamps…) is not required nor advantage, but here are several points which will be taken into account. The participant should:
- be interested in topics and willing to get prepared before the youth exchange
- be willing to live sustainable and in an international community in a small village surrounded by nature and hills for 10 days
- be ready for active participation and contribution
- be in the age between 18 and 30 (few exceptions possible for young people under 18; group leaders can be older than 30)
PRACTICAL CONDITIONS OF PARTICIPATION
- accommodation and food will be covered through the project
- travel costs (only environmentally friendly means of transport) will be reimbursed after ALL ORIGINAL tickets are received
- internet will not be available, except for urgent, so if you are supposed to write your thesis or cannot survive without Facebook, please do not consider applying
If you are interested in taking part in this Youth exchange send your application before the 25th of January 2017 to [email protected]
Download application from application-form-bmb-youth-exchange-gaia-kosovo
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