Finding your way in Serbia

Just some stuff you may wanna know before setting your sails for Serbia.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Naive art in Kovačica

Money

Banknotes: 5000, 1000, 200, 100, 50, 20 and 10 Dinars

Coins: 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 Dinars

EXCHANGE RATE: 1 EURO ≈ 106 Dinars 10 EURO ≈ 1060Dinars

You can change money at any of hundreds of MENJAČNICA (exchange offices) in Serbia.

Average prices

Prices in cafes:

Coffee – 0.9 EURO

Juice – 0.8 – 1.2 EURO

Prices in pizzeria:

Pizza – 4 – 10 EURO

Spaghetti – 4- 8 EURO

Prices in restaurants:

Average meal – 10  EURO

Key Phrases

Hello                                                              Zdravo

Good morning                                           Dobro jutro

Good afternoon                                        Dobar dan

Good evening                                            Dobro veče

Good night                                                  Laku noć

Good bye (formal)                                   Do viđenja

Good bye (informal)                               Zdravo

How are you? (informal)                       Kako si?

I’m fine                                                          Dobro

Thank you                                                   Hvala

I don’t understand                                  Ne razumem

Excuse me                                                  Izvinite

Traditions

Slava

Of all Slavs and Orthodox Christians, only Serbs have the custom of slava. Slava is celebration of a saint; unlike most customs that are common for the whole people, each family separately celebrates its own saint (of course, there is a lot of overlap) who is considered its protector. A slava is inherited, mostly, though not exclusively from father to son (if a family has no son and a daughter stays in parental house and her husband moves in, hers, not his, slava is celebrated).

Kolo

The traditional dance is a circle dance called kolo, which is common among Serbs, Croats, Montenegrins and Macedonians. It is a collective dance, where a group of people (usually several dozen, at the very least three) hold each other by the hands or around the waist dancing, forming a circle (hence the name), semicircle or spiral. It is called Oro in Montenegro. Similar circle dances also exist in other cultures of the region.

Gusle

During Ottoman rule, Serbs were forbidden to own property, to learn to read and write and denied the use of musical instruments. Church music had to be performed in private. Gusle, a one-stringed instrument, was invented by Serbian peasants during this time in an effort to find a loophole through the stringent Ottoman laws. Filip Višnjić was a particularly notable guslar (gusle player)

Famous Serbs:

Nikola Tesla (Inventor, Physicist)

Mileva Marić Einstein (Mathematician)

Charles Simic (Poet)

Emir Kusturica (director/editor/producer/actor/writer)

Marina Abramovic (artist)

Novak Djokovic (Tennis)

Dejan Stanković (Football)

Photo Message Program

24 oct – Sunday

ARRIVAL

13:00 – 15:30 LUNCH

15:30 –18:30 Treasure Hunt Activity

19:00 – 20:00 Dinner

21:00 Welcoming Party

25 oct – Monday

9:30 – 11:00 Introduction/Program/ Getting to know each other/ Expectations

11:00 – 13:00  Group cohesion activity

13:00 – 15:30 LUNCH

15:30 – 17:00 Poverty session/ discussion

17:00 – 18:30 Youth Voices methodology/Introduction

18:30 – 19:00 Reflection Groups

19:00 – 20:00 Dinner

Cultural exchange

26 oct – Tuesday

9:30 – 11:00  Photo session

11:00 – 13:00  Photo session

13:00 – 15:30 LUNCH

15:30 – 17:00 Participants’ Presentations

17:00 – 18:30 Social Change projects

18:30 – 19:00 Reflection Groups

19:00 – 20:00 Dinner

Free evening

27 oct –  Wednesday

9:30 – 11:00  Practical part -View on BECEJ

11:00 – 13:00 Group Discussion (Media Visit)

13:00 – 14:30 LUNCH

14:30 – 17:00 Group Discussion

17.00 – 18:30  Introduction to places for practical part No II

18:30 – 19:00 Reflection Groups

19:00 – 20:00 Dinner

Cultural exchange

28 oct – Thursday

9:00 – 11:00 Practical work after Input BECEJ

11:00 – 13:00 Practical work after Input BECEJ

13:00 – 15:30 LUNCH

14:30 – 17:00 Group Discussion

17.00 – 18:30 SELECTION of the PHOTOS for postcards

18:30 – 19:00 Reflection Groups

19:00 – 20:00 Dinner

NGO fair

29 oct – Friday

9:30 – 11:00 Conceptual defining of the exhibition/Selection of photos

`       BRINGING materials for production

11.00 EXCURSION TO NOVI SAD

13:00 – 15:30 LUNCH in Novi Sad

15:30 – 18:00  Sightseeing (Fortress, Novi Sad sights)

18.00-20.00 – Free time

20.00 National Dinner in Novi Sad

30 oct – Saturday

9:30 – 11:00 Exhibition Preparation/Technical realization

11:00 – 13:00  POSTCARDS and PHOTOS PICK UP

13:00 – 15:30 LUNCH

15:30 – 18:30 Exhibition Preparation/Technical realization

Exhibition POSTED

18:30 – 19:00 Reflection Groups

19:00 – 20:00 Dinner

31 oct – Sunday

9:30 – 11:00 Follow up discussion/ Youth Voices

11:00 – 13:00  Evaluation

13:00 – 15:30 LUNCH

EXHIBITION OPENING

19:00 – 20:00 Dinner

Farewell Party

1 nov – Monday

9:30 – 11:00 Packing

11:00 – 13:00  Written Evaluation

13:00 – 15:30 LUNCH

Departure

Training Team

Photo message training seminar will be in the hands of Ceca, Ana and Ksenija three experienced experts in youth work, poverty and social change projects, and photography.

Svetlana Kijevcanin – Ceca

She has served as program director of the World Learning/SIT Study Abroad/Princeton Bridge Year Program in Serbia since February 2009. Kijevcanin was born in Belgrade, Serbia and graduated from Belgrade University with a degree in psychology. Prior to joining World Learning, she managed the Bachelor of Education in Community Youth Work program for the Swedish NGO, Forum Syd Balkans Programme, where she also taught a course in conflict transformation and creative techniques in community youth work.

As Yugoslavia began its disintegration in the early 1990s, Kijevcanin embarked on peace activities with both local and international NGOs, including CARE International and the United Methodist Committee on Relief. She is one of the co-founders of Group MOST (“Bridge”): Association for Cooperation and Mediation. During the conflict in the former Yugoslavia, including during the NATO bombing of Serbia and Montenegro in 1999, Kijevcanin continued her peace work, conducting trainings with youth, refugees, psychologists, teachers, and NGO activists throughout the Balkans. She has created media, including a television series on conflict, documentary films on peace studies, and picture books for youth, to explore the potential for conflict transformation and to connect people across national and ethnic lines. Kijevcanin uses theater-in-education methodology for building tolerance and understanding among youth.

In 2008 Kijevcanin completed a distance-learning course through the East Side Institute for Group and Short Term Psychotherapy in New York. Kijevcanin was named a University of San Diego, Institute for Peace and Justice, Woman PeaceMaker in 2006. From 1992 to 2000 she was a researcher and teaching assistant in the psychology department at the University of Belgrade.

Ana Adamovic

She graduated at the department for the World Literature at the Belgrade University and studied photography at the Art Institute of Boston.

She is a founder of Belgrade based KIOSK Platform for Contemporary Art (www.kioskngo.org).

Lives and works in Belgrade.

Selected One-person exhibitions:

2007 – BALKAN SOUVENIRS, Artget gallery, Belgrade Cultural Center, Belgrade, Serbia

2007 – MADELEINE, Zvono Gallery, Belgrade, Serbia

2006 – DAS IST KUNST, O3ONE gallery, Belgrade, Serbia

2005 – WITHOUT BORDERS, Galerie ArtPoint, Wien, Austria

2004 – METRO, gallery Dom Omladine, Belgrade, Serbia

Selected group exhibitions:

2009 – VALUE POINT, Siemens ArtLab 2009 Hosted by Hilger Contemporary, Wien, Austria

2009 – LAND OF PROMISES, Galerie ArtPoint, Wien, Austria

2008 – ARTIST-CITIZEN, 49^th October Salon, Belgrade, Serbia

2006 – Art, Life and Confusion, 47^th October Salon, Belgrade, Serbia

2005 – I CAN’T REMEMBER MY OWN DREAMS, KunstPavillion, Innsbruck, Austria

Ksenija Milić

A youth worker that holds a Bachelor degree of Science with a major in Education awarded by Jonkoping University, School of Education and Communication-Sweden and degree in Communicology/Community Youth Work awarded by Braca Karic University, Serbia.

She has been a member of Young Researchers of Serbia-Voluntary Service of Serbia since 2003, where she was mostly involved in organizing and leading international work camps dealing with environmental issues.

Since 2007-2009, she was involved on The Balkans Youth and Health Project, that was established in Serbia by the Canadian International Developmental Agency (CIDA), Canadian Society For International Health and Ministry of Health of Republic of Serbia. During that period she gained a certificate of trainer for usage of the “Youth Participation, Youth Friendly Approach and Youth Voices Methodology Toolkit”.

Milic also holds certificate for Facilitators in non-formal education with young people in the field of social inclusion by Council of Europe.

The last two years she was part of the consultative process of establishing a National Association of Practitioners in Youth Work in Serbia-NAPOR.

Today she is very active on international and local level, cooperating with ONO-Omladinska Nevladina Organizacija, Centre for Youth Work and many others.

About ONO Organization

ONO – Omladinska Nevladina Organizacija (Youth Nongovernmental Organization) is nongovernmental, independent, non-profit organization, with the aim to improve the quality of life of young people and to encourage their social inclusion and activism.

ONO organization is made of team of educated trainers and managers.

Activities of ONO organization are defined in two directions, which are:
• Non formal education for young people
• Professional help for people that are directly or indirectly working with young people

One of our main aims is to provide possibilities for youth workers to develop their skills through informal or non formal education.

In order to achieve its aims the organization (alone, or in cooperation with another organizations) ONO organization is implementing following actions:

• various kinds of informal education with and for young people (workshops, training, seminars, debates, etc.).
• professional’s gatherings, counseling, seminars, training based on organization’s aims and other forms of professional education in this field.
• education for other people who will work with young people, in cooperation with institutions and governmental bodies concerned in this.
• cooperation with universities, expert organizations and other institutions in land and abroad that have direct, or indirect influence on young people and youth work.
• creating, gathering and analyzing expert and scientific literature in youth work field.

Getting Started

Why Photo Message?

History showed how young people can powerfully influence communities, societies and therefor make social change. In order to do that youth has to engage in expression and action on issues of relevance to their lives and communities exploring a diversity of topics, from local community needs and capacities, to specific issues such as HIV vulnerability, Food Systems and Health Services and general issues at European level such as global worming and poverty issues.
In this regard the project “Photo Message” aims to raise awareness of young people that they are citizens of Europe, as well as citizens of their own countries and that they can make change by being actively involved in shaping the future of the European Union.
Cultural diversity aspect of this project brings people to share their own concerns and challenges they face every day but also gives them opportunity to exchange ideas, explore solutions and together work on European values and people’s solidarity. Dealing with poverty directly includes discussions about the issues such as racism and xenophobia and it underlines inclusion as a prior value. By involving young people who never had the opportunity to travel we want to provide them an access to the Youth in Action program and encourage them to develop projects with a thematic focus on inclusion.