Newsletter Archives - Europe House

Europe House BUZZ – March

Cyrille BAUMGARTNER – The French Ambassador in North Macedonia

It is for me a pleasure and an honour to address the readers of Europe House Buzz.

2022 is the year of the French presidency of the European council (FPEU – French Presidency of the EU during this first semester) and the European Year of Youth. As such we decided to combine those two events here in North Macedonia.

Between March and June, we are organising four major conferences, each in a different town across the country, each dealing with a different priority of the FPEU.

The next one will take place in Strumica on 27th April. The central theme will be European sovereignty with the exceptional participation of Mr Zoran Zaev together with one of the most recognised French experts on European matters, Mr Yves Bertoncini.

Similarly to the three other conferences, this one will target the audience of young people, from high schools and universities with the support of RYCO and Europe House.

Instead of talking about young people we chose to talk with young people about priority issues for the future of Europe and thus the future of the new generation, Macedonian and European!

Bien amicalement à tous, 

Cyrille BAUMGARTNER – The Franch Ambassador in North Macedonia

Women of the Year Award

The world would not be the same without the accomplishments of women! And we can be proud of the vast spectrum of women who are admirable and inspirational.

Frida Kahlo, Virginia Woolf, Maria Kiri Sklodovska, and Rosa Luxemburg are just a few of the pioneer women who, in the past, were transformative. Rule-changing, stereotype-breaking women who transcended expectations. Today, we are witnessing female pilots, bus drivers, engineers, artists, doctors, and scientists. But is that enough?  EU statistics show that, in Europe, a gender pay gap still exists, and that women work more unpaid hours.

With the intention of raising awareness and ensuring that all labor is recognised, the Delegation of the European Union organised the presentation of the European Woman of the Year award.

The delegations of the EU, Germany, Croatia, Romania, and Sweden nominated five women from different fields in the competition for the award: Ilina Arsova (athlete/ mountaineer), Dina Duma (film director), Natalija Burgieva (founder of Mama Organa), Dita Starova Qerimi (National Gallery director) and Maja Mojsova Mijovska (National Transplant Coordinator).

Symbolically, on March 8, the award was presented in Daut Pashin Amam and the Ambassadors of the five delegations presented certificates of recognition to the nominees for their exceptional work. Ilina Arsova was the winner according to the Social Media public votes.

Exhibition: “Pink Tigers, Golden Lizards and Everything Else”

The Green Deal is not just a project for environmental protection. It is a turning point and a life change. Changing the way we eat, the way we dress, the way we use transport and the way we function in the community.– Steffen Hudolin, Head of the EU Delegation Cooperation Section.

We are witnessing the negative changes happening in the environment, and corrective change must start now and in each of us! We know that we need to protect biodiversity, but the question arises: What next?

Inspired by this question and these challenges, the Delegation of the European Union opened the exhibition “Pink Tigers, Golden Lizards and Everything Else” at the EU residence. Several artists were invited to creatively express on this topic through their respective art form.

Vana Uroshevikj and Zoran Todovikj, Velimir Zhernovski, Maja Kirovska, Nenad Tonkin, and Ozbek Ayvaz are the artists who contributed to this exhibition and whose work encourages debates involving participants from different backgrounds.

The exhibition remains open until 20.05.2022, every other Saturday. Book your free ticket: https://forms.gle/V3XjeiCYt6V8f7vq6

Europe House Workshops with High School Students

In the spirit of preserving the environment, Europe House—together with Go Green—organised workshops with high school students from three Skopje high schools: “Algoritam”, “Panche Arsovski” and “Zef Ljus Marku”. Young activists and environmental enthusiasts participated in two-month workshops on topics that tackle air pollution, electricity, and waste management.

After deepening their knowledge of environmental protection, they organized collaborative activities, encouraging change to begin at the personal level, particularly by changing individual habits. Young people remain acutely aware of the importance of preserving the environment. Their desire to take concrete action sets an example for all of us!

Strumica: “Break the Bias” in honour of International Women’s Day

The highlight of the activities organised in the course of this month was the “Break the Bias” event on March 8. In honour of International Women’s Day, Europe House Strumica hosted a unique event with an established quest speaker, Ms Mila IVANOVA. Ms Ivanova is an Inspector in the Terrorism, Violent Extremism and Radicalism Investigation Unit – MIA and OSCE monitoring officer for Ukraine. In an engaging discussion with the young participant, she shared her experiences as a professional woman in different units within the MIA; the Police Academy in Ankara, Republic of Turkey; experiences in INTERPOL, and other services where she has worked. She discussed the stereotypes and prejudices, women, in her profession face and what personally motivated her to fight for equal representation of women in this profession. Ms Ivanova also spoke about her inspiration to choose this profession as her life’s mission. The discussion with Ms Ivanova was truly inspirational for both young boys and girls at the event.

Europe House Kriva Palanka Goes Beyond the Status Quo

Kriva Palanka is well known for networking with young people from both the region and from other countries. This month they exceeded all expectations and hosted youth from three EU countries!

An Erasmus Plus creative workshop and info session was held with youth from Poland, Slovakia, Croatia, and Turkey who visited Europe House Kriva Palanka and met with local and regional youth from our country.

This session aimed to meet and network, as well as to share Erasmus Plus information with local youth who are interested in joining the Erasmus Plus Programme.

Stay tuned for our April Buzz edition! Expect various events…leading up to the MAIN event – May 9th,  Europe Day!

Europe House BUZZ February

Natali Mango, young designer
Natali Mango, designer of the Europe House Calendar

Dear readers of Europe House Buzz,

I am happy that I had the honour to work with Europe House, and this experience as a young graphic designer played a big role in further shaping my views on my career, giving me great motivation to move ahead confidently.

I am very glad that Europe House supports young people and believes in them, and thus has an impact on raising their self-confidence!

For me, as a young graphic designer, the whole concept of creating a calendar, preparing it for printing and matching all the client’s needs in one complete product was a really big challenge, encouraging me to believe in myself and to give my best.

The whole process of presenting the 12 youth goals was quite inspiring, accompanied by a lot of research on my part so that I could illustrate each of their goals in the best light possible. In the process of researching the goals I, as a young person, learned a lot, which I consider to be a great advantage.

This collaboration really marked the past year for me, and the very invitation to share my experience in the Newsletter BUZZ welcome letter showed me how much Europe House supports young people in what they do!

I hope that Europe House will be a motivation and an example for others to support young people and to believe in them, all in order to give them the opportunity to express their creativity, because as the saying goes, “The youth are the future”.

Natali Mango, young designer

GreenFilm Competition – Youth Creative Criticism of the Consequences of Climate Change

2022 is the European Year of Youth!

Our question is: How can the youth be encouraged and activated? And this is where we start the brainstorming of ideas and initiatives. This time–motivated and concerned by the global changes in the ecosystem–we decided to turn the spotlight on the young audience. Young people always have a sharp eye and a sincere approach that is often overlooked by adults. So, the gauntlet has been thrown down. Tell us your story through the #GreenFilm Competition! Many young people affected by the changes in the ecosystem responded with their creative videos. To our great pleasure, the 10 best films were shown on the big screen in the cinema Frosina, MKC. Leona Jarikj, with her film entitled “Promo,” won the main prize – a professional camera as an incentive to develop her talent and continue to advocate for environmental protection.

Giving the Floor to New Names via the New Podcast with Arlinda Biftau

Europe House continually promotes diversity, creating more space for the expression of youth. As of 14th of February, we have started broadcasting Podcasts in the Albanian language.

The TV presenter and youth worker Arlinda Baftiu conceives of it as a space to promote artists who reflect on different social issues, as well as creative individuals who initiate changes in the community through ideas and acts. The Podcast will be an open space for discussion by critical minds and role models and will aim to develop and contribute to European values.

Her first guest was the innovative fashion creator Amra Ismani. Being aware of the negative effect the fashion industry has on the environment, Amra initiated a unique philosophy in support of her cause.

As a teenager, she created her own brand “Armma”, a brand based on the idea of creating multifunctional modern clothing by reducing negative effects on the environment. You can get to know Amra Ismani’s creative world in the first broadcast of the Podcast, where she discusses her critical concepts, and this may change your perceptions of the role the fashion industry and clothing have. Her motto is “We can save the world by also looking good”.

On the 14th of each month, you can get to know other inspiring people.

‘What has been done? How far have we come? Where are we going?’

Europe House continued the series of talks with the Club of Young Doctors in order to emphasize the humane dimension of the medical profession. We opened the topics of organ donation and transplantation, as well as of blood donation, in order to raise awareness of humanity, but also of the need for legal changes. Europe House will continue the practice of in-depth discussions by speaking out about the problems faced by patients, their families, and doctors. The ultimate goal, always, is finding practical and functional solutions that can be implemented in the system. That is why the panel discussion speakers were: Ambassador David Geer and Prof. Dr. Elizabeta Gjorgievska, Prof. Dr. Aleksandar Petlichkovski, Dr. Irina Panovska- Stavridis, Dr. Bozidar Kochovski, Dr. Maja Mojsova Mijovska, and the moderator Dr. Nikola Brzanov, President of the Club of Young Doctors.

One “Amazing” Year – Europe House Kriva Palanka

Over the course of 1 year, we’ve been identified as the voice of the youth from the North Eastern region. We continue to encourage youth participation and engagement, empower innovation and creativity, stimulate critical thinking, and, emphasize youth’s key concern – making environmental protection a priority.

On the occasion of Europe House Kriva Palanka’s 1stBirthday, many young people from Kriva Palanka, Rankovce, Kumanovo, and Kratovo–who were very active since the opening –joined us in Europe House Kriva Palanka and presented their ideas and works to the EU Ambassador, the Swedish Ambassador, the Bulgarian Ambassador, and the Mayor of Kriva Palanka. We enjoyed the warm regards (or wishes) from the young people, learning how has Europe House facilitated and supported their initiatives. In addition, we enjoyed fantastic piano performance by young and talented musician(s).

Being one of the first Europe Houses in our region, we actively worked with dedication on creating youth-friendly cities.

Briefly, over 150 in-house events were organized and most of those events were initiated by the youth.

3,400 young people from Kriva Palanka and the region actively participated in our activities.

On the occasion of Europe House Kriva Palanka’s 1st Birthday, many young people from Kriva Palanka, Rankovce, Kumanovo, and Kratovo–who were very active in the first year–joined us in Europe House Kriva Palanka and presented their ideas and works to the EU Ambassador, the Swedish Ambassador, the Bulgarian Ambassador, and the Mayor of Kriva Palanka. We had the pleasure of seeing the messages of the young people about what Europe House Kriva Palanka means to them. Music is a very important part of Europe House Kriva Palanka’s activities and we enjoyed the piano performance of the talented youth.

In the end, in the spirit of friendship and togetherness, we ended the day with a friendly basketball match between young female basketball teams from Sofia, R. Bulgaria and from Kriva Palanka, and had the pleasure to see a dance performance by the regional modern dance club from Kumanovo.

1 Year as the Central Hub of the Youth from the Region – Europe House Strumica!

Europe House Strumica in the past year has undoubtedly become a leading place for connecting and engaging young people in the region! Europe House Strumica has organized numerous exhibitions, eco- actions, debates, and events for networking of young people and authorities.

The highlight of the activities organized in February by Europe House Strumica was definitely the birthday events happening from the 15th through the 25th of February!

Throughout these 10 days, the youth in Strumica had a variety of programmes and activities, from street corner musical performances by high schoolers, audio-visual events, and as a cherry on top. The official birthday, 21st of February, was marked with proper celebration. Young people from Strumica had the pleasure in participating at the opening of the “Time travel under the open sky” exhibition, followed by the play ”Youth Goals Hunt” in the Small city park, enjoy a dance and music performance by a collective of young artists from the South Eastern region, united specifically for the occasion of the Europe House Strumica birthday. During the day the young people from Strumica and the region had the opportunity to meet and share experiences with the Young European Ambassadors Mila, Vojdan, Aleksandar, Funda, Damjan, Gent, and Ivan, as well as other youth activists from the region who had participated in the events of Europe House Strumica throughout the year.


Buzz you on the flip side,
until next time!

Europe House Buzz January

Ivan Durgutov, Young European Ambassador

Dear readers, dear BUZZ-ers,

There is no better time than now, after all the holidays and festivities, to start the European Year of Youth 2022 with fresh thoughts about the importance of education and its impact on young people.

If education is the most powerful tool to change the world, then just imagine the power it has to influence the character of a young person. Whether it is a semester of studying abroad, a powerful training course, or a youth exchange that is someone’s life-changing experience, the Erasmus+ Programme is always there for the realization of the motto ‘Changing Lives and Opening Minds’.

Honestly, one of the training courses that I have attended through the programme was my true ‘aha moment’ in life. It was in Malaga, Spain where–while diving deeper into the world full of opportunities that Erasmus+ offers for the youth–I also got to realise how much is done there for the inclusion of different marginalized groups. As participants, we were taken to a few city institutions where, at first glance, we could hear and see how the situation of different underrepresented groups is being changed. Knowing the past and being aware of how strict the treatment was that some of those groups received back then, it was a pleasure for me to see such a contrast and such progress now. Reminiscing about it, I definitely consider it as one of the moments when you understand the huge changes that can be done with the help of the European Union: and that practical work for one of my passions, human rights, should be and is valued in the Union and its Erasmus+ Programme.

As I could not agree more that the essence of good formal education should be and, in reality, is one of the high priorities of young people, in the role of a Young European Ambassador I would like to highlight the importance of both informal and non-formal education, too. Let’s soften up the world with our soft skills and show our communities what well-educated agents of change really look like!

Ivan Durgutov,
Young European Ambassador

Gledaj.mk has educated 60 young writers interested in film and theatre criticism

…and Europe House took an active part in it!

Gledaj.mk is an informal collective continuously publishing theatre and film reviews to encourage an informed discussion between the artists as creators of the theatre shows/films and the audience as active viewers. Since its foundation in April 2018, Gledaj.mk has educated 60 young writers interested in film and theatre criticism. Participants attending our latest cycle of film criticism workshops – organized in 2021 with the generous support of Europe House Skopje – wrote and published more than 40 engaging reviews of relevant and timely movies produced in Europe. Our collaboration with Europe House Skopje continues in 2022 by promoting fresh films of social relevance via monthly reviews.

Our first review was dedicated to the Belgian movie “Space Boy,” which emphasizes the importance of good education and the ways it has to take you to the stars, even when others think your ideas are frivolous. In the month of education and on the International Day of Education we published this review, and in the next period, we expect new author reviews from our network of students!

Creative work supported by mentoring educational sessions

On 25th January we opened an exhibition named “European Youth Goals” featuring designs and illustrations from local young graphic designers and artists. The exhibition comes as a result of the Creative Talks portfolio review, where experienced graphic and web designers advised the young artists how to improve their work and refine their overall design approach.

The young creatives used the knowledge gained through the educational sessions with the mentors and created works of art depicting the eleven European Youth Goals. The exhibition will be open until the 25th of February, Monday to Friday, from 10 am to 4 pm.

Some of the designed posters exhibited at Europe House Skopje:

🖌Artists: Alek Pasanku, Anastasija Angelovska, Angela Stojkovska, Bojan Ikonomov, Filip Lazarov, Maja Plackoska, Maja Plackoska & Nezir Kerimoski, Marko Mihajlovski, Milan Dimitriev, Nezir Kerimoski, Zafir Jovanov

#SupportLocalArtists

The cultural art-entertainment scene shows dynamic impulses that Europe House recognizes and supports with great enthusiasm. In the last 4 months, the initiative has supported more than 10 young music artists as well as young progressive photographers. In addition to the cultural dimension of the initiative, Europe House has made its resources available to locals by, in particular, supporting small businesses.  #SupportLocalArtists has become a recognizable mark among the new generation, earning social media praise.

Erasmus Plus is the coolest!“ – a young Erasmus participant from Kriva Palanka

The process of learning is the most important thing in the life of every young person. Europe House Kriva Palanka, as the place of the new generation, is strongly dedicated to organizing different kinds of creative workshops, trainings, and multidisciplinary events. We use the tools of non-formal education to encourage, motivate and support the youth to invest in themselves, in their competencies and knowledge.

Young people agree that the tools of non-formal education are so important nowadays in the process of achieving great results in one’s education or one’s career. The favourite programme for gaining these kinds of skills is Erasmus Plus.

We organized a Creative workshop for Strategic Planning and Organizational Management. Some of the participants of the workshop were Erasmus Plus participants as well… Here are some of the statements of the young participants who have enjoyed the Erasmus Plus Journey.

Erasmus Plus is the coolest. Thanks to Erasmus and to non-formal education skills, I am achieving much better results at university. Plus, there is always a “Plus” when it comes to Erasmus…Plus I have so many new friends in Europe.” –  Gorana Simonova, Youth Ambassador at the Union of High School Students of R.N.Macedonia.

I really enjoy Erasmus Plus. Thanks to the skills I have built from my Erasmus Plus courses I am planning to invest in my personal business and become a young female entrepreneur.” –  Viktorija Gjorgjievska

I really love different cultures and learning new things. Thanks to Erasmus I have traveled across the whole of Europe, met new people and I have learned many new skills necessary for a better future.” – Eva Simonova

Europe House Strumica: Non-formal education as a base for sustainable environmental living

The event we want to highlight this month is the “Unlock your creativity – Recycle, Reuse Reduce” which was implemented on the 21st of January, and was organized at the request of the young people from Strumica. This event was a mash-up of the creativity and the love and care for nature we express through upcycling old or junk clothing. We talked about fast-fashion and the side effects it has and, at the same time, we actively worked and learned how to reduce waste by redesigning, renovating, re-decorating, and making unique pieces of clothing so that they can be used again, make less trash, and help us learn to live sustainably.

Verica Krstevska, a young activist, artist, and one of the initiators for this workshop, says: “The first time I participated in the Erasmus+ Youth Exchange abroad and had to live in a self-sustainable environment for seven days, I understood how easy it is for each of us–with small changes in our everyday actions and in the routines we can do–to start from ourselves to make a great impact on our environment and community. The investment in non-formal learning, and in interaction to spread important messages that can impact us all, is for me personally one of the greatest gifts and unselfish ways to contribute to our and everybody’s personal and communal development, especially for issues as important as the environment. As stated in the campaign of Europe House and the EU, Be the solution to the pollution, because there is no Planet B!

Europe House Buzz December

Vjosa Berisha – Team leader of Europe House

Dear readers of Europe House Buzz,

I am happy to start the year with great enthusiasm and pride, having in mind that we left behind a very successful year, despite the difficulties of the pandemic.

As we enter this New Year, we have already made plans for what will be happening in our house, and we are happy that our slogan – “Place for the new generation” – is in line with the planned activities.

There will be art exhibitions, film screenings, concerts, competitions, debates and discussions, and what is more important, we want to hear from you – what activities you want to see, and where you want to see Europe House in the future. Therefore, please log in to our freshly re-designed website or on our social media and give us your ideas!

The Green Deal campaign will also continue throughout the year, so issues related to the environment will be an important part of all our activities!

So please join us in our activities and let us know how we can make our work better and more impactful.
Wishing you a happy and healthy 2022! Don’t forget to check out the Buzz!

Vjosa Berisha

Team leader of Europe House

“You look beautiful today” – a story from another point of view

East Gate Mall Skopje hosted an exhibition of photography on the occasion of the International Human Rights day. The title “You look beautiful today!,” shows that the exhibition is focused on the eyes of extraordinary people, everyday heroes, and inspirational activists – people who fight for their rights and the rights of others every day.

The exhibition “You look beautiful today” is focusing on 12 people from our communities who act as drivers of change on a daily basis – whether it is by their birth or the way they choose to live their lives. They are students, coffee shop owners, anthropologists, PhD candidates, pianists, employees, members of family, and above all – they are all equal people.

By putting their eyes in the centre of attention, the exhibition is not only expressing their beauty but also intends to show the world from their point of view.

Big works of art speak for themselves, and this time we give room to the great masters to tell the story of their experience and the process of self-observation through the creation of this important urban, social, but also inclusive project. Behind the camera is Tatjana Rantasha, while the visual look of the exhibition was made by the designer Zoran Kardula.

About the inside experience of this photoshoot, and for the future collaborations, the photographer of the exhibition “You look beautiful today” – Tatjana Rantasha:

Europe House Skopje united film fans at the “European Film Week”

Europe House is focusing its camera on quality European art and it is always seeking to open new windows for greater availability of the European production. A BUZZ such as this was the European Film Week, which was held from 11 to 17 December in the Youth Cultural Center (YCC) in Skopje.

The programme included a screening of European films, awarded or selected from the A-lists from the Sundance festival, Cannes, Venice, Toronto, Karlovy Vary, San Sebastian, etc. The film selection was made in collaboration with the European Film Festival, as well as with film festivals in our country.  As always, we tried to reach young people’s ideas through debates on topics from the films, related to important cultural, social, economic, and general social issues.

There is no better person to speak on this topic than Margarita Arsova, the editor of the film programme of YCC, which welcomed our initiative to promote European Film culture in the country.

Bold questions were raised by the exhibition “The mystery behind woman’s look” by Erina Bogoeva

During the campaign “16 days of activism against gender-based violence” we talked with Erina Bogoeva, the photographer of the exhibition “The mystery behind woman’s look.”

“The beauty of a woman is not only her physical appearance. Rather, it pours out of her resilience, persistence, creativity, and dedication to fulfill her potential. All these things are present in a woman’s look, and regardless of what she is looking at, the eyes are firmly set on the ultimate goal.”

We promoted similar ideas in October, at the exhibition of photography “The Mystery of woman’s look” by Erina Bogoeva. We extended the exhibition with talks with some of the portraitists of this series of portraits of young and talented women – Natalija Teodosieva (actor), Ana Jakimska (director), Ksenija Nikolova (writer), Sim Saltirova (make-up artist), who, despite all limiting factors, leave a mark on our cultural milieu.

The creator of the exhibition, photographer Erina Bogoeva, answered questions regarding the personal accomplishments of the guests in their chosen creative professions, the obstacles they face as women, their future projects, and many more associated questions.

Huge BUZZ around “Inclusion Matters! – We are all equal!” event organized by Europe House Kriva Palanka

On the occasion of the World Day of persons with disabilities an inclusive and multimedia event was held entitled “Inclusion Matters! -We are all equal!.“ The event conveyed a strong and multifold message for preservation of the environment and a world of inclusivity!

Europe House Kriva Palanka supported an event that merged two important aspects, one of inclusivity and, secondly—but not less importantly—the responsible preservation of the environment. Among the many activities held within this event, young artists from the State high school of fine art and design “Lazar Lichenoski” drew murals in the centre with messages for the preservation of planet Earth.

Many activists, associations, embassies and municipalities actively participated in the event. (Pink Support, Association Handicap Plus, Horse Riding club Animals, Alliance for Regional and Civil Initiatives ARCI from Blagoevgrad, Municipality of Rankovce, Municipality of Kriva Palanka).

 

The Ambassador of the Republic of Bulgaria in our country and his wife Biljana Angelova were important participants in the event, both in the organization of the event and with their speeches. We are conveying the message of Biljana Angelova for Europe House BUZZ:

The creative explosion of youth channeled through “Europe House Talks”

Strumica has the reputation of being the most active town in our country, when it comes to cultural and urban living.  Like the spirit of the town, young people from Strumica are thirsty for new artistic trends and movements, and are open for new names in different areas. Europe House Strumica feels the BUZZ of young people, and that was the reason for organizing “Europe House Talks” with original content, opening up a wide variety of trending topics, mostly interesting for young people, but also the public in general. This talk-show has the intention to provoke talks with young people who want to be a part of the public life of the community, performing arts and other areas. Here they talk on topics such as the culture of performing arts in the EU countries, whether they can find similarities, how to improve, creativity, inspiration, inclusivity, etc.

The moderator of the show was Panche DIMOV, who brings new guests on every show and inspires young people from the region. This is his message and hope for the upcoming year 2022:

Europe House Buzz November

Ambassador David Geer Head of EU Delegation

Dear readers of Europe House Buzz,

I am happy to say hello as we launch the first edition of this electronic newsletter. ‘Buzz’ is just the latest tool to keep you up-dated about what’s going on at Europe House and what’s on offer there for you as young people.

We’re publishing this first edition at the same time that we’re also launching a public awareness campaign about the Green Deal campaign. You may already have seen some of the billboards across the country. Climate change is a fact. And its consequences will become ever more severe – in all parts of the planet. This campaign is a wake-up call. We need to act – immediately and globally. With all of us doing our share.

We all remember the devastating forest fires last summer and the deadly floods several years ago. Many of us breathe poor air for at least part of the year. Everyone knows illegal dump-sites that pollute the ground and water and are an eye-sore for the passer-by. And we all want this to change.

Change is possible; but it depends on all of us. We all have a part to play:  the authorities at all levels; business and industry; civil society organisations and ordinary citizens; each and every one of us, working together to transform the world in which we live.

So please join us in promoting the Green Deal and raising awareness of what needs doing to build a green and sustainable future.

In the meantime, stay tuned to Buzz.  Wishing you all a happy, healthy – and greener 2022.

Ambassador David Geer
Head of EU Delegation

Europe House Skopje 2nd birthday!

1. Thank you for being a part of our 2nd birthday!

Europe House is not just a space – Europe House is an idea for proactive, critical and inclusive youth. It is because of this spirit that we decided that Europe House should go to the favourite places of the young people. Inspired by the action pillars of Europe House as a place of the new generation-one which supports culture, actively and responsibly cares for the environment, educates and inspires—throughout the month we presented a programme featuring:

Debate on “Conference on the Future of Europe

The question now is: “What kind of Europe do we want to live in?” Changes need to start today! Only in this way will we live in a society in which we will know that the voice of the youth has participated in shaping the future and that the youth has been an integral part of those making the difference. Such a proactive approach is strongly supported by Europe House Skopje and for that purpose it took an active part at the beginning of a series of discussions encouraged by the “Conference on the Future of Europe“, from the perspective of young people from the Western Balkans.

At this event, we networked with European Ambassadors who visited the European Parliament in Strasbourg, and with local youth to exchange experiences and views.

 

 

Theatrical play “What is a bully?”

Long-term monitoring and work with young people always raise the issue of youth violence. Tolerance is one of the priorities for understanding and accepting differences. The play “What is a bully?” reflects the lives of young people and their way of communication, which we wanted to dramatize as an opportunity for them to see themselves from a different perspective, and to see the problem of bullying from their own unique viewpoints The cast of the Theatre for Children and Youth encouraged a great discussion that helped young people seek solutions to the problems they had identified themselves. The play symbolically took place on November 4th, the International Day against Violence and Bullying at School Including Cyberbullying.

 

Music programme

One of our biggest passions is fun! As always we give our best to achieve a satisfactory level of quality, which is also true when it comes to parties.

Of course, when we look at the bigger picture, good friendships and networking always provide the initiative to support young artists and local small businesses.

This birthday we visited four local bars and supported four different performers, we “clicked” with a new photographer and found our new heroes – high school bands who reminded us that we always have to do what we do with a lot of passion and maximum commitment!

The music programme was much more than a nice gathering: it was an initiation through ourselves, places in the city, and local individuals whom we may not notice everyday.

 

Informal hanging out with #green CSOs

Proactivity towards the challenges that our everyday life brings us in the field of the environment has always been one of our focuses. Europe House always tries to be #EcoFriendly in the way it produces its content and in the scope of its actions, and we feel the need to treat the environment responsibly. We wanted to make an event where we would thank all our collaborators from the environmental sector, as well as those whom we may not know, but who are eco-heroes.. Bostanie is the place we symbolically chose for this informal gathering. Accompanied by the ethno-band Perija and specialties from Bistro Granche, EU Ambassador David Geer and Deputy Ambassador Jullian Vassllo had the opportunity to meet the activists and to contribute collaboratively, with concrete actions, to the first community garden – Bostanie.

 

But we will not stop here! It’s too early to tell you the following #GREENIDEAS: let us surprise you!

 

Debate with Young European Ambassadors, university and student representatives as part of our youth contributing to the CoFoE

How can we provide quality education, active learning and more opportunities for everyone? How can we ensure that young people have more opportunities and participate fully in all areas of society?  – These are questions that every young person asks himself or herself. That is why we try to emphasize such challenges and aim at joint participation towards creating equal opportunities for everyone. Future decision-makers and change-makers discussed these ideas with Ambassador Geer, highlighting expectations and challenges. The Student Parliament, representatives of high school students and the Young European Ambassadors also took an active part in the discussion.

It is our obligation to act thoroughly, seriously and in a timely manner, and we strive to spread such a principle among young people across the country!

We celebrated our second birthday with small but significant events to initiate future big accomplishments!

We celebrated our second birthday with small but significant events to initiate future big wins!

 

Let’s glance at the laboratory of the great masters

If you have ever wanted to peek into the laboratory of the great masters, Europe House always allows you to experience the pulse of those inspiring corners. The place of the new generation is a space of cohesion where youthful enthusiasm and the experience of the great masters meet. It is with great honour that we welcome BRIAN RASIC – one of the greatest artists in the field of photography—whose portfolio proudly includes photographs of Muddy Waters, Robbie Williams, Sinatra, Paul McCartney and many other world names! “Music in Pictures: Four Decades of life in music. And a bit of this and that” was the title of his presentation, and the tips and inspirations he offered will remain to be applied as a legacy for young photographers.

 

Beyond their battle
Europe House raises awareness of rare health challenges

As part of the EU Delegation initiative, Europe House has joined forces with young medical professionals – the Young Doctors Club, Resident and Young Doctors and Medical Students Associations. We have initiated a series of activities on the World Health Day, in order to stimulate discussion, and to raise awareness of health challenges where it is most needed.

We marked November 21, the European Cystic Fibrosis Awareness Day. The aim was to point out the conditions and challenges that young people and parents face and how they deal with this rare disease on a daily basis.

With the participation and unreserved support of the EU Ambassador David Geer, as well as the First Lady, Mrs. Elizabeta Gjorgievska, a meaningful and constructive discussion on this topic developed, providing a common space for participants to consider the next steps for improvement in their specific environment.

The series continues to devote time and space to healthcare providers wherever and whenever needed.

See you next month, and until then we`ll be buzzing around!

 

Have you ever tried to get into someone else’s skin?

Our region is a treasure trove of diversity and it is in differences that we see our strengths. Here, where east and west meet, in the mix of different cultures and traditions influenced by what modern times bring, there is enough room for everyone. Is it difficult for the new generations to accept and respect differences?

The purpose of the new generation’s place is to encourage young people to broaden their horizons, to enable them to connect with young people from the region and Europe, and to accept, respect and support differences to find a way to feel best in your own skin.

 

Europe House Kriva Palanka and Europe House Strumica marked the International Day for Tolerance with debates and practical empathy exercises, encouraging critical and independent thinking, and accepting differences. For that purpose, local young people, young people from the broader region, and from Montenegro, were invited to the premises of Europe House Kriva Palanka to overcome the barriers. In the meantime, at Europe House Strumica, local youth from the Centre for Intercultural Dialogue (CID) Kumanovo held a workshop under the slogan “United in Diversity,” bringing human rights concepts closer to practical and everyday examples.

An open dialogue about the challenges we face is an attempt to live in someone else’s skin at least for a moment, and to have such a worldview is to be always one step ahead in the fight for equality!

See you next month, and until then we`ll be buzzing around!

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