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!”