Call for applications “Serbia and Kosovo: Intercultural Icebreakers”

April 19-28, 2016 Belgrade, Novi Sad, Pristina and Prizren

Since 2015, the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Serbia has organized four seminars for young artists from Serbia and Kosovo on the topic of interculturalism and socially engaged art practices. Encouraged by the success of these seminars, we are now preparing another seminar from April 19 to April 28, 2016, for 16 young people (8 from Kosovo and 8 from Serbia).

As in the past, we are targeting young people from Serbia and Kosovo who are active and/or interested in the fields of arts, culture and media to participate in this project. The seminar will start in Belgrade featuring lectures, visits to cultural institutions and public sites. On the 4th day of seminar, participants will visit Novi Sad and its cultural and public institutions. After returning to Belgrade, all participants will travel together to Pristina, and continue the seminar in Kosovo. There, participants will be exposed to lectures and workshops provided by experts from Kosovo, and will visit prominent educational and cultural institutions in Pristina. On the 8th day participants will visit Prizren, a historical town in southern Kosovo and meet representatives of local media and culture organizations.

The main goal of the seminar is to give the opportunity to participants to be hosts and visitors in the same time, and to have the possibility to present their culture and to learn more about the culture of their peers. Also, the seminar will benefit each participant by giving them the opportunity to visit major cultural institutions both in Serbia and Kosovo, to meet lecturers, artists and human rights activists from both countries, and to spend an exciting period of time together visiting institutions of mutual interest and participating in workshops and lectures, which will provide them enough time to get to know each other and provide the platform for their joint projects in the future.

During the seminar, participants will work on creation of a plan for joint cross boarder action/campaign, which will be implemented by the participants after the seminar with our financial support.

The organizers will cover all costs of accommodation, food, travel, working material, and visits to cultural events for all participants of the seminar. The sessions will be held in Serbian, Albanian and English language while translation to Albanian/Serbian language will be provided.

Participants are expected to:

Be active and/or interested in art and culture (students and/or practitioners are welcome to apply),

Be highly motivated to learn more about interculturalism, socially engaged art, media practices and other similar topics,

Be highly motivated to learn more about art and culture of Serbia/Kosovo,

Be highly motivated to create a plan for joint cross boarder campaign, and to implement it after the seminar with our financial support,

Be available to participate in the seminar for the full period: April 19 – April 28, 2016,

And to be between 18 and 30 years old.

Applicants will be selected upon the following criteria:

CV

A motivation letter (max. one page) including:

* your working/educational experience in the field of art, media and/or culture;

* the main topics you are currently working on or interested in;

* your personal, specific interest in participating in this seminar;

* answers to three questions (see below).

Please submit all documents to Jelena Dzombic at dzombic.jelena@helsinki.org.rs, by April 3, 2016.

Please provide short answers to the following three questions (please do not exceed one page for all three questions):

1. Have you ever cooperated with artists/colleagues from Serbia/Kosovo? If yes, in which way? (max. 500 characters)

2. Why do you think art and culture are important for improvement of relations between two societies? (max. 500 characters)

3. What are your expectations regarding the seminar? (max. 500 characters)

Project is financed by the Robert Bosch Stiftung GmbH,
and implemented by the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Serbia.