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
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!
