// Project summary
Music overcomes boundaries, music styles raise barriers! Is the theme of the project „YES – Youth European Sound“. Music has the power to overcome national, cultural, age, language and other boundaries which we face daily. All young people like to listen to contemporary music and some of them like to create, perform and dance to contemporary music. Often however, the preferred music style happens to be a major unconscious barrier for meeting now friends and new cultures, for the communication and understanding of peers and can even affect the relationships in the family and community. The preferred music style often instead of stimulating the development of young people binds them to the rails of uniformity and alienation, and hinders their creative potential. With the project “YES – Youth European Sound” we will open new horizons for development and will create opportunities for the expression of talent, for dialog among young people from different EU member and neighbouring countries. Countries, who are involved with different contemporary music styles. During the project young people will perform on stage emblematic pieces of music, performances or dances, characterizing their favourite style. During the thematic workshops they will present elements of their favourite style: stage appearance, make-up, behavior, dances, and instruments, among others. Together they will perform popular music pieces. They will discuss what separates them and what unites them, they will present and get to know each other's cultural traditions, exchange experience, create new partnerships and working relationships, popularize the messages, related to the European Year of Intercultural Dialogue. They will create a dictionary of common words and gestures for communicating agreement! This project, which will take place in the town of Sandanski, Bulgaria, will host 49 young people from 9 countries (Bulgaria, United Kingdom, Greece, Spain, Italy, Macedonia, Poland, Serbia and Turkey). The intercultural exchange will last 9 days.
// Farewell Party (Party)
The final evaluation was very emotional! After filling the evaluation forms all participants were invited to describe their experiences in the Book of Impressions! We discovered hidden artistic and poetic talents among us. The night continued with a lot of music, dancing, hugs and talks... lots of laughter, surprises and photos.... until the morning, when the Turkish group departed first. A great party and a memorable experience with true friends!
posted by Center for nonformal education on 17/09/2008
// YES - Youth European Sound! (Presentation of the common works and fire show) (Event)
The success of the fire show and closing concert was acknowledged by the huge interest of the local community and the participants of the BYF. By participating in some of the BYF activities we promoted the project “YES!” and made friends with young people from Sandanski and participants from the rest of Bulgaria and Europe. We hope the messages of our art, music and the project have reached thousands. The concert and the show cannot be described in words, they have to be experienced!
posted by Center for nonformal education on 16/09/2008
// Participation in BALKAN YOUTH FESTIVAL ‘THE BALKAN YOUTH’ activities (... continuation) (Event)
…continuation
In 2008 the truck of the European campaign "For Diversity. Against Discrimination." visited 10 countries from the EU. In Bulgaria its stop was in Sandanski on 11th September during the BYF, where we, the participants in the festival, citizens and guests of the town of Sandanski was the opportunity to take part in a game on diversity, karaoke competition, park on mobility, painting a giant fresco, performances of singers, musicians and more.
posted by Center for nonformal education on 15/09/2008
// Participation in BALKAN YOUTH FESTIVAL ‘THE BALKAN YOUTH’ activities (Culture)
BYF is the biggest international youth event in South-East Europe and every year it is organized by youngsters. The main goal of the BYF is to assist young people from Bulgaria, and the Balkan and European states in the achievement of their aspirations to get to know each other, to exchange information, to expand the network of contacts in various fields related to their interests and problems, skills, and opportunities for participation and collaboration.
As participants in the project “YES – Youth European Sound!” we had the unique opportunity to take part, along with 1 000 young people from Europe, in following FESTIVAL EVENTS: Festival Defile; Festival Concerts; Balkan Youth Party; Youth Forum: Round table “PARTNERSHIP NOW AND FOR THE FUTURE”; Picnic and Sports event at Rojenski Monastery; Introduction with historical, cultural, ethnographic and tourist sights of the region of Sandanski - the town of Melnik.
To be continued…
posted by Center for nonformal education on 14/09/2008
// Preparation and rehearsal for the common show (Event)
The choice of popular songs to perform together at the end in front of the audience, participants and guests of the BYF and who exactly would perform them was a big challenge. So many ideas and so many talents in one place and we had to choose only 3 or 4 popular songs. Time is pressing and we have to rehearse. The outside temperature is 40o C... a fire and music grand show is coming up, that we've been waiting for a whole year. The preparation is heating up and our mood too. As day turns to night we are more enthusiastic and motivated than ever. The audience exceeds 1500 people!!! The media are everywhere!!! We miss this lot!
posted by Center for nonformal education on 13/09/2008
// Intercultural acquaintance (Event)
As it usually happens in youth exchanges there is a specific moment to get to know even better some characteristics of the participating countries: geography, gastronomy, traditions…
Originally thought of as Bulgarian Evening with live folklore music, dances and traditional food and drinks it grew into an impressive Evening of the Intercultural Dialog. All participants joined in and the Turkish and Greek groups performed traditional dances of their countries. The most impressive part of the evening was the Bulgarian horo dance which came as a surprise from the youngsters.
During the two Guest Parties first the Greek, Turkish, British and Spanish and then the Serbian, Macedonian, Polish and Italian youngsters presented traditional food, drinks, music and dances. Everybody had put a lot of effort into their preparation. The Turks treated us with sweets, and the Brits presented Scottish traditions. The Italians played an entertaining video about Italy and the European Union. With this evening all remaining prejudices and barriers were buried.
Great nights, good moods :)
posted by Center for nonformal education on 12/09/2008
// School for contemporary music, tolerance and intercultural understanding (Training)
Workshops have started. We made three workshops in three different days. Everybody was excited to present the music and express themselves through our musical genre of choice. The Bulgarian boys, representatives of alternative metal had a stunning presentation dressed all black with typical metal symbols. We had a lot of fun, singing, playing and exchanging experience.
Everything was happing live – in the place where we were accommodated, in the park, on the stage of the Summer theatre, in the musical club “Iceberg” ... sometimes among us, and sometimes in front of the audience and participants of the Balkan Youth Festival.
The third workshop was a particularly emotional moment when made posters with positive words and expressions in all languages spoken in the nine countries we came from. They made us notice how similar our cultures are in expressing agreement.
All of this was accompanied by a discussion on the motivating factors and challenges, that each of us feels when dealing with contemporary music.
posted by Center for nonformal education on 12/09/2008
// How it started the exchange? (Event)
In the morning we started with “Getting to know each other” session that included: presenting our organization, the city of Sandanski and The Balkan Youth Festival “The Balkan Youth” (BYF; www.myspace.com/byfestival); sharing useful information about the peculiarities in the communication in Bulgaria; expectations and ice- breaking games.
In the afternoon we continued with a discussion about the coming days. Maya presented the project YES and lead an interactive game for presentation of the participating organizations and groups, together we set out the rules for work and safety during the exchange, and got acquainted with the The European Year of Intercultural Dialogue and the “Youth in Action” Program.
posted by Center for nonformal education on 07/09/2008
// Participants of the project (Culture)
- Violentory, Bulgaria (Music band - Metal/ Progressive)
www.myspace.com/violentory
- Who's your mama NOW?, UK (Music band - Acoustic / Roots Music / Soul)
http://www.myspace.com/whosyourmamaband, www.myspace.com/thislittlebird
- Diables Sant Cugat del Valles, Spain (Music and fire show)
www.diablesantcugat.org
- Next Time, Macedonia (Rock duo from Skopje)
http://www.myspace.com/nexttimezavas
- Black George, Serbia (Music band - New Wave / Rock)
http://www.myspace.com/trpke
- Development Agency of Karditsa (AN.KA.) S.A., Greece (Dancing group)
www.anka.gr
- POLITES Association, Poland (Dancing group)
www.polites.org.pl
- EVO Trio, Turkey (Jazz band)
www.evotrio.com
- GIOSEF - Giovani senza Frontiere Caserta, Italy (Music and dancing group)
www.giosef.it
posted by Center for nonformal education on 06/09/2008
// Only three days until the beginning to the exchange (Event)
The preperation for the welcoming of the participants in the exchange is in its full swing... the last perperation meetings of the crew, discussing details on the agenda, synchronizing schedules for welcoming and accommodation, setting up the stage, promotion... all of this charges us with a positive mood and fills us with creative energy for the following days.
posted by Center for nonformal education on 03/09/2008
// The ‘YES!’ Project team (Event)
We are all looking forward to the beginning of the exchange. We hope to spend 9 unforgettable days here in sunny Sandanski. We are eager to meet the young talented artists from Bulgaria, United Kingdom, Spain, Macedonia, Serbia, Greece, Poland, Turkey and Italy.
posted by Center for nonformal education on 01/09/2008