1. Introduction

There were three project goals in the period noted above, and they were the following: (1) organization of international event that will be place for meeting and interchanging opinions in debates, conferences and cultural gatherings, both formal and informal, contributing to the integration of Europe, (2) promotion of European values among youth in Serbia and (3) introducing Serbia and Vojvodina as a part of Europe. These three goals had one general and complex activity that would lead to their fulfillment: foundation of a youth festival – European Youth Week in Novi Sad.

2. Support: Funding, Media and Partners

The project received funding from the following donors: Executive Council of Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, OSCE Mission to Serbia, University of Novi Sad, Ministry of Education and Sport of Republic of Serbia, Faculty of Technical Sciences, Banca Intesa – Belgrade.

Media support was given by: Public TV service of Vojvodina, TV Super, TV Panonija, Radio 021, Radio 5, Radio Sajam, Radio As, Radio Beat Box, and newspapers Dnevnik and Gradjanski list.

Partners on this project were: Student Union of University of Novi Sad, Student’s Cultural Centre, EESTEC LC Novi Sad, ESTIEM LG Novi Sad, Youth Club, IEEE SB Novi Sad, BEST LG Novi Sad.

3. Activities

3.1 Venue, date and participants

The first youth festival in Serbia, European Youth Week in Novi Sad – eYouWiNS, was held in Novi Sad, at Faculty of Technical Sciences, University of Novi Sad, between August 20th and 27th, with more than 70 participants from 20 European countries.

Preparations for Festival started at the beginning of May 2006. First was made project proposal, after that was introduced web site HYPER LINK “http://www.eyouwins.com” www.eyouwins.com and invited people to apply. During 25 days of application period organizers received more then 150 applications from all over the Europe. Finally were invited 75 participants from 23 European counties. After some problems with visas, 71 participants took part at Festival.

All lectures, workshops and presentations were held at Faculty of Technical Sciences in Ceremonial Hall and several classrooms. All technical equipment was given by Faculty.

Accommodation was organized in students’ dormitories, and food in student restaurants at University Campus.

3.2 Program

The motto of the first eYouWiNS, “Is your Europe my Europe?” was motivated by the need to assemble young people at one place and to investigate the links between New and Old Europe from the perspective of students, perspective of the young.
The notion of Europe has several various meanings, several various dimensions. They were considered from the political, economic, social or simple geographic aspect. Furthermore, these dimensions are different if observed in national, European or worldly context. This year festival, with the motto “Is your Europe my Europe?” opened some issues that can be divided into two main topics:
European perspectives – one or two Europe’s

On this topic we tried to find answer on the question of expansion of European Union. How is this question dealt with by those who have always lived in EU, how by those who have become the citizens of the united Europe recently, and how by those who see it as their most significant goal.

Europe of the future – Europe as a region?
This topic was dedicated to the promotion of Europe’s regional specificities. How do they function? What is their role? Why is their existence important? The city hosting a festival is itself a centre of a European region, Vojvodina. It was an opportunity for the participants of eYouWiNS to be introduced to the functions and advantages of such organization.

3.2.1 Lectures

eYouWiNS festival program was divided in four segments. First segment were lectures, held by diplomatic core in Serbia, from European countries, European Union – Delegation of the European Commission members in Serbia, representatives of official institutions in Vojvodina and Serbia, non-government organizations and our leading experts. During seven days of Festival, that was 10 lectures [Appendix 2], lasting around 50 minutes each.

3.2.2 Workshops

Second segment were workshops. Participants chose one of five offered workshops and every workshop group counted 18 people. Workshops were held tree times during festival, with total of seven hours of creative work and two hours for final presentation. There are listed workshops:

1. YOUTH MOBILITY
   Workshop objective was to introduce the notion of mobility and inform on the possibilities of educational, cultural and tourist mobility, as well as international cooperation and exchange, lacks and potentials in infrastructure and regional links.
2. YOUTH INFORMING
   Workshop objective was to introduce the present situation and possibility of improving youth informing on the European level (information exchange, project participation, scholarships, employment and professional promotions, accommodation, sport and cultural activities, youth tourism, volunteering).
3. EUROPEAN IDENTITY: MYTH OR REALITY
   Workshop objective was to make young people more conscious on their own cultural and national identity, as well as presentation of identity, values, history and culture from different perspectives.
4. YOUTH PARTICIPATION
   Workshop objective was to inform young people on youth participation in local and regional life, and providing information and experience exchange on the process of developing youth politics.
5. PREJUDICE
   The workshop provided introduction to the terms of prejudice, discrimination, stereotype, xenophobia. There was a survey among participants on the existence of prejudice among them as individuals, or belonging to nations, specific groups, members of European Union, not being in European Union, and the like. Presenting discrimination scheme and making participants conscious on avoiding the role of a discriminator.

WORKSHOP MODERATORS were: Vukasin Grozdanovic, Andrea Galambos, Milovan Savic, Bojana Peric and Ljiljana Cumura (workshop coordinator).

3.2.3 Meet Novi Sad, Vojvodina and Serbia

Third segment of eYouWiNS program was introducing Novi Sad, Vojvodina and Serbia people, tradition, culture, music, nature, way of life, food and drinks, humour… This was an exciting experience for all participants. First of all we familiarized participants with Novi Sad, with their accommodation, University and Faculty facilities. On Tuesday was held City Rally at Novi Sad streets. The main goal of this event was to introduce Novi Sad, but not on standard way. That was opportunity for all participants to explore Novi Sad, to ask people for help, to visit unusual places and find out a lot about history and about people in Novi Sad. Excursion on Wednesday included visit to national park Fruska Gora and two monasteries Hopovo and Grgeteg. After that we spent all day in nature, cooked traditional Serbian dish Kotlic. All participants took part in preparing food and enjoyed eating. Next day eYouWiNS participants visited Sremski Karlovci, one of the oldest towns in Serbia and one of the most important for Serbian culture. Sremski Karlovci are famous vine town, so we visited old vinery and tasted vine.

3.2.4 Social activities

Last, but not the least important part of eYouWiNS program was a group of cultural activities organized only for the participants asked to present the values and cultural traditions of different nations. Special attention was dedicated to creating informal and cultural contents, which were very important part of the festival.
The event that was one of the most interesting – intercultural day was place where the participants from all the countries presented the specificities of their cultures. This event was organized to stimulate active involvement of all the participants.
Parties were organized every night. At the beginning, that was on the open air at Strand. During Festival that was several really big parties that ran on early in the morning.

3.3 Methods

A number of methods were used during the festival, like teamwork, workshops, presentations, debates and round tables. Participants had opportunity to learn from internationally known experts and to exchange ideas and opinions, as well as to acquire or develop practical skills that would help them in their future international cooperation.

4. Ceremonial Opening

One of most exiting parts of Festival was ceremonial opening of eYouWiNS. More then 150 people, participants and guests attended one hour program in Ceremonial Hall at Faculty of Technical Sciences. Program started with two piano plays, and after that, special guests: Radmila Marinkovic-Neducin, rector of University of Novi Sad, H.E. Hans Ola Urstad, Ambassador – Head of OSCE Mission to Serbia and Tihomir Simic vice-president of Executive Council of Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, gave welcome addresses. About 20 different media, TV and radio stations and newspapers were present.

5. Presence in the public

The project was satisfactorily presented in the media:

• we received two reports in major Serbian daily’s in August: Vecernje novosti and Blic
• we received several reports in major Vojvodinian daily’s in August: Dnevnik and Gradjanski list
• we were guests on a Public TV Service of Vojvodina six times (Central news and TV shows: Katedra – twice, Prozor, Roski program, Jutarnji program), on private TV Panonija four times, on TV Super ones (TV show Nedeljno popodne), on city TV Apolo tree times (news and two reports). eYouWiNS advertisement was regularly published on TV Panonia and 5 radio stations.
• we were guests several times on a different radio shows on radio stations in Novi Sad

Considering that the project does in and of itself carry much media weight, the coverage that we have received seems more than reasonable. If, for some reason, there would be need for more media coverage of the project, our experience from this year has shown that a well-planned campaign could bring outstanding results.

Within the University and City the project was advertised through posters, flayers and personal contacts (as can be seen from the survey, the fulfillment of the goals of the project largely depend on the personal contact between students at the Faculty) and two sets of advertisements.