Our project, Youth Dialogue for Change, kicked off on the May 10th 2021 in Novi Sad, Serbia. This four-day project’s aim was to promote the active participation of young people in democratic life, fostering a debate around the major issues affecting them. The project was conducted in close collaboration with ErasmusPlus and Youth Pass (Stichting Art. 1). Participants from The Netherlands, Kosovo, Macedonia, Serbia and Albania came together in a transnational exchange of art practices related to sexual diversity and human rights, bridging different societal contexts through the arts.
On the first day of the program, participants were introduced to one another as well as to local organizations such as ‘Come Out’ – dedicated to the promotion, protection and visibilization of the LGBTI and other vulnerable communities’ human rights in Novi Sad and Vojvodina.
Participants also visited other key safe spaces for minorities in North Macedonia, including the safe art space “Komitet” and the youth platforms “Medusa”. To finalize the first day’s program, participants were able to attend the world premiere of “LILI”, a film by Ana Andonova.
On the second day, participants prepared for a conference session between local stakeholders, decision-makers and members of the project. Preparations included dialogue rehearsals and subject matter clarifications. The day was finalized with a second film screening of March for Dignity and Impact your Doc.
The project’s last day saw Youth Dialogue for Change participants meet key decision makers at the center for social welfare in Novi Sad. During this meeting, questions were raised regarding the present and future policy developments, and how they would benefit minorities in the region. As a grand closure, we finalized the project with the outstanding theater performance, “Invisible Lives”.
