You participated in the project Mov(i)e it in Serbia. How did you find it and why did it stand out for you?
I am subscribed to the newsletter MOVIT and I got an e-mail. I am interested in photography and also in filming so stop-motion technique stood out to me. It’s something new and something I’ve never tried before.
How did you apply?
I found the information on the website of Hostelling International Slovenia and I contacted Kaja Kren to help me apply. I contacted her and told her that I’m interested in the project and that I want to apply and she encouraged me to do it. I applied through internet. On the website Salto-Youth there were information about the workshop Mov(i)e it! All the forms were also on the website, I downloaded them, filled them and sent them on the given e-mail.
What about the expenses? How was the procedure to get the subsidy, who did you contact?
Travel expenses, accommodation and food were paid for. Erasmus+ took care of everything that was included in the project. At the end of the workshop a member of Educational Centre in Serbia took our travel tickets and reimbursed the price of the ticket and when we used the ticket to get home, we sent that ticket by mail. The expenses were reimbursed when we got home.
Tell me about your experience on the project.
There were a lot of classes, almost too many and a lot less practical work that was in the name of the workshop. But these lectures were one of the conditions to get the financing from Erasmus+. At the end it was a good experience, I met a lot of people, a lot of different profiles that are different than mine (I’m a natural scientist, others were mostly psychologists, sociologists and similar).
What did you do on the project?
From Monday to Wednesday we had 3 classes with breaks and some group works. The theme was human rights, discrimination, racism.
Thursday was a day for a break and we went to the ski slopes and to the park Kapaonik. On Friday we had one class and then we started with practical work and stop-motion technique. We started making figurines from Play-Doh and we were photographing by the evening. On the first evening we made more than 100 photographs. Saturday was all about finishing the short movie (editing and final shots). And on Sunday we played our movies.
Did you make any friends? You also mentioned that there were some other Slovenes participating in the project.
Yes, we made a Facebook group Mov(i)e it. About two weeks after the workshop we posted almost every day and we bonded even more. Now we post rarely but we still post. If not on other occasion, when someone has a birthday.
I stayed in contact with two girls from Bosnia and three girls from Albania. The whole group was great. We were like a big family, although there were 28 of us.
Did you learn something about the culture, see the town?
We had a lot of work so we didn’t see the town very much. But we still had the time to go out for fresh air and see the village Brzeče. On Wednesday night we went to the local coffee house which was interesting. We saw park Kopaonik and ski slopes when we were free.
What did you learn on the project?
Especially that team work is important. I also learned that I know a lot more about human rights than I thought. I also learned that language mustn’t be the reason for not communicating. We had a girl from Albania who did not speak English very well but we all encouraged her to talk. Now we are friends.
I also learned stop-motion technique that I was interested in which was the main theme of the workshop.
Would you participate in any other projects that will happen in the future?
I’m not following the projects at the moment but I’m sure that I would apply if I had the time and the theme would interest me.
What advice would you give to young travelers and people who still hesitate to apply?
That there aren’t any obstacles or reasons not to apply. If you’re interested in the project, apply! You don’t have to be brave to do it. And you can also meet interesting people and make new friends.
Participating on projects is always rewarding. You may get new friends, new knowledge or new experience. Every volunteer who participated in one of the projects that we monthly present to you at Hostelling International Slovenia has come home motivated to participate in future projects. Have you checked out the projects that we presented you this month? Check it out here. We are happy to help you apply. Money also isn’t a problem since most of the projects are free and they also reimburse you the travelling cost. Travel and learn!
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