Meet Kosta – an up-and-coming IT star from North Macedonia who wants to harness technology to change the world for the better
Kosta Gjorgjevski is an 18-year-old from Skopje, North Macedonia. Despite his young age, he has already become one of the best-known IT professionals in his country. He began programming when he was just ten years old. He explains that he used to play video games almost every day until he realised that he was just wasting his time. “I thought, why not do something more challenging? That is when I decided to develop video games of my own,” Kosta explains.
Kosta worked on game development for some time. He was doing well, but as he grew older he felt that he should focus on more significant things. He knew that, if used properly, information technology can help change the world for the better.
“I thought, why not do something more challenging? That is when I decided to develop video games of my own.”
Making the world a better place
This is when he decided to take programming much more seriously and quit developing video games. As part of a school project, Kosta developed a software-hardware system that detected poisonous gases in the air in an enclosed space. The system successfully detected toxic gases and notified people nearby that something was wrong. It also turned on ventilation systems to remove the hazard. This project was recognised as one of the most innovative projects in North Macedonia by the Fund for Innovations. “After this project, I felt very good, I felt that I was doing something useful with my skills,” says Kosta.
When he was 15 years old, he won an important award at the Codefest Tech Hackathon national competition. As part of this competition, Kosta, along with the team, developed an application for an historical video game about the Cold War. Kosta explains that the idea was to find a historical event, develop a video game around it, and make it somehow educational. In the end, Kosta and his team won second place overall and first place in user-interface and user-experience design. Following these accomplishments, he won a number of other awards – a hugely impressive achievement at such a young age.
“These experiences have had a huge impact on my vision for the future. I still need to learn new things, and I keep on looking for more learning opportunities.”
ERASMUS+ is the EU’s programme to support education, training, youth and sport in Europe. Its budget of €14.7 billion provides opportunities for over 4 million Europeans to study, train, and gain experience abroad.
However, his journey to success was not an easy one. His family firmly supported him, but nevertheless, there were other challenges that he had to deal with. One of the main challenges was learning the complicated maths that is crucial for computer programming. He had to take a range of private courses to improve his skills in maths and related topics. Kosta explains that these learning experiences made an essential change for him professionally and personally. “These experiences have had a huge impact on my vision for the future. I still need to learn new things, and I keep on looking for more learning opportunities,” he says.
Barcelona inspiration
Last year, he applied for and won an opportunity to join a study trip to Barcelona. The trip was financed and supported by the European Union’s ERASMUS+ programme. Kosta and other young people spent 16 days in Barcelona and visited universities that work on software for Formula 1 cars. They also visited the SEAT car factory, where they learned about mechatronics – robots creating cars. “It was extraordinary and fascinating,” Kosta says.
Kosta explains that the experience in Barcelona inspired him to create new projects and motivated him even more to pursue a career in IT. At the same time, while he was in Barcelona, he also visited museums and other cultural sites, met new friends and expanded his cultural horizons. Kosta now plans to study and pursue his career in computer engineering to include work on hardware and software programming. “I have chosen this because it will enable me to create devices that are really innovative,” he says.
Through Erasmus+ Florjan Muhaj from Albania has turned his childhood passion for political science into a professional career
Politics has been Florjan’s passion since childhood. While his friends were kicking a ball around, Florjan was attracted to news and political events. He became involved in the political science club of his school when he was only 14. Later he joined the school senate and was elected President. He continued his political activism in high school where he promoted environmental issues among his fellow pupils.
“Perhaps some things appear in early childhood and just get stronger and stronger,” Florjan says. And when the time came to choose his course of study at university, he had no doubts about which faculty to choose. He enrolled in the University of Tirana’s Political Science course which, according to Florjan. was a ‘rather new programme of study’. It combined his interests in democratisation, political action and international relations.
“I got so involved in the process that I was deeply convinced that in a few months I would be among the first cohort of students to start the programme. And I succeeded!”
Career choices
Florjan was very clear about wanting a career in the area of policy-making and diplomacy with a focus on the Western Balkans and EU integration and not so much on political parties. He was also well aware that this was a more specific area of study that demanded a specific type of knowledge and skills that were not fully available at his faculty.
In 2017, one of his professors advised him to consider an opportunity for studying abroad for a Master’s degree in Political Science, Integration and Governance through a scholarship scheme funded by the European Union’s Erasmus+ programme.
He began preparing the application documents. “I got so involved in the process that I was deeply convinced that in a few months I would be among the first cohort of students to start the programme. And I succeeded!” Florjan says, and the excitement of that time is still audible in his voice.
He chose to study in Austria. “The University of Salzburg was at that time the only university that offered first-year courses within the programme. Then for my second-year studies, I had the opportunity to choose among the Western Balkan partner universities, but how could they compete with the University of Salzburg?! I would choose it a million times,” Florjan says.
New approaches
He speaks with enthusiasm of the approach in Salzburg. “There was a lot of choice in terms of the course modules, almost as if you could design the course yourself – something that does not happen everywhere, and especially not in the Western Balkans where you have a fixed course programme with only a few choices.”
“I returned to Albania with a great deal of knowledge about the EU, its policies and theories; and a boundless love for Salzburg.”
Erasmus+ is the EU’s programme to support education, training, youth and sport in Europe. Its budget of €14.7 billion provides opportunities for over four million Europeans to study, train, and gain experience abroad.
While studying in Austria, he also had the chance to visit some of the key European Union institutions – in Luxembourg, and Brussels. For him, this was a very productive week, as he had the opportunity to see at first-hand how the EU and its institutions work. “I returned to Albania with a great deal of knowledge about the EU, its policies and theories; and a boundless love for Salzburg and Austria, with great everlasting friendships. I was very enthusiastic about putting into practice everything I had learned,” he says.
A career begun
Florjan is now 25 years old and works in his hometown’s local government, at the EU Integration and Foreign Aid Unit, which is a new structure in all the municipalities of Albania. Over the past two years, he has worked hard in his municipality to increase the possibilities for European integration.
“I have co-organised more than 25 activities, with around 1,000 participants in total, promoting European values, young people’s civic engagement, and important World and European Days, and informing citizens about the EU’s integration process and its institutions and policies,” he says with pride.
In a competition for film buffs, a fashion designer from Sarajevo won the opportunity to visit Cannes Film Festival
Milan Senić, 39, is a Sarajevo-born professional fashion designer. Milan is also a film-lover, but usually he does not have time to watch movies because of his work. Last year he saw an announcement posted on Facebook by a project called the European Film Challenge.
The announcement invited audiences to watch ten European movies over ten weeks on any kind of legal media.
After watching the films, contestants had to share their cinephile experience on social networks and collect points.
The contestant who collected the highest number of points would have the opportunity to experience a major film festival, with costs fully covered by the project.
“As they say: if you want to do something, you’ll find the time; if you don’t, you’ll find an excuse.”
A good habit
Milan decided to take the challenge and started to select and watch movies. Before the challenge he was one of those people who wanted to watch more films but didn’t have time for it. “The challenge helped me to re-establish a good habit of watching films on a regular basis. As they say: if you want to do something, you’ll find the time; if you don’t, you’ll find an excuse.”
Milan enjoyed the experience of the contest, as he is a big fan of European film. In search of the best European films, he says he found out about a lot of interesting directors and movies. Until then he had generally preferred Spanish, Italian and French films but during the challenge he says he was delighted, for example, to discover Hungarian films that he had not seen before.
Top prize
His efforts produced results. Milan was lucky enough to win the competition and an opportunity to be part of the Cannes Film Festival. “I had some information about Cannes but when I went there, I was shocked to see how everything was so expensive and beautiful. It was an amazing experience to see that glamour and luxury,” he says.
For most people at Cannes, the Festival is a business trip to meet with producers, directors and other film industry partners. In this sense, Milan had an advantage: he was able to do nothing but enjoy the festival and watch the films.
But he also had an opportunity to benefit professionally from visiting the festival. Cannes is famous as a film festival where fashion is an essential part of everything, and it was an exceptional experience to see it all live. “It was a beneficial professional experience too, as Cannes is very important both for the film and fashion industries,” says Milan.
“It was a beneficial professional experience too, as Cannes is very important both for the film and fashion industries.”
Promoting European film
Milan was just one of the winners from participant countries who were part of the project. Following the success of previous editions, the project hit the next stage in audience development and community growth.
This includes four main innovative ideas to be applied: a film-influencer programme and content curation platform, cinema-lovers events and a cinephile market study that digests the data gathered in the contest.
The partner countries include Bosnia and Herzegovina, Czechia, Spain, Latvia, Lithuania, North Macedonia, Portugal, and Serbia.
The European Film Challenge project is funded by the European Union’s Creative Europe Programme that supports the cultural and creative sectors.
Ahmed, a visual arts student from Bosnia and Herzegovina, recounts how his student exchange in Turkey ‘changed him as a person’
Ahmed is one of many visual arts and communication design professionals in Bosnia and Herzegovina. However, he took an unusual route to his current profession. Ahmed studied theology at high school. “To be honest, during my high school education, I didn’t think I was talented, and this affected my overall psychological well-being. I was really depressed because I could not figure out what subject I should study at university,” he says.
Ahmed was in doubt about his future profession throughout high school but just before graduation his best friend told him that he was planning to apply to study visual arts and communication design at the International University in Sarajevo. Ahmed decided to try to join him though he was not at all sure he had enough talent for this new endeavour. As he explains, it was an instinct coming from inside that made him take this decision. To his surprise, he was selected. Apparently, he did have talent.
“I became deeply involved in all the subjects. I had little background knowledge, but I was willing to learn and explore. To fill the gap, I worked hard day and night”
Hard work pays off
The course included various subjects such as graphic design, photo, video editing and painting. All of these subjects were totally new to Ahmed. “I became deeply involved in all the subjects. I had little background knowledge, but I was willing to learn and explore. To fill the gap, I worked hard day and night,” he says.
His hard work paid off. Ahmed won a scholarship from the university that covered 50% of his tuition fees. As he continued to improve and gain in self-confidence, he started to make plans about expanding his skills further with international experience. But he did not have financial means to do this, so he knew he needed to find support.
The official language at the International University in Sarajevo is English, a language that was not one of Ahmed’s strong points. He therefore had to take a language course for non-English speakers. He explains that participation in this course contributed to opening his mind and way of thinking because, in addition to the language learning, the same course included topics like critical thinking and career planning. The professor also introduced them to the ERASMUS+ programme that provides scholarships for students who want to study abroad. Ahmed jumped at the opportunity.
A Turkish delight
He was given an opportunity to continue his studies at Anadolu University in Eskisehir in Turkey. Ahmed explains that at that time he was happy to go anywhere. He had never heard about this university and he did not even google it. “When I got there, I realised that it was the best choice I ever made because I fell in love with the city, the university and the people. I felt like I was not on this planet. Those five months were the best five months in my life,” says Ahmed.
“It sounds clichéd, but I became more open-minded. I changed for the better.”
ERASMUS+ is the EU’s programme to support education, training, youth and sport in Europe. Its budget of €14.7 billion provides opportunities for over 4 million Europeans to study, train, and gain experience abroad.
One of the things that he says he appreciates most from the experience at the Eskisehir university is the approach of the professors who were very supportive and ready to help whenever he needed. He remembers that this was particularly true for visiting students like him. Ahmed considerably developed his professional capacity during his stay at the Anadolu University, but he also gained other benefits.
Growing confidence
Ahmed says that before going to Eskisehir, he was more introverted. The experience in Eskisehir changed him. When he came back to Sarajevo, he realised how different he was. He began to apply for voluntary programmes and projects and became a regular at the university’s voluntary service.
“As things were so great on my Erasmus programme I wanted to connect to other EU programmes. I recently became a member of the Erasmus student network. It sounds clichéd, but I became more open-minded. I changed for the better,” says Ahmed.
Ahmed graduated this summer and is currently working part-time, but he aims to find a full-time job that is fully related to his major. At some point in the future, he hopes to establish a business of his own.
The career of a young Montenegrin actress takes off thanks to EU-funded play, Kapital
Jelena, 22, has held an affection for the arts and, in particular, for acting from a very young age. At school she regularly participated in activities related to drama and acting. But back then she didn’t know that when the time came to choose her professional career this joy would also bring along some complications.
During high school, acting had become a real passion for her and she started considering it seriously as her lifetime profession. Her family and some of her friends advised her that choosing acting as a profession could be risky.
“They said that there was no money in acting and that you couldn’t live on a love for the arts. I think there is a bit of truth in that, but I also think that if you want to do something – if you are dedicated and if you really love what you do – you can make it happen,” she says.
In any case, Jelena was doubtful as to whether she could pass the entrance exam for the Drama Faculty. She made sure she had a plan B and a plan C in case she didn’t get a place. In the meantime, she worked hard with constant preparation for the exam. Luckily for her, plan A worked out and she was accepted at the Drama Faculty.
“If you want to do something – if you are dedicated and if you really love what you do – you can make it happen”
A really big deal
However, as she says ‘this was not the happy ending’ as challenges for an artist do not end by enrolling at university. She knew that she had to work hard and learn a lot, which she was ready for. But she was still far from sure that this hard work would have any tangible results in terms of a successful career and financial stability.
However, in her first year she was invited to audition for a play – or, as she likes to call it, a performance. The play was being developed as part of the EU Collective Plays! project funded through the European Union’s Creative Europe Programme. A few months later, she was informed that she was accepted. This was her first play.
It is unusual for first-year students to perform in a play, let alone in one that involves international performance. “This was a really big deal!” Jelena says.
“It is a very strong performance. It has a lot of music in it and it presents many different perspectives on each topic or problem. So, people were shocked, and people were amazed; people were crying, and people were laughing.”
The EU Collective Plays! project promotes international cooperation between playwrights, theatre organisations and communities of different nationalities for sharing creation and staging of collective plays. The project also promotes young playwrights and their careers, and their recognition at the European and global level. The project experiments with the widening of theatre audiences by the diffusion of different types of workshops, shows and educational laboratories.
Opening opportunities
The name of the performance was Kapital, and the idea behind the play was to question everything – from theories that people accept as truth to figures about poverty, official statistics on the consumer society, to nationalistic debates.
“I was thrilled. First of all, I was getting an opportunity to work with the well-known director András Urbán. It was very different from classical theatre, so working with him taught me that classical theatre is not the only theatre. There are many other ways to approach topics and the problems that are happening right now and not only in some books or plays,” she says.
The cast travelled widely with the play, both within and outside of Montenegro, and as a result, she was invited to auditions and was asked to perform in other plays.
Besides Kapital, there were other plays and performances developed by partners as part of the EU Collective Plays! Project. The project partners have set up nine playwriting transnational collective groups and finalised nine new original plays, which have been written collaboratively.
Kapital received positive reviews and wide acclaim from the audiences in cities where they performed. “It is a very strong performance. It has a lot of music in it and it presents many different perspectives on each topic or problem. So, people were shocked, and people were amazed; people were crying, and people were laughing,” Jelena says.
And maybe within the audiences was another young girl, wide-eyed at the magic of theatre and beginning to believe that if you really want something you can make it happen.
A young scientist from Montenegro brings his passion for scientific research to a transnational project on renewable energy
While most of Mihailo’s friends were interested in playing football and other games in the school yard, his preferred playground was the school lab. He doesn’t know where this passion for science came from: “I don’t remember having any particular external reason that inspired me for science, somehow it was always in me,” he says.
Throughout his childhood, his passion for science kept growing. He was praised by his teachers and in high school he began to win awards for his scientific experiments. “In high school I began to work more on topics related to electrical engineering. As a result, when I finished high school, the decision to study electrical engineering was only natural,” he says.
Mihailo enrolled at the Electrical Engineering Faculty of the University of Podgorica. As a dedicated student, he continued getting high grades and soon caught the attention of his professors. He was one of the best students of his year group and soon after graduation he was invited to work as an assistant professor at the Engineering Faculty. While Mihailo was happy about this, he also had some hesitations. His primary goal was still to work on research and scientific studies, and he was not sure if his new position would allow him enough time and opportunity to follow his passion.
“Our present and the future of the whole planet and energy system depends on renewable energy sources”
Bigger and better
Montenegro is a small country with only around 600,000 residents. Consequently, the University of Podgorica has limited resources for work on bigger scientific projects. Meanwhile, Mihailo had this urge inside him to work on something bigger that would have an impact not only in Montenegro but also beyond the borders of his country.
Soon after Mihailo started as an assistant, the faculty approached him with another opportunity within the EU-funded Crossbow project. It was exactly what he was looking for: an important new field of experimentation that would have a positive impact on a much larger number of people.
Crossing borders
Thirteen countries participate in the project, with Montenegro among them. Its aim is to promote cross-border management of variable renewable energies and storage units with the final goal of empowering a transnational wholesale market in renewable energies.
Scientific teams from all of the partner countries worked on different components of the project. “Honestly, first, I was surprised that I was offered this great opportunity knowing that I didn’t have lots of experience. I was full of enthusiasm, and I happily accepted the invitation,” he says.
Mihailo’s tasks as part of this project included solar and biomass energy modelling. This involves predicting the energy production from these types of power plants, which he says is, “something new and interesting and exciting.”
Mihailo participated in workshops and conferences organised as part of the project. The workshops provided him with an opportunity to meet scientists who have carried out important work on renewable and power energy from partner countries. This was a very important learning experience, as he had very little knowledge and experience in this field.
“The work on the project took a lot of time and energy, I did not feel any pressure or exhaustion as for me this was like living in a dream,” he says.
Mihailo completed his role in the project successfully and says he learned many new and vital things. Now he is looking forward to further experiences in the renewable energy field because, as he says, “our present and the future of the whole planet and energy system depends on renewable energy sources.”
“The work on the project took a lot of time and energy, I did not feel any pressure or exhaustion as for me this was like living in a dream.”
About the project
Crossbow is a €17.2 million project in the smart grids sector funded by the research and innovation programme of the European Commission, Horizon2020. Twenty-four partners participate from 13 European countries, with eight national transmission system operators. The project began in November 2017 and will last four years.
A start-up founded by a young entrepreneur from Serbia is growing despite a challenging business climate
Strahinja Tirnanić, 31, is an entrepreneur from Serbia. He started his career as a web administrator at a company that manages an online employment portal and quickly made his way up the ladder, earning a promotion to Marketing and PR Manager and Business Developer.
At that point, he realised that he could probably start and run a business of his own. “I’d held the idea of running my own business inside me for a long time. After six years of experience in business, continuous education and a good base of business contacts, my self-confidence had grown. I decided the time was right to make the entrepreneurial leap,” he says.
Making the leap
His research showed a shortage of marketing and management consulting services in the market. These were the areas where he had skills.
He developed a business plan, quit his job and registered his own start-up consultancy company specialising in those fields. However, like many other young entrepreneurs in the Western Balkans, he needed additional support – in particular, to help in exploring new markets outside of Serbia and learning how to manage projects remotely.
A timely promotion on social media introduced him to the EU-funded Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs (EYE) programme.
“I saw an event on Facebook about an information day for the programme taking place in my city. As I was just on my way to Switzerland for a holiday, I contacted the organisers and asked if we could schedule a meeting for my return. They agreed, and as I set off for Geneva, I felt my journey in international business was really starting!”
“I decided the time was right to make the entrepreneurial leap”
The project that supported Strahinja is called StartUp2. It facilitates the exchanges, learning and networking for new entrepreneurs. The exchange takes place during a stay abroad with an experienced entrepreneur, who helps the new entrepreneur acquire the skills needed to run a small firm.
This was exactly what Strahinja was looking for.
Off to Slovenia
He chose to visit Slovenia for his exchange and selected the Luxembourg Slovenian Business Club (LSBC) as the host organisation. He was attracted by the array of activities they were involved in, new ways of working and a creative and intercultural environment. “I was sure that this would be a great challenge for me, and I was also looking forward to exploring Slovenia and its business environment.”
He stayed in Slovenia for three months, an experience he looks back on as the best time of his career and life so far. With advisors working throughout the world, the LSBC has great experience in remote operations. One of the most important things that Strahinja says he learned during his stay was how to manage people remotely. He also upgraded his digital skills for improving productivity and efficiency. However, it is the network of people that he considers the most valuable gain from the exchange.
Networks create business
During his stay, Strahinja participated in many business events and worked on expanding his network. As a result, his Customer Relationship Management system now includes the names of over 60 executives whom he met at events – with a particular point of pride that among them is the globally renowned US entrepreneur and founder of multiple start-ups, Jeff Hoffman!
Strahinja came back with five clients and partners from Slovenia with whom he still collaborates. One of them is PGN.global, a start-up for innovative technologies, whom he says is his biggest client. Since then he has hired two new colleagues, moved to new offices and gained two new clients.
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, Strahinja has experienced considerable growth over the last six months. He gives special credit to the StartUp2 project for this success. “I believe that this success is a result of our ability to work remotely and our focus on the international market. These are the things I learned at the LSCB in Slovenia,” he says.
“I believe that this success is a result of our ability to work remotely and our focus on the international market. These are the things I learned at LSCB in Slovenia”
Strahinja is one of many young people who have benefited from StartUp2. The project has so far supported 128 entrepreneurs from different countries with on-the-job training, facilitating and consolidating successful start-ups and helping small firms gain a foothold in other European markets. It is run by a consortium of eight partners from Finland, France, Italy, Latvia, Portugal, Serbia, Spain, and the UK – and is coordinated by CESIE (European Centre of Studies and Initiatives) from Italy. The Business Development Centre from Kragujevac is the project partner in Serbia.
StartUp2 is supported by Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs (EYE), which is a cross-border exchange programme giving new or aspiring entrepreneurs the chance to learn from experienced entrepreneurs running small businesses in other participating countries. The host benefits from fresh perspectives and opportunities to build links with foreign partners and learn about new markets. Serbia takes part in the programme, along with all other countries in the Western Balkans.
Efforts to preserve the oldest spruce tree in Europe get support from the European Union
The Picea omorika, also known as the Serbian spruce, is a living fossil tree native to a small area at the border of Serbia with Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was declared a protected species in 1955 but scientists say it will disappear soon if the issues related to its preservation are not addressed.
In the evolutionary sense, it is the oldest existing tree in Europe, but ironically it was not identified untile 1875 – one of the last trees to be discovered.
Professor Milan Mataruga from Banja Luka University in Bosnia and Herzegovina is one of the leading scientists working on the conservation of this rare plant.
“I first found out about the Picea omorika when I was a student at the Forestry Faculty of the University of Belgrade in 1991. We had a field visit to the area where the tree is endemic, and it was love at first sight. I was immediately captivated by this beautiful rare plant, and since then it has been my favourite species,” he says.
From then on, Professor Mataruga dreamt of taking some time off to work on the preservation of Picea omorika. The last time anything similar was done was almost seventy years ago, in 1951, and the professor knew that a new range of initiatives was needed. However, in between academic and family obligations, and with a lack of funds, he could not find a way to make progress toward his dream.
“I was immediately captivated by this beautiful rare plant, and since then it has been my favourite species.”Working together
The chance came in 2019 when Professor Mataruga started working on an EU-funded project focused on preserving this rare endemic species. The project works to assess the status of the Picea omorika population, propose measures for its preservation, and raise awareness about its conservation among the people of the region, particularly with young people throughout the area where Picea omorika grows.
The project sites are located on both sides of the Drina river, and the project will protect twenty Picea omorika habitats in the cross-border region. The activities are implemented jointly by the Tara National Park public enterprise in Serbia and the Forests of Republika Srpska public enterprise in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Marijana Josipović from Tara National Park explains that the overall goal of the project is to contribute to the conservation of the area’s biodiversity, including the protection of the Picea omorika. She explains that the project partners work together to support the survival of these species through improved management of the threatened habitat of the Picea omorika, raising awareness of the importance of endangered species.
“The preservation of this plant is most importantly a legacy for future generations.”
Creating a legacy
Dr Jelena Aleksić, from the Institute of Molecular Genetics and Genetic Engineering in Belgrade, emphasises the need for a comprehensive genetic study, a management plan and a long-term strategy for the Picea omorika to survive in these areas.
Professor Mataruga is also looking at the long term. He says that an important outcome of the project is the volunteer involvement of the students involved. He knows from first-hand experience the impact this precious tree can make on young people, concluding: “The preservation of this plant is most importantly a legacy for future generations.”
The project is supported through the EU funded Cross-Border Programme – Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
A young entrepreneur from Serbia travels to a small village in Spain to learn the art of business
Torralba de Ribota has only 120 residents and its economy could be described as far from vibrant. This village in northeast Spain has no shops and only one bar, and the inhabitants’ main source of income is farming. Yet it is here that 31 years old Serbian entrepreneur, Mladen Savković, chose to spend a month to improve his business skills.
Mladen is a public relations (PR) professional who, after working for ten years in journalism and freelance PR for art and cultural activities, recently opened his own PR agency. However, Mladen realised that he needed support to perform better.
“I came across a story about a woman from Serbia who founded a homemade pasta company. To improve her business, she had successfully applied for EU funding to go to Sicily for a few months to learn the craft from experts. That seemed ideal to me! So I started researching how she got to go there,” he says.
“I thought that if you learn how to engage an audience there, you can engage an audience anywhere.”
This is how Mladen found out about the MOVE-YE project, which is funded under the European Union’s COSME programme. Like many other young people, Mladen jumped at the chance of a working visit to an EU country. As he speaks Spanish, Spain seemed like an obvious choice.
Where to go?
His first idea was to go to Madrid or Barcelona. He explains that he had plenty of host company options, most of them in tourism, IT and other sectors. But he was attracted by an opportunity in the cultural sector that came up in Torralba de Ribota.
“I was interviewed by two ladies who ran the Saltamontes Festival of art and music in the village, and was really impressed. This is a small village, and they have managed to organise a successful arts festival! I thought to myself if you can learn how to engage an audience there, you can engage an audience anywhere and decided that this was the right opportunity for me.”
Mladen spent a full month working at the Saltamontes Festival. He saw the importance of promoting art and culture outside of urban areas, where it still forms a vital part of everyday life, but in a slightly different way. “I have become more aware of the importance of engaging with the local community and listening to their cultural needs and interests,” he says.
“I have become more aware of the importance of engaging with the local community and listening to their cultural needs and interests.”
The EU-funded MOVE-YE (Mobilising Entrepreneurial Values and Ideas Across Europe) project aims to enhance entrepreneurial culture and the networking between European entrepreneurs. Funded under the COSME programme, it offers both young and experienced entrepreneurs the opportunity to observe different business practices, understand new markets, and internationalise and innovate their business via a cross-border mobility scheme.
Bringing the experience home
Mladen mostly works with institutions that organise cultural events and festivals. Now he is planning to introduce to his clients in Serbia the audience engagement methods that he learned in Spain. “You can make an exhibition and just put it there. But I learned that it is important to work with the audience and focus on engaging the community more intensely. The experience at the Saltamontes Festival made me think about ideas that I can implement here in Serbia,” he says.
A Serbian clothing business that blends creativity with eco-design is thriving with EU support
Regenerik is one of a new wave of innovative clothing brands gaining ground in Serbia. The company produces urban clothing and handmade accessories from materials like natural fibres and recycled and biodegradable materials. This type of manufacturing is not very common in Serbia, or in the rest of the Western Balkan region.
Danica Tomić is one of the founders of Regenerik.
She graduated as an architect and until a year ago she never thought of herself working as anything else.
After graduation, she took up an internship opportunity at an architectural firm, but soon became frustrated with the nature of the administrative tasks assigned to interns. Danica had a burning desire to do something creative.
From architecture to fashion
When a close friend quit his job and suggested she join him in a new business, she agreed under one condition – that the work in the start-up would use her creativity.
Her sister soon joined the team and the newly-formed trio had plenty of energy, but they lacked a specific business idea. Nor did they have any ideas as to where they could turn for advice.
“When I participated in the first workshop, I had no clear idea about the type of business I wanted to start… I am an architect, but I always had a passion for fashion design.”
Danica is a proactive person, so she immediately began searching online and asking her friends for advice on starting a business. One friend told her about a programme for start-ups funded by the European Union, supporting young entrepreneurs in developing their business skills.
“When I participated in the first workshop, I had no clear idea about the type of business I wanted to start… I am an architect, but I always had a passion for fashion design, and following the discussion and analysis with the mentors on the course I decided to start Regenerik,” says Danica.
Danica also improved her skills in product development and presentation at these workshops, as well as learning about business management. Combining this knowledge with her passion, she and her friends successfully launched their business. They have since expanded, hiring additional employees who work together on the manufacture of Regenerik products.
“I feel better and more comfortable when I know that other people will grow together with us.This is the core idea of Regenerik: joint work, joint benefits and protection of the environment.”
The project also aimed to impact the employability of young people in the long term. The project partners worked on developing the capacities of over 120 civil society organisations in the Western Balkans so that they could cooperate in designing and implementing innovative approaches to youth employability and employment.
The project is run by the Belgrade Open School along with partners from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo and Montenegro, and the Olof Palme International Centre (Sweden).
Small is the best fit
Danica does not dream of a big company. She says she would be delighted if her business continued to grow steadily so she could engage more people who could work on the handmade manufacturing of Regenerik products.
“I feel better and more comfortable when I know that other people will grow together with us, and this is the core of the idea of Regenerik: joint work, joint benefits and protection of the environment,” she says.
The training programme that Danica participated in was organised by the EU-funded WeB4YES project. Along with Danica, over 1,000 other young people from the Western Balkans have benefitted from new skills and launched start-ups or been employed in other companies following participation in this project.
