A1: Supply of equipment for improvement of tourism attractiveness in Mediana

The cultural potential of Mediana Municipality is tremendous since there’re many talented artists and engaged audience – two necessary components for the vitality of the cultural life; however there is an existing need for technical modernization and diversification of the equipment for a more effective conduction of events. Therefore the activity is directed towards supply of basic provisions which can significantly improve the quality of the local performances as well as serve as an impetus for a more concentrated and intense cultural tourism. The equipment includes: microphones, stands, stereo box, speakers, light dimmer, flightcases, hanging bars, etc. and will be of multiple use for rich variety of events – concerts, festivals, public readings.

A2: Supply of equipment for improvement of tourism attractiveness in Montana

The drama theater in Montana is in the core of cultural and tourism development in the region. During the past years the theater have attracted hundreds of visitors from the cross-border region as it serves one of the most honorable missions during the ages – to present fine art that uses live performers to transfer the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience. Nevertheless, there is an existing need for technical modernization and diversification of the equipment (costumes) for better correspondence with the viewers’ expectations as well as richness of the esthetic of the performance. The equipment includes: • Technologies: microphones, stands, stereo boxes, speakers, laptops etc. • Traditional costumes representing the cultural diversity of the region: Dobrudzan, Pirin, Thracian, etc.

A3: Research on the presence of art and culture in the young people’s lives

The current research does not have the pretention to cover all the aspects of the cultural life at large; however it strives to incorporate some of its elements with high relevance to the general aim, more concretely: establishment of an objective and comprehensive overview of the current cultural condition in Montana and Mediana with its strengths and weaknesses as well as valuable evaluation in terms of practicality, all within the perspective of the youth in the region. It is concentrated on 3 integral variations of cultural presence: direct involvement, audience participation and facilities/organizations providing services of such type; it gravitates towards the matters of sufficiency/insufficiency of the platforms for participation and their essence in terms of quality as the opinion of the young people (elaboration of an inclusive yet simple questionnaire which will be freely distributed among the youth; 2 pages – 15 questions accompanied with opportunity to freely express additional information on the topic in the form of conversation with the interviewer ) is being taken into serious consideration. The second stage of the research will be consolidation, categorization and synthesis of the obtained information on which basis an identification of the deficiencies in the cultural life of the community will be made, as well as suggestions for its partial and/or general improvement.

A4: Philosophy of Art

Philosophy of Art is an initiative aiming to provide an alternative source of information towards the matters of culture, able to provoke the interest of the youth in a creative and innovative way; the problem that the activity addresses is the insufficient presence of the topic within the framework of the educational curriculum and will be conducted under the form of lectures in time period adjusted to the needs of the participants. The initiative’s programme will consist of several (5) courses – History of European art, Forms of artistic expression during the centuries, Specificity of art and culture in the Balkans, incl. 2 specialized courses: Screenwriting 101 and Photography Basics, the participants of which will be invited to practice the acquired skills in a) competition for a screenplay – the winner will have the opportunity to meet local writers with significant expertise in the field able to present him/her valuable with valuable advice regarding his/her work b) in events Live poetry providing great opportunity for the youngsters interested in photography to demonstrate their capabilities. Their works will be presented during a special exhibition for the purpose. The initiative’s general aspiration is to promote sustainable engagement among the local youth regarding all types of artistic expression problematic as well as to serve as a catalyst for the intensification of their participatory culture.

A5: Live Poetry

The idea of the current initiative develops on two levels: promotion of a sustainable and environmentally orientated lifestyle and stimulation of the local youth’s talents through cooperation of dialogue of value. It addresses the problems of a) low environmental awareness and b) deficiency in platforms for expression of the individual’s capabilities; the activity provides channel for active collaboration among the youngsters with artistic inclinations thus strengthening their potential for valuable realization in the field. During “Live Poetry” several places of environmental importance will be selected where the participants will be able to produce an original text (poetry, haiku, narration) inspired by the witnessed views and present them afterwards in front of their peers and lecturers. The photographers from the course Photography Basics will be invited to capture the beauty of the nature as well as the creative process of the young writers. The successful implementation of the activity will give the chance for different local artists to meet and establish a horizon of future artistic collaboration. The activity will take place in Montana during one Sunday; the results from it (texts and pictures) will be presented during an exhibition – 1 week, comprised of the photographs being framed and accompanied with fragments of the literary texts elaborated during “Live poetry”.

A6: Back to the roots: dance event

The current activity explores dancing as a form of creative expression of both individual and collective identity as it consolidates the particular rhythm and meanings of the époque of its origin as well as allows the dancing individual to implicate his/her own internal aptitudes through the dynamic of the movement. The idea is stimulation of the local youth for artistic expression while enhancing their knowledge about the traditions and characteristics of the region they inhabit, thus creating culture of respect towards their cultural and natural heritage and strong engagement in the topic of its preservation. The participants will be invited to explore the different aspects of their past during open dance event with special dress code, live music and instructors who will teach them more about the dancing styles; it will take place in Mediana on a Saturday evening and will be open to anyone with desire for involvement.

A7: Network “Young Artists for sustainable development”

The youngsters successfully participated in the activities of the project will be invited to a 2 day seminar/meeting in Mediana with the attempt for establishment of a network of motivated and talented young people able to cooperate constructively in a framework of mutual respect. During the seminar a) the local artists will be introduced to each other b) a presentation of their works will be conducted c) a workshop for cultural development of the cities Montana and Mediana will be organized as a way to stimulate their critical thinking and personal involvement towards the matter. Furthermore, since PA 5 and PA 6 have taken different execution form in terms of place, participants and character, the meeting will be used as a platform for presentation of the achieved results – photographs and videos from the Dances will be presented, as well as the texts from the poetry symposium. For the successful implementation of the activity around 30 participants will be needed (15 from BG, 15 from RS) along with trainers (2 -one from BG, one from RS) , who will facilitate the execution of the seminar.

A8: Development of web-based and other communicational (Facebook page, Instagram page) platforms
A9: Organizing a joint seminar „Europe as we (don’t ) know it“

The aim of the seminar is to gather young people from both sides of the border and to give them the opportunity to gain a better understanding of the European project. It will focus on several basic points: history and shared values, integration processes, policies, citizenship rights and main challenges with the objective of forming a fair and thorough image of the Union. There will be 4 panels each of which dedicated to specific topic with high relevance to the beneficiaries: • European Union in its integrity • Bulgaria and the EU: 11 years of membership • Serbia and the EU: the perspective towards membership • The Bulgaria – Serbia cross-border region: history, traditions, importance of cooperation The thematic divisions will fulfill the need of differentiation in the information flow in order for it to be more balanced, precise and easily processed; the goal is to provoke reaction in the participants and to set the basis for further engagement and valuable discussion. The seminar importance is defined by the deficit of primary knowledge among the youth (but not only) about the European affairs and about the history of the region they inhabit thus compromising the ability of active citizenship.