Elena Jovancich Stojkova, Monika Spasik, Vladimir Georgievski, Mia Vujadinovikj, Gorge Vitanov and Aleksandar Trendov attended the youth exchange “Let’s Improvise: Becoming Creative, Expressive and Spontaneous Through Music” between 28th of October – 3rd of November 2019, organized by Association Tambour Battant in cooperation with our sister organization Association for culture, inclusion and human rights Strits Kumanovo in La Vancelle, France.
The main theme of the youth exchange was music as a stepping stone to social inclusion of youth and community cohesion. It aimed to provide young participants with expertise in the field of music and artistic expression in general. It also aimed to promote greater intercultural understanding between young Europeans, to sensitize them on European citizenship through various activities based on formal and non-formal education methods.
Below you can read their impressions:
Youth exchanges are always a rocky road the first day,and it was one for all of us too.
Filled with exhaustion from the traveling,fear from all these new people who looked so different from us the first time we saw them,but ended up being so alike us the following days and nights we all got to know each other.
Music really does connect us all, and the exchange organizers really gave their best to show us that,through workshops such as discussions,presentations,even games we all connected as a group and worked flawlessly towards our goal – expressing ourselves through sound.
It didn’t matter whether or not you were a musician before you came to La Vancelle, but everyone did leave as one on the last day.
We learned a lot about what it means to function as a group,even if you don’t know the people you work with for more than 7 days.
All of us felt this intense energy of acceptance and love that I personally had the toughest time saying goodbye to on the last day,even if the goodbyes were filled with music and melody.
Our whole group is so thankful for this opportunity to be a part of a truly wonderful exchange,and of course,to CID and STRITS for giving us one.
Elena, Monika, Vladimir, Mia, Gorge and Aleksandar
