Looking back

The 5th IYMS is over.

It all worked out in the end. In the words of the great master Vid: it doesn’t matter how we got there, we got there in the end. My group struggled, fought and battled our way through and managed to have a finished product in the end. Though, I am usually one of those who think the journey is more important than the end, in this case, I couldn’t wait to get there! All in all, I am pleased with what we delivered. All though the story we had in mind had a different ending, due to time constraints, we chose for this one. And it is a good alternative. Please give a big round of applause to Boca for his drawings on the first day, Vid for his drawings every day, and Nikola for the post production! I wanted these guys to be on the credit list, but unfortunately post production told me they had no time to fix it. Just know that I really appreciate your contribution – we couldn’t have done it without y’all :)

The other PSAs looked really good! What a great job they all did. Here is my rundown on the other 6:

Discrimination: loved the concept. Simple idea, but tells the story effectively. Great acting (didn’t know Diego could give such nasty looks ;) ) And boys, it looked like you had a hard time keeping up with Miomir ;)

Environment: wow, what a smooth animation that was, nothing compared to Democracy, but then again, with such a stellar team behind it, I didn’t expect anything less. Love the message and great sound effects by the way, Lael, didn’t know you could make such a convincing girl ;)

Health: loved the over-the-top, cheesyness of it all. If you’re going to make a comedy out of it, then go all the way, like the Health group did! It was definitely the most amusing one. The message was very clear and the actors: kudos guys – great job!

Poverty: loved the intercutting between the rich and the poor guy, very nicely done. The contrast – between the bright supermarket lights and the dark parking lot, big-ish guy (sorry) and skinny Vid, speed of walking from both guys etc – it was speaking volumes. The music really fitted the message as well. Great job Poverty – one of my favourites!

Violence: great soundtrack, message and acting. Vid, seriously dude, you should maybe rethink your career ambitions. Acting seems to come so easily and naturally to you. If you are one of the lucky ones who have seen some of the footage that wasn’t used – hilarious! Lea, the dog, really steals the show in those :) All in all, this PSA looked really slick, it was a complete package, from start to end with the animation, sound and credits. Definitely another one of my favourites :)

Youth: kudos to the post production team – the special effects in the dream scenes looked really amazing. It was nicely shot, so well done Youth!

And last but not least, here’s a shout out to the Documentary team: awesome job guys (and girls ;) ) Loved how you put everything together in the end. The flow and the soundtrack made the whole thing look really smooth.

So, that’s it for the 5th Summit. I enjoyed being part of it. I am pleased with my contribution and proud of the final product. It will be hard for the 6th Summit participants to top our PSAs – but I have no doubt they will.

PS. I will add the link to the documentary and PSAs as soon as it is available online.

Boys will be boys

The weather is hot and sticky. The work rooms are noisy and messy. I am frustrated and at the verge of having a nervous breakdown. This can only mean one thing: the IYMS is in full swing.

You see, I am ‘in charge’ of a group of 3 boys. Now, I do love kids (as you may have read in previous posts) and I love these kids, but boy what I would do to get rid of these bunch of ****s (I couldn’t come up with an appropriate word to describe them, so it’s up to your imagination how you finish those 4*) ;)

Boys being boys, they need supervision. I wish I could just leave them for two minutes to continue to work on the PSA, but unfortunately, when I leave the room, they think that’s a sign for Facebook or do whatever it is that boys do these days. They depend on me, which is a shame, because I know they can do it. What’s more, it is their voice that should be heard, their message that needs to be seen, not mine. With some (huge) amount of luck, we might just start animating tomorrow and who knows – we might even have a finished product by the end of the Summit. The quality and standard of that product though…well, let’s just say I’ll be more than pleased if these bunch of boys can come up with something that animates. And God, could I use some animation right now ;)

Keep your fingers crossed for the Democracy team :)

Final Catalog for the IYMS

Have a look at the final catalog that Vid and I designed for the IYMS which is starting in a few days...

Livin' On Tara

(These are the lyrics Sabina and I wrote to the tune of Jon Bon Jovi's Livin' On A Prayer, while we were on Tara. We planned to record it and make a music video. Unfortunately, circumstances prevented us from finishing the work. If we ever decide to finish it, you'll be the first to know :))


Friday at 6 we got on the bus
We had the whole day
To eat and play, it's tough...
So tough...

Then everyone gathered around
Thinking about a plan
What to script and film, for peace...
Oh peace...

We've got to hold on to what we've got
It doesn't make a difference if we make it or not
We got each other and that's a lot
For peace we'll give it a shot!

Oh, we're half way there
Oh oh, livin' on Tara
Take my hand, we'll make it I swear
Oh oh, livin' on Tara

The Greeks had an early start
The Iranians worked so hard
The Austrians looked the part, so smart
Oh so smart...

The Serbs were nice enough to open their arms
They invited us here, and someone promised
There's much music
But no sleep...

We've got to hold on to what we've got
It doesn't make a difference if we make it or not
We got each other and that's a lot
For peace we'll give it a shot!

Oh, we're half way there
Oh oh, livin' on Tara
Take my hand, we'll make it I swear
Oh oh, livin' on Tara

We gotta hold on ready or not
We live for the peace when it's all that we've got

Oh, we're half way there
Oh oh, livin' on Tara
Take my hand, we'll make it I swear
Oh oh, livin' on Tara

I left my heart in Tara Mountain...

I just came back from Tara. Spent ten days on a mountain with hundreds of kids (and even that was not enough)…

And I enjoyed every single minute I spent with those kids.

At times I did feel like a circus attraction, but I totally understand that for most kids I was the first Dutch person they had ever seen in their young lives. So, it wasn’t uncommon that whenever I stepped out of the door, I was surrounded and followed (one little fella even dared to follow me all the way into the toilet – don’t know what he was expecting to find/see there) by kids. Most of them were just curious, perhaps even flabbergasted by this strange looking creature (me). They didn’t get further than "Hello", but there were a few who were really fascinated and they tried to strike up a conversation.

The first little fella that approached me was Marko (a 13 year old – though he kept convincing himself that he was already 14 – he was born in '97 – call me crazy, but I think that makes him 13). Anyways, Sabina and I were sitting at the Windmill (one of our spots on Tara) and were chatting away, when Marko approached curiously and started to talk to us, in Serbian of course. I could get some of what he said, but the rest…that's what Vid is for! Marko was always ready to introduce me to his friends and explain to them that my knowledge of Serbian is limited. He was my personal little bodyguard.

Then there was Nebosja, 14, and he spoke fluent English. I was really impressed with his language skills and that of a lot of other youngsters that I met. I couldn’t speak English when I was their age, so I am really really impressed. Nebosja was a determined little fella, always waiting and ready to strike up a conversation. He wants to be an English teacher when he grows up. He was my personal little translator (and stalker).

Milos was another great 14 year old. Didn’t speak English, but always ready for a talk. I remember one of our conversations, where Sabina and I literally had to use our hands and feet to understand eachother. He was an orphan and currently waiting to be adopted. He was a really well-behaved little fella, with a love for cats and dogs. He helped me save the 3 little puppies that Sabina and I found somewhere in the bushes. He also enjoyed playing football. His big dream was to become a bus driver. He was my personal little hero.

Super sweet and very mature for her age Milica (12) kept making me little artistic thingies and drawings. She was my personal little fan.

Another very cute little boy was Aleks who joined his brother who was in the Youth Philharmonic Orchestra. He was only 11, but his English was perfect. Amazing! He made friends quickly with the rest of the MEC youngsters. He was my personal little cutie pie (if he was up for adoption, I would have adopted him immediately ;))

Every time I saw these little kids outside my building or running around the camp they greeted me – it was so cute and I will never forgot how welcome they made me feel. This is what I will be taking back with me from Tara.

The kids! They totally stole my heart.

The IYMS Catalog Part Deux

And here are the final-ish pages :)

The IYMS Catalog

This is what I have been working on for the past few weeks. It's the catalogue for the IYMS to be held here in Belgrade from 11-20 Augustus.

Vid helped me with the design and texts are written by all the volunteers.

Democracy is YOU decide

This is my take on democracy for the 5th IYMS (International Youth Media Summit) which will be held in Belgrade from 11th to 20th of August 2010.

"Where, after all, do universal human rights begin? In small places, close to home, so close and so small that they cannot be seen on any map of the world. Yet they are the world of the individual person: the neighborhood he lives in; the school or college he attends; the factory, farm or office where he works. Such are the places where every man, woman and child seeks equal justice, equal opportunity, equal dignity without discrimination. Unless these rights have meaning there, they have little meaning anywhere. Without concerted citizen action to uphold them close to home, we shall look in vain for progress in the larger world." -- Eleanor Roosevelt

Democracy. It’s such a powerful word. But what does democracy mean to me? What situations do I encounter that involve democratic treatment? Or don’t. How does it affect my everyday life?

Let’s say my friends and I are planning a girl’s night out. We are getting ourselves ready and discuss where we want to go and dance the night away. I want to go Plastik, but my girls prefer to go to Akademia. Who decides then where we are going?
In one scenario one person will ‘have to give in’ and do something they don’t want to do and in the other 3 people are doing something ‘against their will’. Is this a case of majority rule (after all it’s 3 against 1) or should every single person’s will be respected?

How would we solve this situation? We would probably make a compromise – going to Plastik first and then to Akademia or vice versa. This is a problem that’s easily solved.

But let’s look at another situation, one that’s a bit trickier:

Ben is 17 and just finished high school. He wants to take a year out/gap year, as he isn’t sure what he wants to do with his life. He is not sure if and what he wants to study. He just needs a break and he thinks the best way for him to get his priorities straight is to go backpacking in Australia for a year. His parents though, don’t want him to go. They think it’s too dangerous, irresponsible and besides they want him to become a doctor and insist he enrolls in medical school. But this is not what Ben wants; he wants to go to Australia. His parents tell him that if he wants to go to Australia he will need to pay everything himself, he will have to get a job and find another place to live. As long as Ben is living under his parents’ roof, he has to do what his parents want, they tell him. So, his parents enroll him in med school, even though this is the last thing Ben wants…

He is still a minor, so he has to do whatever his parents tell/want him to do, right?

Well, does he? I mean, doesn’t his opinion count just as much as his parents? Doesn’t he have the RIGHT to pick his own education/future? Yes he is still a minor and living under his parents' roof, but he should at least have a say - his parents should at least consider his will. Unfortunately, this doesn’t always happen. Most of the time, the parent(s) will decide. And this is too bad.

To me democracy means having the possibility to determine your own life and future. The focus could be the youth’s RIGHT to VOTE for their PREROGATIVE. Democracy is YOU decide.

Democracy is one of the new issues introduced in this year’s summit. The society cannot ignore the power of the youth – they are the adults of tomorrow. They should not only be included in the society but have the opportunity to participate. And this is where the IYMS comes in – it gives them a chance to express their viewpoints and get them heard on a worldwide platform. This is why democracy is one of this year’s 7 issues.

The other 6 issues are directly related to democracy. There are countries where women are still seen as the inferior sex, whose traditional role is at home taking care of the kids. They still don’t always have the same possibilities when it comes to climbing up the ladder in the work environment. And I haven’t even mentioned the lack of women in politics. Women should have equal opportunities – it’s DISCRIMINATION if they don’t. Furthermore, it should not matter what your gender, age, ethnicity, culture, religion, education, and sexual preference is or whether you have a disability or not – everyone should have fair treatment. Each and every one of us should have the same rights and possibilities to access HEALTH care, whatever their financial situation is. Still too many people in the world are living in POVERTY and are experiencing hunger. Every person should have enough food, water and a roof over their head. Every single one of us should have the right to live in a violence and war free environment. VIOLENCE doesn’t sort any problems. If anything, it just creates more. We should all take care of the ENVIRONMENT by taking responsibility to reduce our ecological footprint, so that we all have access to clean water, food and air. What’s more important, we should make sure that future generations can enjoy a healthy planet.

Today’s YOUTH is tomorrow’s future. Therefore, it is important that young people are aware of the issues facing our planet. They should have the right to receive education, information and opportunities to develop themselves. They should have the right to have a SAY. After all, they (and their children and so on) are going to be the ones who have to live on this planet that we are destroying. And the beauty is that they have the numbers and the power to really have an influence and bring about a change. The big shots can’t ignore them if they all stand together and speak their mind. All the youth needs to do is get up and just do it.

"Young people should be at the forefront of global change and innovation. Empowered, they can be key agents for development and peace. If, however, they are left on society's margins, all of us will be impoverished. Let us ensure that all young people have every opportunity to participate fully in the lives of their societies." -- Kofi Annan

I hope that the participants will come with an open mind yet at the same time with ideas of their understanding of democracy and proposals for the PSA. It’s their VOICE that should be heard – it’s their voice that matters. And it’s their future that’s on the line. So it should be their choice what direction they want to go with regarding the PSA. After all, democracy is YOU decide.

Kiki

Last weekend Miomir and Vid took the volunteers to Becej for an animation workshop. I was not sure what to expect.

-I mean the prospect of spending two WHOLE days with a group of 20 HYPERACTIVE kids, was kind of daunting... to say the least.

As we entered the room with our boxes (well one box and THE Box ;)) the kids just stared at us...Their eyes were pierced at what we were carrying in our hands as well as at the strange people entering their class - us. I can understand that they don't see Spanish or Typical Dutch ;) people everyday, so I was expecting the stares...but what I didn't expect was the amount of time it took for the kids to feel comfortable and approach us...

- 10 seconds!

As soon as I entered the room, this adorable little boy spoke to me: "I love English. I like you. I want to speak English with you!"

-My heart melted.

His name was Christian - or as I call him Kiki - and he was just about the cutest little kid I've ever seen. He was not only an eager volunteer in putting The Box together and participant in the workshop itself, he was also really keen to talk with me and kept making me these little gifts. His knowledge and pronunciation of English was ridiculous...

-RIDICULOUSLY good that is.

I mean if I spoke HALF as good as he does when I was his age - The Queen would even believe me if I said I was born British ;)

Kiki was not the only well mannered kid in the group - in fact the whole group was delightful.

- YES you heard me right. I used the words delightful and kid in the same sentence ;)


They were so enthusiastic and patiently waited their turns to play with The Box. I could not believe my eyes - but these kids were exemplary. Kudos to their parents and tutors!


I cannot deny it - they stole my heart, and in particular this little fella :) He did something that I didn't think was possible. The next time we're off to spend a weekend with a group of kids - I'll think:

-The prospect of spending two WHOLE days with a group of 20 kids is simply NOT ENOUGH, especially if their name is Kiki :)