Storytellers Across Borders
Denmark, Balkan, Travel, Stories, Book, Film, Since 2002...
The book Link - Young People in the Balkans and the film Storytellers Across Borders are the outcome of the intercultural and journalistic project 'Storytelling Across Borders' (SAB) which was developed and co-coordinated by two young Danes, Stinus Vithner and Tabita Baggesen. The Danish NGO Mellemfolkeligt Samvirke (MS) and the South East European Youth Network (SEEYN) have supported the project financially.
The idea:
The idea behind SAB developed out of lack of information and attention from the media on how people in the Balkan countries lived and handled daily life after the war had ended. How it is to live during and after a time of war. Of special interest were the young people.
The aim of SAB was to make an innovative and educational book as well as a documentary where young people from the Balkans and Denmark as reporters were to tell about other young people's lives in the Balkans. The target group for the material was decided on the 16 to 20 age group.
The active phase:
To carry out the project, the following ingredients were required: Talented and creative young people, a consultant from the Balkans to support the young reporters, a fully equipped house in Belgrade to live in and work from, a budget to cover the costs related to the stay, the travelling and the working tasks.
Five young people were selected from their letter of motivation and experience with photography, journalism, graphic design, research, editing and/or creativity. The young people met in the house in Belgrade, Serbia on the 1st of July 2002, and during the next six weeks they had to fulfil their task of making the educational materials about young people's life in the Balkans within the budget and assistance at their disposal.
The organisations behind:
SAB has been carried out as part of the Danish Foreign Ministry programme 'Peace and Stability through Cross-Boundary Civil Society Collaboration' - FRESTA. Within the FRESTA-programme the Danish NGO Mellemfolkeligt Samvirke (MS) co-operates with the South East European Youth Network (SEEYN). SEEYN consists of NGOs from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Serbia, and Montenegro.
To find out more and order book and film visit:
www.thelink.dk
