YE Heart 4 art

LUCIJA The greatest personal success for me is that I have succeeded to open up and connect to so many unknown people. From the initial situation in which everything was unknown to me, somewhat scary and stressful, I gradually started to let go this feelings and feel more free thanks to the interaction with the people around me. Friendly atmosphere, support, and mutual concern within the Team primarily, have shown me that good human relationships are crucial for bold confrontations with everything new experiences bring to us. I have recognized the importance of accepting people and that differences between people are encouraging and kind of a challenge which further enriches our experiences. Art is not exclusive and reserved only for those with “prominent” and “recognized” talent. We can participate in art in a variety of ways and active attitude and behaviour towards artistic project can be far more influential in comparison to mere consumption of a certain artistic content. It is always crucial to give the best from yourself, regardless of the initial possibilities and position within the creation of an artwork. Art includes constant work, persistence and perseverance that can trigger significant processes of change, both for the individual as well as for the society ones. Dare to go into the unknown because there are new friends who are waiting for you. Participate in all activities without any shame because there are is no such thing as poor performances of the task if you do your best, if you respect yourself and others. Be an example in understanding others, in being open and tolerant to everyone, as this results in the atmosphere of acceptance that everyone needs. Take an active approach to the content of the project, dare to express your opinion, but never forget the importance of listening, because it can be the most powerful force for change. ANA My greatest personal success during this project is surely learning the new techniques in art that I did not even know exist. Since I have been dealing with all the forms of art so far, apart from theatre, for me it was interesting to see the theatrical techniques and to hear experiences of the professionals. In addition to learning about the subject, I would also like to point out meeting new people, cultures and languages (#elare). The most important thing I’ve learned is that it doesn’t take a lot to make great things. And with seemingly simple things we can make great things if we do it correctly and persistently. I’ve learned that everyone has something special to offer and to teach others and that as far as we think we all know, we can always learn something new from others. What I have learned about the project is that art is everywhere around us and it does not have to be just the classical art we know. As long as we use creativity for the betterment of ourselves and for the betterment of the world around us, art can help us. I learnet that art is not something that will beautify our world, but art must show the world the way it is, as brutal as it might be (#DIONIZvsLIVER). Art has to denounce society, point out to injustice and thereby raise awareness of all the problems that individuals can face. My message to future participants is that such projects enrich everyone’s lives in many ways. From development of new skills, learning about different subjects, developing personal communication and social skills, to getting to know new friends, new cultures, languages and customs. I think that this kind of experience can change everyone’s life, they just have to be brave enough to try. MIRNA Besides active participation throughout the whole Heart4Art project and learning many interesting information through art, the greatest success for me was also making new quality friendships and discovering the diversities of other cultures. Personally, the most enriching thing I learnt through the workshops was that no matter what difficulties person faces, no one can take her/him away the happiness and right of the choice. Each person is unique, special and original, and if he/she finds it and builds awareness about that, no one can prevent him/her from being happy in life. During the project, I had the opportunity to get closer to art and, for example, get acquainted with the kinds of the theaters I have never heard before (Comedia dell’arte, Theatre of the oppressed). I learnt that all those forms of art that we had the chance to experience during the week spent in Thessaloniki (theater, film, photography, painting, dancing, singing) could be used as a powerful transferor of messages to the world and the public, and in our case these were messages about human rights and equality of people. To new participants I say dare to try. JURAJ When I applied for the project, I said I wanted to experience a project that was not organized by the Ocean Knowledge or Naturculture. You need to focus. As Dionis said, the actor does not pretend to play, he is the role he plays. For such dedication it is essential to separate acting from private life and focus on the role. I believe it could be applied in everyday life. We should always be focused on what we are currently doing. Being both body and spirit at the present moment.  I learnt about different aspects of art and I realized how much is art actually wide and in what ways it can be expressed. Each individual experiences art in a different way and it is what makes it so special, inspiring, so interesting. I also learnt about new ways of artistic expression, performance being one of them. Youth Exchange projects are a unique opportunity for traveling, getting acquainted with new cultures and people, learning languages (native, English, and others), and an excellent opportunity to acquire new knowledge in different and interesting ways. I would recommend youth exchange projects to everyone. Since I work on youth exchange projects I can say that they have changed my life and enabled me to live a life I always wanted. MAJA I consider my greatest success the fact that I was doing the things I want to do at exact moment, regardless of others. I am still not sure whether art can change the world. But I’m sure it can change us. The most beautiful art is the one that comes from the heart. FARUK My biggest personal success during this project is liberating myself through the workshops. The most important thing I’ve learned is that everyone has a talent.  On the subject of the project, I learnt what I would never mention before; that art has great significance in our life. It represents a major factor in life and how we treat art, it will treat us My recommendation to future participants is to make a challenge that will change them in a better way. You learn a lot, meet new friends, cultures, regardless of nationalities etc., you are all connected… Simply, the experience that left a big impression on me and, of course, an unforgettable moment in my life. DOROTEA I consider my personal success the fact that I have decided to spend 10 days on a project with an art theme which is not really something I do in everyday life. Somehow I started to appreciate art more and to understand its importance in addressing social issues. Although for me a lot of workshops were quite abstract, at the end the whole project left an impression on me and encouraged me to think. One of the things I have learnt is that seemingly insignificant things can gain meaning if there is one or more individuals who are willing to give them meaning. Likewise, we were introduced with a positive story about starting of the Fix in Art hub, which once again demonstrated that with will and perseverance we can accomplish what we want, and this is in today’s world, where positive stories are very difficult to break through, very desirable and stimulating for all those who have ideas about starting something of their own. During the project, I realized that there are innumerable opportunities for using art as a “tool” for addressing essential social problems. Art does not matter by itself and it takes time to understand what is it trying to point out to us. Of course, there may always be different interpretations from different observers – everyone has gone through different situations throughout life and according to this has different opinions and interpretations of certain events. Likewise, if there is no story in the background or an author who can interpret his work, art can often remain misunderstood by “laity“. Anyone who thinks about taking a part in the projects of this type I would certainly recommend to do it because it will surely be an unforgettable experience. In this way, they will have the opportunity to spend a few days and nights with young people from other countries and encounter cultural differences they would not otherwise think about, but at the same time they will have the opportunity to realize no matter how different everyone is, we always have something in common. There is much more to see and experience outside our home, city and state. For the end, I would like to share the quotation from one of the previous projects that I think describes very well the impact of participation on the project on each individual: “See through someone else’s eyes, live someone else’s life and then tell me you have not changed.”