“How is it possible that all of this is available to us and for free?” This was a question asked by a surprised and curious high school student during a crowded public discussion dedicated to studying and volunteering opportunities in EU countries, organised on 28 March at the public library Gligorije Vozarovic in Sremska Mitrovica, as part of the project “EUTEKA – The EU in your library”.
At the presentation and public discussion titled “I’m studying, traveling and getting to know the European Union,” the major topic was EU support offered to Serbia in regards to the youth and education. The keynote speakers were Goran Bogunovic from the Tempus Foundation, the institution is in charge of EU’s flagship education programme Erasmus+, and Ana Sreckovic, an alumna of the programme who had spent a part of her studies in Granada, Spain, thanks to the scholarship awarded to her by the Erasmus+. The representative of the Erasmus+ programme Goran Bogunovic presented to the high school students and teachers of Sremska Mitrovica this major EU project, which allows students from Serbia to spend a part of their undergraduate studies or complete their master’s degrees at a university in the European Union. He also briefed them about the requirements for obtaining a scholarship and the application procedure. It was clarified that they can attend one or two semesters at a number of universities in the EU right after finishing the first year of undergraduate studies at a university in Serbia, and that they have a possibility to complete a master’s degree programme at some of the European universities. Starting from 2017, Serbia is also involved in the mobility programmes for elementary and high school teachers which offer opportunities for several-weeks stays at schools in EU countries, where they can get acquainted with working methods of their European counterparts.
Ana Sreckovic spent her fourth year of the Spanish language studies at the University of Granada in Spain as a scholar of the Erasmus+ programme. From her, young people from Sremska Mitrovica learned first-hand what it looks like to apply, get selected and study in a foreign country. She provided them with useful advice about what to focus on in their applications, especially in their CVs and motivational letters, as the most important parts of the documentation required for studying for free at universities in the EU. Ana also shared how much the experience of studying and living abroad was useful to her and her personal and professional development.
The audience also had a chance to hear about the program named European Voluntary Service, through which young people from Serbia have a chance to spend two to 12 months volunteering in organizations and institutions in European Union countries.
Although surprised at first by the fact that they can study for free in EU countries, young people in Sremska Mitrovica showed a lot of interest by asking the guests numerous and very specific questions. They were interested in the selection criteria for obtaining scholarships, which universities in Serbia are a part of the Erasmus+ network, and which period during the studies is optimal to study abroad.
The Gligorije Vozarovic library in Sremska Mitrovica is one of the 48 members of the “EUTEKA” network of Serbian libraries which work hard to provide Serbian citizens with more information about the European Union and the process of accession of Serbia to the EU. This public discussion was just a part of their activities and it showed that, among Serbian youth, there is a lot of interest in the European Union and opportunities it offers.
