Europe Day was celebrated not only in Belgrade but also in six other cities across Serbia throughout May, in a programme organised by the Delegation of the European Union. The “Innovation on the Move” caravan, featuring an interactive exhibition, visited Novi Sad, Čačak, Kragujevac, Pančevo, Niš, and finally Novi Pazar, where the tour concluded today. Visitors experienced something truly unique through a guided interactive exhibition, where they learned numerous fascinating facts from the world of science and innovation.
The interactive exhibition includes a presentation by the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) and a virtual reality (VR) corner, where visitors experienced virtual reality and watched short films using VR headsets. The exhibition was created by the Center for the Promotion of Science, and young associates from the Center guided the visitors through the interactive content.
Novi Pazar was the final city visited by the “Innovation on the Move” travelling caravan for this year’s Europe Day. Merdžana Ćilerdžić, a biology teacher at “Stefan Nemanja” Primary School in Novi Pazar, visited the exhibition with her fifth-grade students. “I was amazed by the content you prepared, and so were my students. They are truly little scientists, interested in science and very special. Besides the exhibition, which they found very interesting and well presented, they also really enjoyed the VR, because that is the technology of the future, as well as the workshops. This is very useful for children, and there should be more programmes like this in the future,” said teacher Ćilerdžić.
The virtual reality corner was created in cooperation with a multi-award-winning VR/XR producer from Estonia. The short VR films covered topics such as prehistoric caves, the formation of volcanoes, deep space, children’s dreams, and particle physics. The programme included two CERN films, four European scientific films, and two animated videos for children. The VR corner presented science, storytelling, and art in an engaging way and was met with great enthusiasm by many young visitors.
Europe Day is marked under the slogan “Serbia is Europe – Better Together,” which is also the campaign’s central message. Through TV and radio spots, billboards, print and digital media, and social networks, the campaign shows that Serbia and the European Union share the same values – that citizens of Serbia and EU countries respect their traditions and cultures, and strive for a better future together. The goal is to bring the idea of unity and togetherness closer to people, to highlight the similarities that connect us, and to show that despite our differences, we are all very much alike – and that the European Union cares equally for all its citizens.
