European PROGRES development programme today launched its annual art contest for high school students from 34 municipalities in South East and South West Serbia titled “Europe: A Wise Choice“. With support from the European Union and Swiss Government, the contest has traditionally been organised for ten consecutive years, with the aim of encouraging creativity among youth in the South of the country.
This year’s theme aims to bring the youth from the programme municipalities closer to European integration process so they would recognise the numerous opportunities provided to them by the European Union, as well as to encourage them to see themselves as active participants of the process.
The participants of the “Europe: A Wise Choice” contest are expected to present their reasons why the European Union is a “wise choice”, both for them as individuals and for Serbia as a whole, and to do so in a creative and original manner. In order to make the benefits of the European integration more visible to the young, the European PROGRES has linked the contest with the Europa Diary – a high school manual aimed at presenting the topics concerning the EU in a fun and informative manner. The authors are therefore expected to use the Diary chapters, each dedicated to a certain European topic, as guidelines for their works.
Twelve best works, to be selected by an expert jury, will be published on the pages of the 2017 European PROGRES calendar. The authors of the selected works will be awarded laptops and tablets, as well as mobile phones, while the best school based on the total number and quality of all the works submitted, as well as dedication in the organisation of internal school competition, will be awarded a laptop, projector and additional equipment.
The contest runs through 15 November 2016 with the award ceremony and Calendar promotion being scheduled for late in December.
Detailed information about the Art Contest may be found at European PROGRES website: http://www.europeanprogres.org/konkursi/sr/
The European Union and the Government of Switzerland will support the activities of the European PROGRESS programme, which contributes to the sustainable development of the South and South West Serbia, with a total of EUR24.46 million. Approved projects will be aimed at strengthening local administration, creating a favourable environment for the development of infrastructure and economy as well as improving the implementation of social inclusion and employment policy. The programme is implemented by the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS).
The municipalities included in the programme are as follows: Novi Pazar, Ivanjica, Nova Varos, Priboj, Prijepolje, Raska, Sjenica and Tutin in South West Serbia, as well as Prokuplje, Blace, Zitoradja, Kursumlija, Leskovac, Bojnik, Vlasotince, Lebane, Medvedja, Crna Trava, Vranje, Bosilegrad, Bujanovac, Vladicin Han, Presevo, Surdulica, Trgoviste, Brus, Aleksinac, Gadzin Han, Doljevac, Merosina, Svrljig, Babusnica, Bela Palanka and Knjazevac in South East Serbia.
