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The Fireworks Xperience!

This is what the participants of the FIREWORKS: Media & Citizenship for Youth shared with us about their experiences!

MY STORY by Gabriela Hešková

“ViVo project in Holloko which I participated in was one of the most enriching experiences I remember. I got realy more than I expected. Even at first I felt a bit confused and uncomfortable, because I was not sure about why I participated, who are the people around me and what I am expected to do, subsequently, I got more friendly with the idea of video volunteering. Moreover, I started to getting to know others and love them! We are unique young people from various countries around Europe, but we overcome our differences, prejudices, shyness and barriers in and around us and we become a team, actualy team of friends. It was just great, absolutely THAT good feeling, that you are on right place in the right time with right people and meaningful aim.

I learn a lot, but what is more important for me, I experienced a lot… about equality, empowerment, teamwork, patience and about myself. I am more able now to use my creativity but at the same time respect other people and their ideas.”

YES! by Veronika Schweighoferová

            “Project Video Volunteers has changed  my view on life and I do not regret spending those 14 days in Hungaria. However, it was not easy for me, I often had to fight with myself or sometimes with the others too . I learned that not everyone´s expectations can become real and that something unexpecting can cross one´s plans anytime. Now I know that people with a camera in one, and with a tripod in the other hand, are at the first people, not machines, gods or alliens . Everyone can become a cameraman, a producer, a director, an editor or an actor. All you need is your YES decision and a little bit of patience and time

THANK YOU!”

FIREWORKS: Exchange in Hollóko 

“During more than nine days we have been fortunate to participate in an exchange in Hollók?, a small town in Hungary, where we have realized different activities, but all with one common denominator: the team work with young people from different countries.

This has been a great excuse to meet new people from other cultures and after sometime (the hours were like days because we did so many things) we have become to get know better each other. We struck up friendships among the participants, as well as with monitors of the exchange. Actually the people were very open-minded and fun, so we have had a great time.

The program was focused on video volunteering, so many of the activities were connected with visual learning techniques. In this way we have learned some basics about audiovisual communication, such as photography and video.

We also had an opportunity to stay in touch with nature, we have realized some activities outdoors in the woods near the village.

By the way, in my opinion these activities were the most entertaining.
We also had a possibility to develop artistic activities such as painting and dance.

We had to form the working groups in order to cleaning and the maintenance of our residence.

The accommodation where we stayed was very comfortable, the food very good and most of all healthy. The schedule of eating and sleeping was quite flexible, and we have had free time to relax.

The rules of coexistence were explained in the first day and seemed quite sensible. Generally, there was no problem with coexistence.

The next distinctive activities were a visit to the oldest prison in Hungary, where we had the opportunity to see the living conditions of inmates of prison and share with them our job and a visit to a summer camp for child

ren where we also shared our videos. We also encouraged the children with a dance.

In conclusion: it was a very positive and enriching experience, because it gave us the opportunity to see new places-different from where we live and allowed us to meet people from different countries and establish good relations.

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FINAL PRODUCTIONS!

The participants of the FIREWORKS – Media & Citizenship Exchange for Youth created 5 productions that were presented in the audience of a Summer Camp for CHILDREN and also the Oldest PRISON in Hungary!

BETTER TOGETHER is a story about snails. Or maybe not only about snails…

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COAL MINERS is a video about a man who worked as a miner in a coal mine. The protagonist is describing how his work used to be and how he feels now after the consequences on his health.

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BALLS CONNECT PEOPLE is a short film establishing a connection we didn’t think of before.

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MORE THAN WORDS… is a short film on non-verbal communication and the impact it can have on us.

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CAN HE HELP YOU? is a short film on racism and our assumptions upon people around us.

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Between the 30th of June and the 8th of July 2011 in a small village of Hungary, youngsters 15 to 25 years old from Spain, Greece, Slovakia, Italy & Hungary came together for the MEDIA & CITIZENSHIP Exchange for YOUTH called “FIREWORKS”!

Participants went through a series of games, assignments with audiovisual tools, workshops and outdoor activities. There would be no better way to describe you what they went through! So we asked them to write it themselves!

FIREWORKS: A diary full of colors!

DAY 1

30.June2011

“First day after the arrival. Today has been a day to know each other and to gain confidence.

We have learnt that sharing is not only giving but showing to the rest that we care about

what they think. We also learnt that being unique is interesting and that sticking to the facts

and not the impressions van change radically your perception of the rest.“

DAY 2

1. July2011

“Today is the second working day and it is still raining. We started in the morning with breakfast and chatting, then followed the program. The first problem appeared, and nobody wanted to take the responsibility for it, so we wasted some time to solve it. But then we found the solution and the program could go on.

After lunch we talked about pictures- the basic rules of taking pictures. We learned something about composition, how to choose „the best” from more objects and options. Then we had to create story from 5 pictures. The motto of the day was: FEEDBACK IS A GIFT. Did you know? Try to think about it!

We got an assignment to make a promo video of maximum 2 minutes and the theme was „Come on let your color burst!” The most difficult thing was that we had to do it!

In- camera editing and no post- production!

We had such a great fun! The house was full of zombies and screaming people and it is just the beginning… “

DAY 4

3.July2011

*(in Spanish, Slovak & English)

“ Hoy hemos comenzado las actividades a las 11 porque ayer nos perdimos un poco en la montania y llegamos tardecillo a la casa. La primera parte de la maniana ha tratado sobre la curiosidad de nuestra vida y sobre nuestros companeros. La actividad que hemos hecho ha sido  muy interesante hemos tenido que responder una preguntas personales que nos han hecho al companero mas cercano y despues preguntas que tenemos dentro pero que no nos atrevemos a preguntar o que nos da miedo a conocer la respuesta. Ha sido una gran experiencia para conocernos mejor y para confiar en nosotros mismos y en los compis. Personalmente fuera de aqui no me hubiera atrevido a preguntar algunas de las cosas que he preguntado aqui.

Od dnes sme sami režisérmi nášho tréningu. Opýtali sa nás, ?o sa chceme nau?i? a z našich odpovedí bol zapísaný celý ten ve?ký list papiera, na ktoré píšu všetky tie múdre veci. Sú potrebné celé mesiace na to, aby sme sa nau?ili všetky spomenuté veci, a preto je to pre našich trénerov obrovská výzva, všetko nám to sprostredkova?. Prerobili sme scénu z titanicu na telenovelu a poobede sme mali prvé tématické workshopy. OK, ja viem, že som nudný ako ekonomické spravodajstvo, ale som príliš unavený na to, aby som v cebe objavil aspo? trochu kreativity.

The music is playing now at the end of the day. People are dancing, others are just laying in the couches and enjoying the music or doing any other random activities. Just a spontaneous party, that came after the performances of each and every one of us. That`s exactly what the Limelight activity was like. We got the stage and 2 to 4 minutes to perform whatever we want to.  We could see several good performances like: origami, songs, dances, football juggle,storys… It was really interesting activity because in 1hour we expressed ourselves  using creative performance.

In conclusion, we had an enjoyable and grateful day. We know better our classmates and all the activies were funny, unique, creative, entertaining, amazing…We only have good words for the activities. We are in a really good training.

That´s all. We hope a lot of teenagers become volunteers. Saludos a todos desde Espania and Eslovaquia.“

DAY 7

6.July2011

*(in English & Spanish)

“It was a really really long day. We had to finish our 3-day-long video project, and give them to the producers. We spent too much time with converting the files into the correct format. Which seemed to be wasting time.

By midnight we finished our film, and it was very difficult and exhausting for everyone, who did the editing.

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We would like to present a report of a youth group from Ces. Sta María de los Angeles.

They realized an international project on Video Activism in May 2011 in Prespa, Greece. This is an activity of Youth in Action, the European Union program for young people between 13 and 30 years.

We left Malaga 5th May at 14:00 pm . After some hours of waiting at the airport and after hours on a plane and finally, we arrived at 1:30 am to Thessaloniki.  In this city we met a girl named Athina and she took us to an apartment where we spent the night. We took a rest so, on the next day we set up like a real tourists who want to visit this beautiful city. We were lucky because one teacher from our centre was studying in Thessaloniki for one  year. He helped us and gave a map with the key sites in the city. After several hours of  walking and we decided to stop and recharge your batteries.

We found a cosy restaurant, where typical country food was served. We went to a great place and we left  this site really satisfied. Later we went to the Aristotle’s square where we had to meet with others participants. We started to get ready for a trip in the direction of Laimos. We had dinner at Laimos 20:30 pm. We saw some presentation and after that we were divided into groups. They explained that these groups every day  have a task like setting the table, making videos, writing a blog and summarizing the day’s activities …

Then we went to have a rest because the next day began our training.

The first proposed activity was how to use the zoom and how to capture a good photo. After lunch we were divided into groups and we had to tell two stories by means of  only five photos. The stories were shown and commented. In the afternoon we were divided into different groups. The goal was show beauty of some place in a short video. After the video was edited commonly and we did a feedback.

The proper use of cameras and the best methods  to make and edit video was explained to us in the morning, on the second day of training. On the same day, we went on an excursion to a neighbouring town called Aigos Germanos, where we took a tour of 12km trough the mountains. The groups of three persons had to shoot a video, patronized by Prespa. After dinner we got together and each group showed the video. We commented all our video, things that we liked and disliked and what is going to be a feedback.

We finished the second day and we started the third day full of activities. Early in the morning we met in the workplace.  We had to do a project in groups. Previously, were explained the different types of video and how we had to do. The objective of project was clear: the project was consisted of a leader who was elected by all of us. This leader had to choose four persons and form a group. Moreover the leader had to choose the theme of video and in what way want to do it. Each participant had the role: camera,  director, actor and screenwriter. The project had to have some hidden message and had something to offer for everyone. So, during these days we spent time preparing our project. The leaders had to organize an event which had to invite all the people and show them that currently in their small town are twenty persons from different countries.

The days were full of nervousness, exhaustion, worry and hard work and of course we did not have a lot of time. The big day arrived, the day of the event, 12th May at 8 pm.

The event did not stat well: the computer and videos were missing, we did not have time, the people ware not there, we could not find any pen drive… We thought that everything had to go wrong… but everything was perfect and our work was paid off!.

The task of the next day was to generally analyze the event and aspects which should be improved. On the last day we organized a small, well-deserved farewell party for our good job. Early, on Saturday we return to Thessaloniki.

We tried revisit the city, but we went to bed early because our flight was in the morning. We went back to Malaga and we finished our adventure. We have learned how work together,  to work as leaders, to communicate. We learned that the critics sometimes is  good and forms our character.

It is true that the first days were difficult for everyone because we did not have an idea about the project,  we did not know what to do and we were afraid it. The first moments were not so good but… the all rest was an unforgettable, unique and unrepeatable experience.

During the project we learned how to use a camera, light, sound, content, zoom and focus.  It was a very enriching experience and I can recommend to everyone! Thanks to our colleagues,  partnerships  and the Association Intercambia, they made this exchange possible. I hope you enjoyed this little summary of our trip to Greece. I hope, this text will transmit  all our feelings when you will read it.

The Spanish Team

Asociación Juvenil INTERCAMBIA

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The FINAL PRODUCTIONS of the “Media Training for Educators, Trainers & Youthworkers” in Prespa Greece:

5 Productions was the outcome of the Media Training in Prespa Greece. Harmony, Environment, Cultural & Life Style issues, Personal Stories and Delicious histories were the topics of these productions.

TTTV | Prespa Final Productions

TTTV is a short documentary about the story of Jordanis Dalpatidis, an inhabitant of Prespes, Greece. The protagonist is sharing the roots of his family and how he experienced the years of the Italian and German occupation of the country.

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Delicious History | Prespa Final Productions

DELICIOUS HISTORY is a documentary about the history of beans. Prespa, Greece, has always been famous about its agricultural beans, because of the 2 lakes in the area. Farmers, Store Owners and Inhabitants of Prespa that are using them in their kitchen, are sharing how beans are holding the economy of the area, how delicious they are and they also give their secret recipes on how to cook them!

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Visible – Invisible | Prespa Final Productions

VISIBLE INVISIBLE  is a short film about the impact of humans in nature and how some things that are visible to us, they simply become invisible.

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Why should I stay? | Prespa Final Productions

WHY SHOULD I STAY? is a short film about the lives and opportunities of the inhabitants of Prespa, Greece.  Laimos is one of the small and isolated villages of Prespa and sometimes people are finding it hard to cope with the small community or the few opportunities on social life and education. Parents are describing the positive and the negative side of their decision to live in a place like this, while youngsters are sharing their plans for the future.

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Prespa- Discover the Harmony… | Prespa Final Productions

PRESPA-DISCOVER THE HARMONY is a short promotional clip for the beautiful area of Prespa. The nature, the villages, the landscapes and the celebrations of this traditionally Greek area, are presented in this film to promote the harmony of the place.

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Media Fun for Educators, Trainers & Youth Workers!

Free Time means Fun, and the participants of the “Media Training for Educators, Trainers & Youth Workers” found their place. In-crowd jokes but also Bloopers was the outcome!

BLOOPERS | Prespa

During a Media Training there is a lot of filming. During filming there are a lot of… mistakes! This is a blooper from all the productions of the “Media Training for Educators, Trainers & Youth Workers”. Enjoy!

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HOW ANDREJ STOLE THE KOMPOT | Prespa

Real or not, this is how Andrej stole the kompot!

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Video Assignment:

“Dear great-great- grandchildren…”

Participants of the “Media Training for Educators, Trainers & Youth workers”, (Prespa, Greece) received the assignment to go for a walk in the mountains of Prespa and create a video letter starting with..

‘Dear great-great-grandchildren, life is absurd. It is now 2011 and we decided to become videomakers of our community. Now we are talking to you from Prespa…”

Lost, in nature, tutorials, incidents, strangers on the way and a peculiar sense of humor are the elements of the outcome of this rather interesting walk.

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Media Training for Educators,Trainers & Youth Workers

If you are curious how it is to be part of a Media Training as a Video Volunteer, check out the videos below.  The videos were shot by the participants in different days, with different themes and different approaches, all in the context of a Media Training for Educators, Trainers and Youth workers.

In Prespes – Training Day No2 you can already notice the transformation of the participants into what we would call “Media Freaks”!

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In Prespes – Training Day No3 you can see how it looks, tastes and feels like to be in a media training in Greece!

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Prespes – Training Day No5 deals with the constant motion of the day. Eating, shooting, talking, shooting, partying and shooting some more!

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Day No7 – Nobody has time is representing the concept that Media Freaks have about time during the working hours! “Everything’s good! But No tengo tiempo!!!”

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Prespa, Greece is the place where 3 countries meet, agriculture rules and nationalities blend like the green and the blue of the mountains and the 2 famous lakes. Prespa is where the partner organization of ViVo, Global Soma’s, training courses are taking place.

This is the Interactive Video-Maker’s Guide to Prespa  and it is here to give you some taste of how it is to be in Prespa.

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