JOY OF EUROPE

Every year, in the beginning of October, from 1^st till 6^th, Belgrade is the host to children from all over Europe, who take part in the international festival JOY OF EUROPE. Belgrade City Council is the founder and the patron of this event and the Children’s Cultural Center Belgrade is the organizer. This year iEARN Serbia made agriment to invite few iEARN schools from Europe. Everyone who are interested to participate in this event can send letter to me. If more than one school from one Country aply to participate Children`s Cultural Center will make final decision who will be able to participate among aply school. During the festival, children dance, sing and act, presenting their native culture and customs both to their peers and other citizens.

The program of the festival consists of FRIENDSHIP GATHERINGS, where all the groups perform their parts, Carnival, programs in the schools of Belgrade, whose students host children from other countries and short excursion to same interesting places in Belgrade.

The topic of this year’s Festival is “LIKE A FAIRYTALE”, which means that every participating group should represent one of their national or local legends, believe, myth, fairytale or else likewise.      

The propositions for participation at the festival follow:

- A group cannot consist of more than 25 children (of age from 6 till 15), accompanied by 5 adults at the most.

- A country can also be represented by a soloist.

- During their stay in Belgrade, the children are placed in families, one child per family, and the adults in hotels. Families are chosen with the help of schools, whose students are the host to children from other countries.

- Participants of the festival pay fares for coming to Belgrade, and the Children’s Cultural Center pays for their stay in Belgrade, hotels, food, transport in Belgrade.

- The program of one group cannot last for more than 15 minutes, and program for the biggest concert, The Gala Concert, at the Sava Center cannot be longer than 4 minutes. The organizer reserves the rights to chose even a shorter item, if it is coherent to the festival concept.

- The programs of the groups can consist of musical, dancing and or acting items, and the group is obliged to send a recording of at least a part of it to the organizer, preferably on video tape.

- The dead line for application is May 1^st 2007.

We are heartily hoping that children from your country will take part in this international event, which has endured since 1969.

Yours sincerely,

Katarina Mihojevic, iEARN Serbia