We Do Adventure

In September and October we had the opportunity to travel. Taking a three month sabbatical is something Novi Most asks its international volunteer workers to do after three years; we took two months after four years! Thanks to the amazing generosity of friends we ended up visiting America, Canada and South Africa, as well as spending time in the UK. Part of the point of a sabbatical is to rest and catch up with friends and family – we managed to see all our immediate family, even those living in Cape Town – but part of the point is to get inspired so that you return with new ideas. Much of the work we do here in Bosnia and Herzegovina involves creativity, whether that's through music or craft, or just our approach to activities. Our travels took us to some quirky places: museums, markets, fairs, galleries and urban art installations in three continents. All these were safe bets for inspiration and they didn't fail to deliver. The surprise was the Visitor Center at the ...

If you read our previous post you will know already that last Thursday was no ordinary day. While some of that was for reasons way beyond our control this video captures the part of the extraordinary that we planned. It's not exactly the video we thought we would make because many of the young people and the other adult organisers who had worked on preparing the project were not able to make the delayed start to deploying the art drop around Jajce. What you see is the work of more people than you see in the video. What you see is also only one part of what the project presented; this should soon be followed by a video highlighting the music and dance performances that happened during the afternoon. Part of the aim of Project Avant-Garde was to create art that the general public could take home and keep. Most of the art you see in this video will now be found in houses or apartments in and around Jajce. Some of it relocated to shops and cafe bars around the main street. Sadly ...

Most days when I write I write and Rowan discovers what’s be posted the next time she’s online. Today, there was some discussion beforehand. We were in Klub and she was showing me some artwork produced by young people on Saturday. Four square canvasses were sat on the side. This one caught my eye. The young people who come to Klub come from a range of backgrounds. Some are in education and will end up in university. Others are involved in more vocational training. Some have had no education. We’re been providing opportunities for all of them to engage in a range of creative projects. It was not easy at first. From what we can work out, the sort of creative activities that would not be uncommon in UK youth work are very definitely foreign concepts here. Over the last few months it’s been encouraging to see more of them decide they want to take part. Which brings us to this art. It is mainly the work of a nineteen year old, who was helped out by a thirteen year old – the thirteen year ol...