No Borders Generation – Erasmus seen through photography and testmonies

A photo exhibit about the experiences of students from Faculty of Philology, University of Belgrade, was held in Belgrade (October 15th to October 21st) and Nis (October 23rd - October 31st). Through photos and testmonies, visitors were invited to discover how Erasmus changed the lives of students who studies in different European countries.

The students from the Faculty of Philology at the University of Belgrade organized a photography exhibit 4tled “No Borders Genera4on”. More specifically, what was presented were portraits of students who had come back from their foreign exchange programs, overwhelmed with posi4ve experiences. This project, whose goal is to present students with all the beau4es and benefits of foreign exchange, was conceived by Jovana Milovanović, a phd student at the Faculty of Philology and WBAA member. The idea behind the project is to promote mobility through personal experience. « This idea first emerged from a discussion with students who had gone on Erasmus and came back with amazing experiences. Through this exhibi4on, using photographs and interviews, we wanted to share these experiences with others so that we would, on one hand, present the beau4es of interna4onal coopera4on and, on the other hand, primarily encourage students to apply for Erasmus and go abroad in order to get their hands on this wonderful experience. The exchange is never really over. Once we come back, we con4nue being connected, and there are even Erasmus students’ organisa4ons, like WBAA which is the force behind this project. That made it possible for us to set up various projects, to meet other young people, to share my experiences with them, and I am certain that it facilitated my job search, for when an employer sees in your CV that you have spent a semester or two abroad, you are usually given an advantage over other candidates. » The author of all the photographs is Lenka Pavlović, student of Arabic language and literature and professional photographer. Besides the the Western Balkans Alumni Associa4on which organised the project, the exhibi4on has been supported by the EU Delega4on in Serbia and the Alumni Associa4on of the Faculty of Philology. The project was made over the course of 3 months and has included students that went on Erasmus to France, Spain, Germany, Austria, Norway, Finland and Italy. Having been displayed in Belgrade at Ostavinska galerija, the exhibi4on was also presented in Niš at the EU info point, and the organisers are planning new projects that will acquaint Belgrade University students with the magic of student exchange. The project acracted over 400 visitors in total and was the background for some meaningful encounters between visitors and par4cipants of the project. The project was highly visible among students in Belgrade, but also general crowd as it was promoted at numerous facul4es in Belgrade and Niš, on social media, but also on TV N1 and YouTube channel of EU info center. The project acracted many young people interested in pursuing mobility, but also Erasmus alumni who became interested in joining WBAA. Furthermore, the exhibit helped strengthen the collabora4on between WBAA and European Union in Serbia through successful partnership realised for this project.

Date: 11 Dec 2019
Author: Jovana Milovanovic