SEASTART YOURSELF!

European Youth Festival is not by accident intertwined with the Best European Festival. Namely, one of the reasons why Novi Sad has become the European Youth Capital is the support from the region, as well as the plans and the program which connect young people in the whole region. Some of the programs are in partnership with Exit, first at Jahorina, and now in Umag.

So, we went on a road and we take the messages and energy of Novi Sad with us.

“The OPENS Team includes eight people who will have the task to introduce the visitors of the Sea Star festival with the title and the significance of the youth capital, but also to invite them to come to Novi Sad next year and to introduce them with the program which has already been planned for young people next year”, Valentina Antić, OPENS International Cooperation Coordinator says. She adds: “At the Sea Star Festival, OPENS has its Zone and several activations; apart from having the opportunity to see short films of young artists from the region, by coming to our Zone you can travel in time and make your sticker card which you will send to the desired address, you will have the opportunity to take photos and videos and send video messages to young people in the region, but also to find out what you can expect in Novi Sad next year.”

And, none of that is by accident. Next year, our city will be the go-to place for all young people from the region. We expect more than half a million young people from whole Europe who will be included in the OPENS program along with the young people from Novi Sad. Therefore, festivals of EXIT family are significant stations along the way.

“Partnership with Exit, as well as the presence at the festivals in the region is extremely important for us, since that though its festivals in the region, the mission of Exit is to connect people. Next year, Novi Sad will be the centre of young people in Europe, and we want to invite our friends from the region to be included in the programs, to talk about topics significant for young people, to talk about genuine values, about that connects us, about peace, love, freedom; we want to meet, hang out and actually see that we are much more similar that different, but also that we respect differences. I believe that young people should have the key role in the creation of stability, peace, dialogue, tolerance and good neighbouring relationships, and festivals in the region can be a great start”, Valentina concludes.

As a reminder, on its 18 th birthday, EXIT festival family counts five members in the same number of countries in the region, and numerous other accompanying events are planned. The greeting point is always the Petrovaradin Fortress where the 18 th EXIT festival will be held from 12 to 15 July. In the year of its “legal age”, EXIT celebrates one of the largest civilisation achievements – personal freedom, above everything else. Therefore, EXIT Foundation and OPENS 2019 invite civil society organisations from Novi Sad, Serbia and the whole region to mutually, from one place say: “EXIT is freedom”, at OPENS State of EXIT Zone. Here, you can find more details about that. (application for the zone)
(http://opens2019.rs/seastaruj-se-i-ti/)