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invitation >
43rd International Meeting of the
Children of Europe JOY OF EUROPE 2012
Dear friends,
The international gathering of the children of Europe, JOY OF EUROPE is a traditional event that celebrates peace, friendship, freedom, play and children’s joy, and it has taken place in Belgrade from as far back as 1969, on the occasion of World Children’s Day. This event offers the children who take part in it the possibility to get to know each other and form friendships that will help them, as they grow up, to become better people.
Belgrade is an ideal place for such gatherings of young people. The open door on Belgrade’s coat-of-arms is probably the best symbol of the openness and hospitality that this city offers to everyone with goodwill and noble intentions. Our guests, who arrive from all over Europe, are traditionally put up in the family homes of their young hosts.
The diverse programme that this event offers involves a number of different social groups: Belgrade primary schools, state institutions, the media and countless public and private organizations and firms.
It gives us great pleasure to invite you to take part in this great children’s festival, which will take place in Belgrade from 1st to 5th October 2012. Let the words of Dusko Radovic, Serbia’s well-known children’s author, be an inspiration to the children of Europe, help provoke ideas, and artistic development, ’’Let streams flow into the rivers wide, allow the tributaries to develop left and right.“ To mark 90 years since the birth of Dusko Radovic, we have specifically chosen this reference to ‘water’, in order to highlight the significance of developing the notion of environmental conservation amongst children. Life started in water, and on the banks of rivers, the first civilizations sprouted. In the arts, science and religion water is most commonly used to symbolize beginnings, life, harmony, unity and peace. The beauty of water and its fantastic ability to transform into different states, make it unique and intriguing as a catalyst for artistic expression and thought.
Each country that takes part will be represented by an artistic group consisting of up to 20 children aged between 7 and 14, accompanied by a maximum of three adult chaperones. The guest children will stay with the families of their host children from Belgrade primary schools. The festival’s adult guests will be accommodated in hotels.
The cost of travelling to Belgrade will be met by the participants, while the cost of accommodation for the duration of the festival is the responsibility of the festival’s organizer.
As it is our wish that the children-participants should become as close as possible and present themselves to each other in the best possible way through various cultural activities, we suggest that each group prepares an artistic programme lasting 10 minutes, to be performed in public. The programme can consist of classical, folk or contemporary dance, suitable for a young audience, a performance by an orchestra, choir or music group, or any other kind of children’s presentation that represents the art and culture of your country, and that you would like to present to others.
As happens every year, the best segments of the groups’ presentations will be performed at the ‘Joy of Europe’ Gala Concert in the Sava Centre on 5th October 2012; the concert is transmitted live on television.
The children of Belgrade are waiting eagerly for their guests from other countries. Together with our wish that you will be our guests this autumn, please accept our warmest regards.
Mileta Radojević M.Sc.
President of the Festival Board
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