My Mass Mess impressions

Woke up, sun in my face… the time is 06:00. It takes some time to open my eyes completely, takes some time to realize what day is it. I look outside and I know it's going to be a perfect day I don't know why and how I know, I just feel it. My heart beats fast just of the thought where I am going today.

Time 07:15 The Core team gathers at the departure site talking about the final preparations and things that need to be done. We are all sleepy in the traveling bus, but we don’t mind, we are too pumped up by our adrenaline wanting to speed up time for the event to begin. The sounds of laughter dominate the air in the bus and we can feel it. We are close to Veles, we are close to Mass Mess.

We gather in front of the sports centre and each of us pulls out the Activity matrix and runs to prepare everything for the event. The welcome table is decorated with the catalogs, nametags, lists and bottles of water. You walk inside the sports centre and you can’t imagine that in just an hour it's going to be filled with 90 young people smiling. We were addressed by the coordinators of the VQ project, and then greeted by Elizabeta Jovanovska from the British Council, by Andreja Bogdanovski from the Blue Sky Youth Network and by the Mayor of Veles, Ace Kocevski.

The large activities started, the participants were a little scared and confused, but they relaxed during the small group activities were they got to know each other better.

And finally the moment we had all been waiting for, the competition between the groups. What I was amazed by was the team spirit developed in the groups, the cheers between the members of a group when they win a game.

After the activities we went to a local café to celebrate the entire day along with the participants. Smiling faces, exchanging numbers, new friendships were born that day. Our mission Mass Mess was successfully realized!!!

Time 19:25 The Core Team of VQ together with the group leaders in on its way back home. Tired, sleepy faces make quiet sounds with cheerful tones, proud of what they organized and of what they have accomplished.

Time 00:45 I go to bed happy and tired, knowing that this was a perfect day, one that you experience once in a lifetime.

Written by: Frosina Ilievska

Mass Mess photos

Mass Mess - successfully realized

The Values Quest team has a great pleasure to inform you that the biggest activity of the project, Mass Mess, was successfully realized on Saturday, March 17 in the sports centre of "Blaze Koneski" Elementary School in Veles. Members of clubs from all over Macedonia were joined in various games promoting team spirit and had an interesting time together.

The Core team led by the two coordinators Elena S. & Elena N. and helped greatly by the team from the local club in Veles had worked hard for some time to organize the event and make the day as fun as possible for the participants. At the beginning, they were addressed by the coordinators of the VQ project, and then greeted by Elizabeta Jovanovska from the British Council, by Andreja Bogdanovski from the Blue Sky Youth Network and by the Mayor of Veles, Ace Kocevski.

The activities began with a game intended for the participants to get to know each other and during which a real mass mess :) was created. Then, they positioned themselves on an imaginary map of Macedonia, and by presenting their clubs individually presented the complexity of the Network as a whole. The rest of the day was left for group activities. There were nine groups of participants named after famous cartoons and led by fun leaders. After lunch the groups competed among each other, the winning group being rewarded in the end. The day was concluded with a party in one of the cafes in Veles.

According to the participants' testimonials, they all had a great time in the course of the activities and thought that the event was well organized and interesting. What's left now is for them to take the enthusiasm and team spirit they showed in Veles to their local clubs and organize similar events, i.e. take Mass Mess to all the members of the Network.

You can see pictures from the event here.

The TeAm

Ever wonder why a good project is a good project? The secret is in the ingredients!


Ingredient no.1

Elena Stavrevska
Cheesy smile, dancing wild, ice cream maniac, coordinator brainiac … drum roll please Elena Stavrevska! Always optimistic and fun, this future lawyer in EU law will not only charm you, but make you smile every time you see her.
She is one of the Values Quest project coordinators and as you will find out soon enough she is as nuts as a fruit cake.

Hint: She is not someone you'd want to mess with. ;)

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Ingredient no.2

Elena Nikolova
This electrical-engineer-to-be will sweep you off your feet with her everlasting energy and enthusiasm. A dedicated youth worker always sleepless can easily be spotted by the Miss Bitch shirt. If you think she looks serious wait till she hits the dance floor with Elena.

Hint: Don't ask her about Turkish national beverages. ;)


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Ingredient no.3

Ivana Trajanovska
Communicative, friendly, sociable, out-going...;) Yeah, that is her! She is the talkative girl who always makes fun of everything. Her life aim is to be happy. She likes traveling and challenges. She loves active youth participation in all spheres of social life, and by being part of this team she confirms that. Her name is Ivana, her surname is Trouble. She is 18 and soon to enter university.

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Ingredient no.4

Ana Stefanovska
That's one 18-year old girl that is praying just on numbers and mathematical formulas. While enjoying in the small things in her life (for example: the fragrance of ozone), she tries to give the best of her and to succeed in what she's doing at the moment. She won't mind at all if you buy her chocolates, nor if you bring some stamps from your country for her.


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Ingredient no.5

Frosina Ilievska
If you are uncertain about your future call Frose. She is an experienced tarot reader. This creature with many names such as: Frose, Fros, Huggybear, and Froggy, will never refuse you for a cup of coffee and you can always share your chocolate with her. Enjoys listening to music, and "movies" is her middle name. She likes reading horror and mystery stories and is always up for crazy stuff and pranks. An interesting thing about her is that she doesn't like tea and hates getting up early in the morning.

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Ingredient no.6

Daniela Atanasova
Apart from studying English language and literature,she is interested in any issue that might arise in aninteresting and meaningful conversation.Likes to readwhen she has time to and likes when people tell her secrets.She currently thinks that life is beautifuldespite all adversities and is constantly trying tocatch glimpses of the sun and feel the fragrance ofspring. She's the happiest when people around her aresatisfied and happy too.

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Ingredient no.7

Igor Izotov
I love flowers and they love me,
Water, sun and much love
And my face you will see.
So who am I, and why do I write?
Hope that you are reading
This from the
Value Quest blog site.

My name is Igor I,
I'm here, I'm there
I strive to be everywhere
Do remember my name
Igor I …
And I know you’ll love me
Intergalacticly=)

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Ingredient no.8

Damjan Cvetkov Dimitrov
Once classified as an organism, and once classified as a mammal, he contradicts himself constantly by releasing thoughts in the air that travel through the ear drum or the retina to the brain. Hunting for some nice compact truth and some cheese is his main obsession, while driving out the squrrels to their own dimension is his hobby. He says HI!

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Ingredient no.9

Tomce Runcevski
I’m just one more human being, born to exist in his own way, to like things like good company, Blue Sky actions and “Fisherman’s friend” candies, to take pleasure in dealing with chemistry, girls, physics, music, to enjoy in mathematics and Monty Piton’s humor.

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Ingredient no.10

Milica Arsovska
This lovable 18-year old girl is called Mimi. She is probably the most unusual person in our team (and the competition is pretty tough, as you can notice :)). She can memorize: names, cities, email addresses and telephone numbers. Due to this, everyone calls her ’walking database’. She has a very interesting laugh, so when you are around her, you cannot resist and just start laughing. One more very unusual thing about her is that when she is in love… oh boy, that IS something! Her motto: "Enjoy love & happiness!"

VALUES QUEST

Values Quest is a project promoting human values and active citizenship among youth and feeds in the regional British Council project Youth Action Through Sport and Culture (YASC). Values Quest is a UK-Macedonia project, implemented as a partnership between the Blue Sky Youth Network, British Council Macedonia and Sefton Youth Service (http://www.cfs.sefton.gov.uk/).

The Values Quest project in Macedonia is going to be implemented between February and August 2007. It is built around four principle activities, each promoting different value. The activities will include:

* Mass Mess – all-day event at national level, promoting teamwork among high school students. There will be participants from all Blue Sky local clubs, divided into teams, competing among themselves. The best one is going to be awarded;

* Peer 2 Peer – an activity aiming at encouraging high school students to offer and look for help in handling their every day school tasks. This activity promotes friendship among high school students. Six selected Blue Sky local clubs will coordinate the process of mobilizing talented high school students, able to teach their peers certain school subjects, and matching them with students who need help;

* Snap the Nature – all-day event at national level, promoting creativity using natural resources. High school students interested in art and photography may apply to take part in this event. Thirty of them will have a chance to attend workshops organized in a natural resort near the capital, and later create crafts using only natural resources, while the group of young photographers will photograph the pieces of art;

* Let’s Kite! – an activity promoting social inclusion of disabled youth through kite-making workshop. Three schools for disabled youth will take part in this activity. Along with the local Blue Sky clubs in the respective towns, they will organize workshops where Blue Sky members and the disabled young people will create kites together.

To find out more about the project and find out more, email us at valuesquest@gmail.com