Values Quest

The Values Quest Adventure in Southport

2007-10-06T15:05:00.000-07:00

The final, and probably the most exciting for the Macedonian team, stage of the Values Quest project was the exchange visit of the team to the United Kingdom. They were visiting their partners from Sefton Youth Service in Southport in the period between 25 August and 1 September 2007. The Macedonian group had been looking forward to this trip from the very start of the project and the programme provided for them by the UK team, as well as the surprisingly good weather, justified this - it was a memorable experience.

The day-long trip from Skopje to Southport on the 25th brought them to Southport late in the evening, tired and luggageless, but nevertheless pleased at the sight of their smiling English friends welcoming them. The three-course tea at the hotel and the rooms rounded up the excitements of the day. What followed in the morning were preparations for the Cultural Day, a big event for Southport, where the Values Quest team had their own stall, presented the project and Macedonia as best they could, met the Mayor of Southport and had a great time meeting new friends and doing different activities, such as graffiti drawing, playing golf, strolling along the green grass and looking at the blue sky, unusually sunny for England.

The morning of the next day was dedicated to getting to know Southport. During this Town Rally the team was divided in groups which went on an exploring expedition, doing different tasks and seeing many beautiful places. Afterwards: lunch in the park and playing ‘hide and seek’. In the evening, Tony, one of the UK team leaders, managed to embarrass a large percentage of the group by means of his ‘notorious’ Karaoke - Bob Marley show.

Tuesday was Water Sports Day, a very new and different experience for the Macedonians which included canoeing, raft building and being in a boat that turned over in the middle of a lake, which means being drenched and cold, and, strangely enough, still having great fun. The day ended with bowling and barbeque and luggage arriving :)

The group spent the following day in preparations for the Manchester event, the concluding conference of the Youth, Sport, Action! project, working together in a relaxed and interesting atmosphere on designing the Values Quest stall. In the afternoon, they went together to a recording studio, where they recorded their Values Quest rap, a soon-to-be number-one hit :) The big gathering of all the projects within the Youth, Sport, Action! project took place in Manchester on August 30th. There the team presented their project, saw what the other teams had done, met up with old friends and danced during the party in the evening – an excellent conclusion of the whole project.

A visit to Liverpool, Anfield Stadium, dragon boat races and cheering, a Chinese meal, shopping, museums, galleries, Gala Dinner and dressing up, awards, dancing, laughing, no sleep - this was the last day in Southport. And an evaluation talk, during which everyone was sad that the end of the project had come, but also expressed their pleasure that the two teams got along so well and became one and their gratitude for having being part of this wonderful experience. However, they all realised that this end is just the beginning of future successful cooperation between Sefton Youth Service and the Blue Sky Youth Network, the beginning of friendships to last.

Written by: Daniela Atanasova

Values Quest Exchange Visit in Macedonia, 21st - 27th July, 2007

2007-10-05T16:00:00.000-07:00

As you have experienced, this summer has really been the hottest ever! It was hot because of the weather conditions, but also because of the atmosphere made by twenty young people from Macedonia and the UK.

As part of Values Quest project, a UK-Macedonia project promoting human values and active citizenship among youth, in the period of 21-27 July, an exchange visit happened in Macedonia. Ten young people from the Meops Cup Youth Centre, within the Sefton Youth Service from the UK came to Macedonia. Their hosts were the members of the Macedonian VQ team, members of the Blue Sky Youth Network. Together, they had a chance to visit some historical and tourist sights in Macedonia and to learn more about the local culture and tradition. They had a small tour around Skopje and saw the City Fortress, the Old Bazaar and some old churches, and later had dinner in a traditional Macedonian restaurant. However, they also saw the new, i.e. the modern part of the city, went to a café and danced on a dance machine, and had a first-hand experience of the life of the young people in Skopje, and in Macedonia.

The Values Quest team visited the Monastery St.Jovan Bigorski, situated in the mountains in Western Macedonia. The English group had an opportunity to learn more about the history of the place, and feel the spirituality and the calmness of the monks living there. Because of the heat, the young people were in search of cooler place, so they visited three lakes: Mavrovo Lake, Matka Lake and Dojran Lake.

The day at Matka (natural resort near Skopje), July 23rd, was reserved for Snap the Nature, an all-day event at national level, promoting creativity in using natural resources. The Macedonian VQ team was responsible for the organisation of the event, while the members of the English VQ team joined one of the two workshops: crafts or photography.

The following days, the group stayed at Hotel Sirius in Strumica, the venue of the Blue Sky Summer School ’07. There they discovered the “heaven on Earth”, the swimming pool :) They had a really good time, splashing each other and refreshing themselves, but also doing water teambuilding games, which were a lot of fun. They also visited the beautiful Smolare Waterfalls and spent some time in the nature, working together on preparing their presentation. They also had an opportunity to get involved in the creative workshops of the Blue Sky Summer School. At the end, they made a very amusing project presentation for the Summer School participants.

Both, the members of the Macedonian and the English VQ team, enjoyed the exchange visit in Macedonia, had time to get to know each other better, start functioning better as a team, learn more about the others’ culture and, most importantly, have fun together! :)

Written by: Ivana Trajanovska

Mass Mess Summer Jam

2007-07-08T12:59:00.001-07:00

We are pretty sure that you have already heard about one of the activities of the Values Quest project, called Mass Mess, whose aim was to promote team spirit among the high-school students.

Well, the members of the Blue Sky local club Kumanovo were inspired by this activity, and beside their Mass Mess local activity that they organised after the Mass Mess activity in Veles, they took an initiative by themselves, and decided to make a second Mass Mess local activity.

They called it Mass Mess Summer Jam and it took place on July 2nd, near the swimming pool at the hotel Lav, Kumanovo. About 30 members of the local club participated in it, and it was a big show for the numerous audience.

You can read more about this event at the Blue Sky web site and see the photos there.

Snap the Nature

2007-06-10T09:08:00.000-07:00

Dear Blue Sky people,

if you feel a need for artistic expression, want to show your talent and ideas or learn something new in an interesting way, just read on.

We hereby present you the third activity of the National project Values Quest of the Blue Sky Youth Network and British Council, Snap the Nature, a one-day event wholly devoted to creativity and forming bonds with nature through art, which will take place on 23th July 2007, by the beautiful Matka Lake, near Skopje.

Two parallel activities will be taking place as part of this event:
- a Photography workshop, which will invlove 10 participants (the participants will have to bring their own cameras), and
- an Art&Environment workshop involving 20 participants.
The workshops will be led by professional trainers.

In order to participate you just have to be a Blue Sky member and fill out the application form and send it to valuesquest@gmail.com before 21rst June. The applicants will be contacted and notified about the outcome of the selection no later than 27th June.

All travel expenses of the selected participants will be covered, and lunch and refreshments will be provided.

So what are you waiting for? Send your application and come, we'll create amazing and unusual things.

Yours
Values Quest Core Team

Mass Mess Local Activities

2007-06-08T14:37:00.000-07:00

In the aftermath of Mass Mess in Veles, where more than 80 members of the Blue Sky local clubs took part, the Mass Mess Local Activities took place.

The participants from 19 Blue Sky local clubs from all over Macedonia, with the help of the local coordinators and the members of their clubs, managed to organise and run the activities. About 500 high school students were involved in them, managing to build the team spirit through the various games and activities.

The 19 clubs that have finished the Mass Mess Local Activities are: Veles, Kumanovo, Kavadarci, Gostivar, Skopje, Berovo, Delcevo, Gevgelija, Kriva Palanka, Kocani, Makedonska Kamenica, Probistip, Stip, Sveti Nikole, Valandovo, Vinica, Ohrid, Prilep, and Struga

Due to technical issues, the Blue Sky local club Bitola couldn’t realise these activities until now, but its members are dedicated to doing so, and are planning to organise them very soon.

Even though we've been informed that the Blue Sky local club Struga has organised their local Mass Mess, we haven't received any reports whatsoever thusfar.

Don’t miss the two previous posts, where you can see some pictures and read more about each one of the activities that happened in April and May.

Written by: Ana Stefanovska

Mass Mess Local Activities - April

2007-06-08T14:18:00.000-07:00

BEROVO, DELCEVO & MAKEDONSKA KAMENICA
On 15th April, on the peak of the mountain Golak, in a neighbouring atmosphere, more than 60 young people participated in their local Mass Mess. This Mass Mess gathered representatives from 3 neighbouring Blue Sky local clubs: Berovo, Delcevo and Makedonska Kamenica. The participants were divided into 6 groups and played various games, such as basketball, football, best voice and the knot game. The participants actively participated in the activities, and more importantly constantly developed friendships among them.

Furthermore, the Mass Mess didn’t consist only of games, but also of sightseeing, as the participants together with the organizers visited the church on the mountain peak where they sang songs and played different games. Afterwards, they went to a pub in the city where the fun continued.

However, not only participants from these 3 local clubs were present at this Mass Mess. Guests from Blue Sky local club in Probistip were also present. They contributed to this event by joining in some of the games, the excellent jokes that they told, and the most important, had gathered experience to organise such an event for the members of their local club.

The event overall, by the participants was rated with 4.5 out of 5, which is an excellent score.

KAVADARCI
Although they faced problems at the very beginning, as the participants form the Blue Sky local club from Negotino didn’t show up due to some problems, the Blue Sky local club Kavadarci organised a wonderful Mass Mess.

The Mass Mess happened on the sport fields of the sport centre Jasmin on 21th April, and got 15 exceptional individuals involved into different activities. As the participants from Blue Sky local club Negotino didn’t come, only one group was formed, which did the following activities: Massage, Name and Gesture, Pass the ball, Flintstones, Two truths and a lie, Gordian Knot, Drunken Bottle, and The Race.

All of the activities were made with exceptional results, as a proof of which it can be mentioned that the activities that involved competitive spirit were measured 3 times for more accurate results.

VELES
At the place where the original and national Mass Mess was organised by the Values Quest Core Team, another, not much smaller, Mass Mess took place… this time, at local level only. This event gathered 27 participants, coordinators and group leaders.

The participants were divided in 3 groups. The groups were called Kids Next Door, Power Puff Girls & the Edds. They played games similar to the national Mass Mess’ ones and few that were made up by the coordinators and were given a name ‘knots.’

The winners at this local Mass Mess were the Edds, so they received small awards. The Mass Mess ended in the coffee bar nearby, where all the participants enjoyed a small party.

GOSTIVAR
In the park near the economic high school in Gostivar, on 26 April, for one and a half hour, the Mass Mess local activity took place. The park proved as a perfect spot for the 15 young people and the 4 coordinators from the Blue Sky local club Gostivar to create wonderful and interesting Mass Mess.

The Mass Mess started with group introduction games and name games as Massage, Name and Gesture, Two Truths and a Lie. It was followed by activities that emphasised the teamwork and the improvement of communication within the team.

At the end of the day, competition games were played during which the group named Pink Panter won.

OHRID
April 22nd was a special day for all the members of the Blue Sky local club Ohrid. That was the day when they organised their local Mass Mess activity. Their meeting point was Buffalo Beach and they gathered there at 13:00. They split in two groups, 12 participants in each, and the names of the groups were ‘Snoopy’ and ‘Garfield.’ They played many interesting teambuilding and competing games like balloon shaving and jumping with their legs fasten, but they also did some intellectually challenging exercises. The members found them really interesting to play.

Between the games, they had a break, at which refreshments were provided. During the whole activity they were full of energy and motivation. At the end, the ‘Garfield’ group won and they had the pleasure to throw some lake water to the other group. The fun didn’t end until all the participants got wet, as a real water fight started :) It is interesting to mention that at the Mass Mess local activity in Ohrid the Blue Sky members brought their friends and they really had fun together.

STIP
In the afternoon on April 22nd, the Blue Sky members from Stip gathered in the yard of the primary school ‘Dimitar Vlahov’ in Stip to make their local Mass Mess. There were 12 members of the Blue Sky local club Stip. They played different name games and team-building games, such as: Poseidon and the Sea, Two Truths and a Lie, and other interesting games.

All the members of the Blue Sky local club Stip were informed about the activity on time. At the beginning of the activity, the agenda of the event was read and the participants were explained the games. Then they were divided in two groups named after the famous TV series ‘Desperate Housewives’ and ‘Charmed’. First, they played games within the groups, and later the two groups had a competion between each other. At the and, amazingly, the two groups had equal number of points.

Their digital camera didn’t work, which is why we can not show you some photos of their Mass Mess. However, the most important thing is that everything went well and all the participants were satisfied with the completed activity.

They didn’t have any guests at their local Mass Mess, beside the children who were playing in the school yard. But, the interesting thing about this is that few days after the activity, they saw the same children playing the same games that they played. Interesting, huh? :)

SKOPJE
On 27th of April, on the sport ground of the high school Josip Broz Tito, for more than two hours a real mass mess was happing. 20 young people from the capital were participating in various activities and games that improved the teamwork and built up the competitive spirit in these young people.

The participants were doing two types of activities, in large group and small groups. The activities in large group involved games such as Massage and the activities in the small group were: Name and gesture Pass the ball, Flintstones, Gordian (Human) knot, Pass the pulse, Stand Up, Drunken bottle. And in order for it to be a real mass mess, competing games took place, as the well-known - Race.

An interesting fact was that this Mass Mess was the first Blue Sky event for some of the participants. It was pleasing that some of them showed up on the next meeting of the Blue Sky local club Skopje and we hope that we will see them more often at the activities of the Blue Sky Youth Network.

KUMANOVO
For nearly 5 hours, on April 28th in the city of Kumanovo, a massive Mass Mess happened. The organisers gathered more than 28 young people, led by 4 group leaders, in the park nearby, and played various games and activities. The activities were run by no other but the special guests at the event, our dearly beloved Elena Nikolova and Milica Arsovska from Values Quest Core Team, and Ljubica Manasievska from Kocani (who was there ’to borrow’ ideas ).

The participants were divided in two groups - Sandacinja and Cizmicinja, and played games such as Find you friend, Pass the pulse, Stand Up, Drunken bottle and many many more…After the rather relaxing and fun games, everybody received refreshments and food. At the end, the winners were given certificates, and everybody left happy and full of positive energy.

KOCANI & VINICA
In Kocani’s spots dome, the Mass Mess local activity, organised by the Blue Sky local clubs of Kocani and Vinica, took place. The event, which happened on 29th April, gathered 29 young people from these two clubs, for various activities and interesting games.

The participants first gathered into a big group, and then they were divided into four groups: Fruits, Animals, Flowers and Insects. Afterwards, the activities and the games started. Some of the activities included well know games, such as Name and Gesture, Group Massage, Flintstones, Two Truths and a Lie, Pass the Pulse, Human Knot, Stand Up, Tied Up, Bowling and many more.

But, it wouldn’t have been a real mass mess without a competition. In the competition, the first place was awarded to the Fruits, second to the Animals, and third – the Flowers. The winners received cream bananas, as an award.

As a representative of the Values Quest Core Team, Daniela was present at the event, who shared the wonderful experience with the rest of the team.

The results from the evaluation showed an overall rate of 4, so it was really a great Sunday afternoon in Kocani.

PRILEP
The Mass Mess local activity in Prilep took place on April 29th, 2007. It was organised in the Park of the Revolution, and it started at 11:00. It was visited by 18 participants, all members of the Blue Sky local club Prilep. There were three groups, whose names were ‘Scramble,’ ‘Tooth’ and ‘Thorn.’ Of course, the winner was the group that won the biggest number of points in the activities. They played eight games, those being: Pass and Tell, Steve's Invention, Spider's Web, Water Balloons, All on One, Through All of Our Hands, Pass Me and Body Words. The winner of the Mass Mess local activity was the group named ‘Thorn.’ The event lasted for two hours. It is also important to mention that the participants attracted a lot of attention, and they had a lot of fun!

KRIVA PALANKA
On April 29th, 18 members of the Blue Sky local club Kriva Palanka gathered at the town playground in order to have their Mass Mess local activity. They played the following games: Massage, Name and Gesture, Two Truths and a Lie, Pass the Pulse, Stand Up, Mafia, Football and other ball games. They decided to play all the games in one group. At the playground, there were also some peers that they knew, so they invited them to join. They had fun for more than 2 hours.
Everything went well and they were happy, satisfied and a bit tired when they got home. It was a really good experience and they hoped that it would happen again in near future.

Written by: Igor Izotov and Ivana Trajanovska

Mass Mess Local Activities - May

2007-06-08T14:02:00.000-07:00

PROBISTIP
The park in Probistip was the meeting point of 16 people who had only one thing on their mind on 12th May at noon sharp - Mass Mess.

The participants were divided into 2 groups that did some interesting games, such as Massage Game and Pass the Ball. Then the two groups had a small competition. The deal was that those losing would buy something to the ones winning.

At the end, everybody was satisfied with what they achieved and they understood how important the teamwork was.

The only thing that the organizers added was that they were sorry that more people didn’t show up, but were happy with the Mass Mess local activity they organized.

GEVGELIJA
In the sport hall ’Partisan’ in Gevgelija, the local Mass Mess activity was organised by the Blue Sky local club there. The event, which happened on May 12th, gathered 28 young people, out of which - 24 where from the Blue Sky local club, and the rest were members-to-become. We are happy that an increased number of young people is becoming aware of Blue Sky.

The participants were divided in four groups: Transformers, Pokemons, Ninja Turtles, and Flintstones. Afterwards, the activities and the games started. Some of the activities included well known games, such as: Name and Gesture, Group Massage, Flintstones, Two Truths and a Lie, Pass the Pulse, Human Knot, Stand Up, Tied Up, Bowling and many more.

Later, the participants had to explain the event through various words. The activities finished with awards being given to the winners, the members of the group Flintstones.

VALANDOVO
Maaass Mess for the first time in Valandovo! And what a Mass Mess it was!

On May 12th, at the sport fields of the high school ‘Goce Delcev,’ a bit different Mass Mess happened. This Mass Mess was different because it was organised together with the school, and its aim was to stress the importance of friendship between the youth in Valandovo. The participants were divided in 10 groups, and played games such as: basketball, football, athletics and handball. After the competitive games finished, the celebration started. The winners received certificates, and for all the others a special cocktail was prepared.

The Mass Mess continued in the hall of the school, where a party took place. The local Mass Mess officially ended there.

We are happy that Blue Sky had such a great impact on the local community, and that only 10 Blue Sky members from the local club in Valandovo managed to gather young people, representatives of the local government, and teachers from the high school to join them in this Mass Mess. We hope that next year we will have as many members as there were participants in this Mass Mess.

It can be concluded that this Mass Mess exceeded our expectations in every way.

SVETI NIKOLE
Blue Sky local club Sveti Nikole’s Mass Mess local activity was organized on May 26th at the football playground Ovce Pole in Sveti Nikole. It lasted from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. During this time they played all of the team-building games that were played at the national Mass Mess in Veles, except for the name games, since they already knew each other :)

There were 12 participants. Yet, aside the small number of participants, they managed to create good atmosphere and the whole activity went well. They think they made a big success since their town was small and there were not often activities like this, which young people from Sveti Nikole could participate in. They are proud to be Blue Sky members and to contribute to this way.

Written by: Igor Izotov and Ivana Trajanovska

Gladis' adventure throughout Skopje

2007-05-30T15:13:00.000-07:00

Today, Gladis had an almost solo adventure throughout Skopje. She said she needed to stretch her legs a bit and get some tea. She got back with wonderful pictures and some stories to tell.

First she went for a playground to test the devices and see what is all the fuss about. The swinging device was slightly sad because there was nobody to push her (for the sake of the story consistency, we would exempt the person who took the photo). But afterwards she enjoyed hook climbing. Now there was some good stretching, she said.

Afterwards she tried to call home, but she said she couldn’t push the buttons, she needed fingers or some thumbs at least. We can lend her some next time she goes for a walk. Gladis told us that despite the unsuccessful attempt at calling England, she had a nice chat with a beeping sound, but it turned out the beeping sound wasn’t very interested in her, and there was no feedback from the communication.

Along the way towards the church, Gladis noticed a graffiti which if left to free interpretation of the author of this text, is an elephant from Germany with a large ear piercing, but seeing what the interpretation of the author was, it won’t be left to his interpretation.

She took a short cut through the air (I believe everyone is familiar with her levitation abilities) just to land in front of the church and get stuck in the door. When a nice gentleman which Gladis fancied a lot, helped her release herself from the oppression of the door, they exchanged numbers and she relaxed a bit, knowing she may as well found another friend.

Just before leaving, she threw a last glance at the sky, behind a suggestive large construction and went back in to the apartment. The journey is its own reward should work well here because she forgot to buy some tea, and now is drinking Boza instead (which has nothing to do with tea, except that is kind of fluidy)

Written by: Damjan Cvetkov-Dimitrov
Photos by: Ana Stefanovska

Letter from Gladice

2007-05-02T23:11:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone,

Gladice speaking. I want you to know that I’m fine here. Macedonia is such a beautiful country and the Macedonian team are so good to me. I learned so many things about this country and I’m having great time here.

At first, I was at Mimi’s house and there I met her two teddy bears, Greta and Belcho, who became really good friends of mine. Then, I was at Mimi’s school where I met some of her friends and I was on a meeting of the Values Quest team. And from the meeting till this moment I’m in Ana’s house.

As you can see I have many friends around and I feel so happy. But guys, I miss Southport and you, the English team, so much that I can’t wait to see you again.

Love,
Gladice

Letter to Spase

2007-05-02T23:07:00.000-07:00

Hello Spase,

How are you? Do you like Southport and England so far? We are not asking you because we’re sure that our partners are taking good care of you and that you are happy with them. Also we know that you are having GREAT FUN there and we would really like to be there with you.

We’re writing this to you just to tell that we really miss you and we can’t wait for the day to come when we will be with you again. Your friend, Gladice, is here and she is fine with us.

Everyone remembers you for different things that they had done with you. This can especially be seen in the behaviour of Mimi because she really misses you in her home. Every morning when she wakes up she thinks that she will see you near her but…..when she looks better she recognizes that you are not there. Then, what Frose and Ivana miss is changing your clothes because they want you to look handsome and charm girls. Elena, Elena, Daniela and Ana miss your hugs with your “little” arms. Igor and Tomce miss having fun with you. And also Damjan, who didn’t like you so much, misses you because now he can’t see the most annoying member of the team for him. But, don’t worry about Damjan, he is what he is and you can’t change him.

So that is how we feel about you. In the end, we are sending you our love and smiles just for you.

Love you Spase,
VQ team

YOUTH, SPORT, ACTION!

2007-04-30T13:49:00.000-07:00

The opening conference of the Youth, Sport, Action! project took place in the historic town of Ohrid, Republic of Macedonia, from 10 to 14 April 2007. The participating countries were Albania, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Greece, Israel, Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Turkey and UK. The conference brought together the different country groups (a total of around 200 young people) to develop their projects.

AIM OF THE CONFERENCE
The aim of the event was to inspire and motivate the young people so they can be fully involved in implementing the project activities, and to ensure that participants have the skills and confidence to achieve their goals. There was a strong emphasis on team building, and above all the event was fun. There were also parallel programmes for training a group of young people involved in filming the projects and for project development sessions for the leaders.

VIEW A PHOTO GALLERY OF THE CONFERENCE

PARTICIPANTS
The young people participating were:
- different ages (ranging from 15 to 24)
- from different countries
- from different cultural backgrounds
- with different educational and intellectual levels
- some with physical disabilities or other individual needs
- with different levels of English

ACTIVITIES
One of the aims of YSA was to break down barriers and enable the young people to experience diversity and get to know other cultures. So they spent some of the time in mixed groups with participants from all the other countries. The most appropriate activities for this mixing were the outdoor / physical activities. On the other hand the young people spent time getting to know their project partners and developing ideas about their projects. The workshops also helped to strengthen these relationships.

All the sessions celebrated universal sporting values such as equal opportunity, inclusiveness, participation, team spirit and fair play. The overall aim of Youth, Sport, Action! is to enable young people in the participating countries to understand and share these values, to give them confidence to put these into practice in their communities, and to extend their personal horizons through international contacts.
For more information, please contact Elizabeta Jovanovska and Snezana Velkovska.

VQ on Youth Sport Action!

2007-04-30T08:40:00.000-07:00

The long-awaited-for April event, Youth Sport Action!, took place in Ohrid from 10-14 April and the Values Quest Core Team was part of it. During the event, seven of us followed the participants’ program and attended different workshops and sport activities; Frose, our film person was involved in the film-making training sessions and our coordinators had a special group leaders’ program.
The exciting thing about the five days in Ohrid was that they brought all the project groups from the different countries in one place and it was an excellent opportunity for all of us to communicate amongst each other, to get to know each other and have fun together. We also got the chance to learn interesting things about other countries and traditions and encounter diversity of cultures, but at the same time bond with people with similar interests as ours.
What most delighted us was that we met our project partners from Southport, England, a wonderful group of crazy and fun people. We are so glad we got along so well with them and so happy that they are our partners, we just can’t wait to have them in Macedonia again!
All of this made the April event a great experience for us.

Written by: Daniela Atanasova

Pictures of Spase

2007-04-04T07:53:00.000-07:00

Spase Vrednovski

2007-04-03T13:34:00.000-07:00

Spase Vrednovski is the name of the most popular member of the Values Quest team.

He is the cutest lad you have ever met. So far, this hearbreaker has reached to the hearts of quite a few girls. With his smile, his bright eyes and his funky hairstyle, he is a real charmer.

Spase enjoys listening to music, reading books and watching TV as well. His favorite music genre is rock. So, there you go – meet the coolest rocker around. Spase likes geography and wants to discover things about all countries. He enjoys playing football, but he is interested in other sports too. Look him up for basketball, handball, volleyball and whatever else played in a group.

Spase is a friend, very loveable and much loved. We are proud to have him on board. Get ready to be charmed by… SPASE!!!!

Written by: Milica Arsovska

My Mass Mess impressions

2007-03-24T09:33:00.000-07:00

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

2007-03-23T09:24:00.000-07:00

Mass Mess - successfully realized

2007-03-22T14:54:00.000-07:00

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

2007-03-13T15:38:00.000-07:00

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

2007-03-08T08:15:00.000-08:00

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