Balkans Beyond Borders ID
Who we are
Balkans Beyond Borders (BBB) is a nongovernmental organisation formed by eight young professionals from Southeast Europe. Having its head office in Athens and official representatives (BBB Ambassadors) in all Balkan countries, the organisation seeks to promote youth mobility and youth cooperation in the Balkans through “dialogue”, “interaction” and “innovative learning”. Believing that the region’s socio-economic development requires stability, cooperation and modernisation, Balkans Beyond Borders invests in the region’s young people. The organisation through its activities aims to contribute to the region’s better future and Europeanisation.
Balkan Beyond Borders works towards the close collaboration between local festivals, film centres and film workshops in the Balkan region aiming to create an Inter- Balkan network able to promote efficiently the work of young artists of the region and beyond, in order to familiarize its audience to the Balkan culture and its diversity.
All the above are achieved in four ways, its four activities:
Our activities
- Balkans Beyond Borders Short Film Festival: Focusing on the Art of short film and new media, BBB’s flagship activity is the organisation of an annual thematic short-film festival, “Balkans Beyond Borders Short Film Festival”. The Film Festival takes place in a different Balkan city each year. It celebrates Balkan diversity and engages audience and creators to reflect on pressing contemporary issues through the medium of short film. The festival is framed by other cultural events like photo exhibitions, visual art events, live bands, graffiti activities, etc.
- Interactive Thematic Workshops: Young individuals up to 30 years old from different countries of Southeast Europe meet in different cities of the Balkan region to Live Experience and Create Together. The workshops always take place under the umbrella of the annual theme. The workshops are BBB’s real ground of cooperation and solidarity.
- Academic Seminars: Using the short films produced in the context of BBB’s filmmaking workshops, Balkans Beyond Borders co-organises interactive academic seminars and conferences targeted to students of political sciences, European and Balkan Studies. The BBB seminars give students the opportunity to come closer to the ‘Balkans’ as an academic field of study and a subject of politics while becoming familiar with the social and cultural public space of the region.
- European Network: Balkans Beyond Borders has invested time and effort in creating a network of young active people from the Balkan region and beyond in order to support and promote the BBB idea in the EU. In this endeavor that is BBB, we wish to actively engage as many interested individuals as possible in order to promote BBB and its goals in their country/region by communicating our activities, as well as providing ideas and taking up the responsibility to realize them. The BBB Network includes among others alumni of the EU and Southeast Europe – Leadership and Development Program, alumni of the College of Europe and alumni of the Fund for American Studies (TFAS).
…How things started
Balkans Beyond Borders started as an Initiative. The concept was formulated in August 2009 in Berlin. At that time, 6 young professionals from 5 different countries of Southeast Europe met and co-worked within the frame of Southeast Europe and the EU Leadership Development Program (LDP). This group of youngsters decided to initiate a project in order to promote the idea of regional cooperation. The Balkans Beyond Borders thematic short Film festival was born.
In June 24th 2010, Balkans Beyond Borders became a nongovernmental organisation registered in Greece. Today, the organisation’s “core” team is shaped by eight young professionals coming from Greece, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Romania and Italy.
Our Mission
• Develop the understanding of cultural diversity in the Balkan region and beyond
• Promote intercultural dialogue among both on regional and Pan-European level
• Boost regional cooperation in the Balkans
• Contribute to the integration of the Balkan Region in the EU
• Unify young people from the region towards a better common future
• Develop young people’s practical skills and knowledge, promoting Balkan talents and creativity
Our Goals
• Organize an internationally recognized thematic short film festival that takes place every year in a different Balkan city and serves as a meeting point for audience and creators
• Organise academic oriented seminars and conferences to contribute to the exchange of documented knowledge through interaction and innovative ways of learning
• Develop a network of skilled individuals, who cooperate, share ideas and actively contribute to the Balkans Beyond Borders idea
• Act as a platform for the familiarization of young Europeans with the Balkan culture and its diversity
