We are happy to have won one of the 5 awards of the Civil Society Prize 2018, awarded on 13 of December from the EESC – European Economic and Social Committee in Brussels! Balkans Beyond Borders was one of the 5 organizations and initiatives that excelled in a European level for its contribution to cultural heritage and creation of a stronger civil society! This is a great honour for our efforts as an organization to enhance cooperation and engage the youth through the art of short film making.
The 10th edition of the Civil Society Prize has rewarded initiatives aimed at raising awareness of the multiple layers and richness of European identities, exploiting the full potential of Europe’s cultural wealth, facilitating access to European cultural heritage and promoting European values. An evaluation panel composed of ten experts chose the winners among the 150 applications received from 27 Member States. The work of the panel was very challenging and rewarding, considering the high level and quality of the applications.
The prize awards ceremony took place on 13 December 2018 during the EESC plenary session.
The first prize, of a value of 14.000 EUR, went to Tastes of Danube – Bread Connects (Germany), a project which uses the topic of bread as intangible cultural heritage that unites European people in their diversity.
The other prizes, of a value of 9.000 EUR each, went to:
2nd prize: SWANS initiative (Germany), which organises career and leadership seminars for top female university students from immigrant families and for women of colour, thus contributing to empowering this group of women who are often discriminated against.
3rd prize: Eco-Museum by the social cooperative Aria Nuova (Italy), an initiative which helps mental health patients from residential units to gain new insights into art and culture, thus asserting the universal right to culture.
4th prize: Safe Passage (UK), which opens up safe and legal routes for refugee children to places where they can start a new life and builds public support for child refugees.
5th prize: Balkans Beyond Borders short film festival (Greece), which uses art as an empowering force for overcoming differences embedded in the Balkan region’s history.