Balkans Beyond Borders organized together with the International and European Studies Department of the University of Piraeus an one-day seminar on the Balkans and their European perspective in the time of the financial crisis, “The ‘Balkans’ Today” on May 27, 11:00-14:00, at the University of Piraeus. Students from the disciplines Political Science, European Studies, International Relations showed great interest on the topic. This cooperation combined academic excellence with participatory discussion and had positive and meaningful outcomes in terms of better understanding the issues raised during the seminar.
The aim of the seminar was to inform and train first year students on the history, the particularities and the challenges that the Balkan region deals with.
This educative and participatory seminar will give the students the opportunity to come closer to the ‘Balkans’ as an academic field of study and a subject of politics while they will become familiar with the social and cultural public space of the region. Some of the students may be inspired by the topics and choose to follow a relevant specialization in the future.
The organisation Balkans Beyond Borders has been formed by a team of young professionals and academics coming from the Southeast Europe. Its main purpose is to promote and develop streams of communication between the youth of the region as well as to contribute to the development of the ‘European idea’ in the region.
Balkans Beyond Borders firmly believes that such activities actively contribute to the reduction of ignorance and the development and maintenance of networks of educated individuals in the Balkans who today and in the future may have a say and play a role in the gradual solution of our region’s problems.
Programme
11:00-12:00
«The ‘Balkans’ and the EU’ – The grey area of Europe;?»
Asderaki Fotini, Lecturer, Department of International and European Studies, UNIPI
«Non Governmental Organisations and cultural rights in the Balkans»
Simiti Marilena, Assistant Professor, Department of International and European Studies, UNIPI
The role of the press in political debate
Tzogopoulos George, Post Doc Research Fellow, ELIAMEP
12:15– 12:45
Screening of the short film «If I don’t leave first, I won’t return» (10’) concerning the problem of cross-border mobility and the short film «IB-bate» touching the question of identity formation in FYROM
13:00-14:00
Perceptions and realities. The youth in the Balkans. Presentation of BBB and the role of similar initiatives in the region.
Karydi Konstantina, PhD candidate University of Athens, Junior Research Fellow ELIAMEP, BBB Member
Anelia Fikiina, Project Manager, ΒΒΒ
14:00 – 15:00
Open discussion