Vss14 info booklet

VSS Information Booklet 1

Info-booklet

VSS Information Booklet2

ZdravoYou must be super excited about the upcoming Volunteer Summer summit 2014 which will take place in Bosnia and Her-zegovina. You probably already started searching for information about Bosnia. With this booklet we will try to provide you with basic information about Bosnia that might come in handy before, during and after the VSS.

Probably most of you heard of Bosnia in connection to warfare, but don’t worry it ended almost 20 years ago. You might as well have heard of the catastrophic floods that hit Bosnia in May this year, it was dreadful, but people have started to recover. Luckily, our venue was not affected by the floods.

In next few pages we will give you info that will prepare you for VSS and for the general life in Bosnia (in case you want to spend some time here after the VSS). We prepared this Participant’s info booklet so you won’t get surprised during your stay.

Please go through it before coming to Bosnia to arrive as prepared as possible and so that you can enjoy the VSS to an even greater extend. If you have any questions, about something in the booklet, or VSS at all, feel free to ask us on Facebook or Frederik in the office ([email protected]).

Vidimo se uskoro!VSS Team

Proofreading: Frederik & Egill

Layout: Egill and Frederik

Editor: Andrej and Kenan

Texts: The Support Team

ContentsPractical Info 3Packing List 4I can Teach You 5Goodbye Party 5Community Project 6 Leisure Activities 7What to do before and after the VSS? 11How to Get to the VSS? 13Bus Schedule 14Basic Bosnian 15Schedule 16The VSS Rules and Guidlines 18

With the financial support of the European Youth Founda-tion of the Council of Europe

Emergency Contacts: 00387 66 824 432 and 00387 66 721 202Address: Hotel MladostM-20, Sutjeska National ParkBosnia and Herzegovina

AFS Bosnia and Herzegovina OfficeHamdije Kreševljakovića 6171000 Sarajevo


These are the most important things you need to know when you plan your visit to Bosnia&Herzegovina. Please read it carefully.Currency and prices: The national currency of Bosnia&Herzegovina is convertible mark (BAM). It is locally abbreviated KM. It has a fixed exchange rate to the Euro that is 1 EUR = 1.95583 BAM. Most places in Bosnia will not accept euros. You can change euros to marks at the airport, exchange offices in Sarajevo and in most banks. At the venue we will accept pay-ments in euros as well as in Bosnian marks. In Bosnia&Herzegovina the ATM system is easy to use and you can find ATMs all around, except at and near the venue. Meals in economical restaurants costs around 7 KM, small pizza is usually around 4 KM. 0,5 l of domestic beer costs around 1,4 KM in markets and the most expensive pack of cigarettes is 4,3 KM. One way ticket for public transportation costs 1,6 KM, taxi per km - 1 KM (plus start - 1,5 KM). One kg of apples costs around 2KM in markets.Electrical outlets (sockets):Here are the shape of the sockets in Bosnia&Herzegovina, and the the types of plugs used in Bosnia&Herzegovina.

TYPE C EUROPLUG TYPE E TYPE F SCHUKO If none of your usual plug is compatible, you should buy a universal travel adapter to be able to plug your electric devices.Country calling code:The country code for Bosnia is +387. All mobile phonenumbers starts with a 6. In Bosnia mobile telephoning is provided by three big operators BH Telecom, HT Eronet and M-tel.Emergency numbers: 122 – Police, 123 – Fire, 124 – AmbulanceShops and Banks: Supermarkets are usually open until 20.00 or 21.00, however, they might either be closed or closing earlier on Sundays. Banks are not open after 16.00 (Saturday to 14.00, closed on Sundays). Banks do always have an ATM outside and supermarkets accept most major credit cards.Weather: Bosnia&Herzegovina has a moderate continental climate, except southern part that has a Mediterranean climate.Every summer there are periods in Bosnia&Herzegovina with extreme heat;during the afternoon temperatures may rise up to 35-40°C. The venue is in a mountainous areathat is covered by forests where it’s fresher and not as warm compared to other parts of the country. However, you should bring sunscreen and also do not forget insect repellent.

Practical Info


• Boarding passes, Itinerary, price of ticket to VSS (send it as an email to [email protected] and bring it to the venue)• Sunblock, hat and sunglasses• Swimsuit and flip-flops • Insect repellent• Clothes for the goodbye party (the music time machine)• Old clothes for working outdoors **• Raincoat• Head-lamps or flash lights• Piece of warm clothing• Your personal hygiene kits, shampoo, soap etc• White t-shirt (if you want to tie-dye it)• AFS t-shirts or any other AFS merchandise, souvenir, food or drink from your country ***• Social security card• Outdoor and social games• AFS gadgets/t-shirts, souvenirs, food or drinks from your country to share at the bazar• Cash in Bosnian marks (ATM is not available at the venue)

* - Please bring your boarding passes (the paper that you need to enter an airplane), we are going to collect them at the venue. You will get them back at the end of the VSS if you needthem for your national AFS organisation. We also need a document stating the price ofyour flight and the itinerary. The reason why we askyou to bring these documents is that the event has funding from the Council of Europe. The VSS would be a lot more expensive withoutthis funding – thus you all benefit from it.** - For the community project, you should bring clothes that may get dirty since the project will involve painting, and do also remember to bring with you books in your national language that will be donated to the school.*** - For the traditional VSS multicultural bazar you should bring AFS t-shirts, AFS gadgets, drinks, food and anything else from your country that you would like to share or trade with others.

Packing List


I Can Teach You

Do you have a secret skill or talent that you would like to teach? Or do you have knowledge that you think is essential for everybody to know? With so many different people around we are sure that there are some hidden talents and knowledge that others can benefit from, which is why we invite you to join us for the session I can teach you on Friday the 25th of July after lunch between 13:30-15:00. During this session you will have the opportunity to share knowledge or a skill with other VSS participants. What a great oppor-tunity to teach knitting, salsa, declaration of human rights, how to properly groom a horse, first steps in Photoshop…and the list goes on!

If this sounds like you, go ahead and sign up for the activity at the info-desk before 15:00 on Thursday 24th of July. In case you would need some specific equipment please bring them yourself or contact [email protected]. We will try to cater to your needs if possible. In any case, we can equip you with a basic flip chart and markers. We are looking forward to hear your ideas!

If you do not feel like being in the spotlight, you should not worry - there will be plenty of skills to learn from and to keep you occupied for this whole session. So don’t forget to sign up for one of your fellow participants’ sessions. You can do this in the morning of the 25th of July at the info desk.

Rock’n’roll, Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson, Hippies, The Beatles, MC Hammer, Madonna, Britney Spears, The Queen, The Rolling Stones, Bon Jovi, Backstreet Boys.... Different styles, different music, different years all together on this years’ VSS Goodbye party. Dress up in your favourite music style, show us your best dancing skills and let’s go through the music time machine!

GoodbyeParty


This year’s community project you can choose from plenty of different things to do. We will focus on helping both around the venue and in one school nearby. Please do not forget to bring some working clothes.• Škola na Popovom MostuThis school is about 4 km away from Tjentište. It was founded more than 100 years ago. Today there are 14 pupils there. A special thing about this school is that it is one of few multiethnic schools in BiH. Our plan is to make the school look nicer.1. Paint the classrooms and the hallway2. Clean the schoolyard

• The monument in TjentišteTjentište is part of the national park Sutjeska where this year’s VSS is going to be. One of the most important battles for Yugoslavia (BIH together with 5 other countries which used to form Yugoslavia) in WWII took place just there, and that battle became a symbol of courage and resistance for the people. After the war, they built a monument order to celebrate the heroes from this battle. Today the stairs leading to this monument are not in a best condition. Help with cleaning this historical place!

• Make traditional Bosnian food for the whole venueHave you ever tasted any traditional food from the Balkans? If not, you will certainly get an opportunity on during this VSS. Not only that, we are also making a team of kitchen masters which are going to grill and bake delicious food for the whole venue. If you like to learn making new dishes, you should join this leisure activity!

• Make the venue look even more beautiful!The sport fields near our hotel could use a small renovation. You could help by painting the border lines of the fields, removing the grass where necessary, and so on. The fence around the fields, as well as the small bridge leading to the hotel, is going to be painted as well. This is going to make the area look even nicer.

• Donate a book!This is a community project which will include all of the VSS participants. The plan is to collect dozens of books - in different lan-guages! Later on, the books are going to be donated to the library in Foča. Make sure to take a book with you to the VSS! It could be any book you like, whether if it is a new book, or an old one. It would be lovely if the book you are donating is written in your native language by a native author. Before you choose your book, please make sure it does not lack pages and without no writing in books. The books will be collected at the info desk, and during the VSS there is going to be a special book corner at the hotel, where every-body will be able to visit and browse through different books.

Community Project


Water balloon fightIt is summer. We are in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is hot. You need cooling down. So do your friends.What else is there to say? Water balloons are available at the info desk. But remember: With great power comes great responsibility.

VSS MusicDo you feel that “Walk Together, Talk Together” is past its prime?Do you want to participate in the creation of a new tradition?Do you like singing? Have you ever wanted to try singing in polyphony?Here is your chance! Either as part of the creators or the performers (or both!) of a brand new VSS song!We will compose the lyrics and learn the song in multiple voices. Even if you have never tried something like this before, if you like singing, you should give it a try!Come join us!

Board gamesGet hooked by the competition, the fun or the neat atmosphere over a board-game or two. In Bosnia we love to play cards and other games during our free time. Divide yourselves into groups of your choice and enjoy yourself with other partici-pants while playing some of the world’s best board games. Everything will be prepared for you in one of the rooms, which will also feature relaxing music in order for this leisure activity to be a perfectly spent hour and a half.

PhotographyIf you want to express your creativity through photography you should definitely choose this activity. We will have differ-ent topics for every day; you can capture the beautiful nature, some special moments (also the awkward ones), happiness, love etc., but most importantly, we will have a lot of fun while shooting from all the angles you can imagine! It is also a great opportunity to learn some new photography techniques. Feel free to do whatever you want with your camera and show us everything you know. We hope you will join us!

Movie CornerTime for the movie world! After the workshops you will surely just need to sit and watch an interesting movie with your VSS friends. Perfect way to chill out and refresh yourself...

Leisure Activities


Impro TheatreTheatre is one of the most fundamental ways of expressing and interpreting human thoughts and emotions. “All the world is a stage”, Shakespeare said, and how right he was. People act all the time, without even truly knowing. We adjust our body movements and the manner of speaking to given social situations, and unconsciously transmit non-verbal messages to our surroundings. The point of this leisure activity however is how to use and understand this sort of “common acting” for our own favour and for the favour of others: but also to explore the more shallow sides such as how to manipulate others and make stressful life situation – e.g. job interviews, speeches – lighter and more pleasant.

Games without bordersParticipants will be divided into groups of five, in which you will face weirdest many obstacles during game time. The games will test many of your different abilities being basics coordination skills to the more advanced survival skills. During the game, the teams will be carefully observed by the referees, which will mark your speed, innovativeness and artistic expression.

It is naturally very important for us to keep our VSS volunteers in shape and ready for action, therefore this leisure activity will be perfect for all those proud and energetic volunteers, ready to save the world at any given time. Feel free to create your own team before hand, dress up, bring along your own mascot and give it a try to win while having loads of fun!

Football and BasketballIf you really want to dive into Bosnian culture, your first leisure activity choice should undoubtedly be football or basket-ball. Those two sports are known to be the main factors behind the spirit of the nation, regardless of age and gender.There will be balls available every single day at the Info-desk, make up a team and rock the floor.

Do nothingYou have read the description. Now get to it! Nothing happens by itself. Or does it? I am confused now.

Swimming PoolSurrounded by the mountains and beautiful nature of Sutjeska National Park is an ENORMOUS swimming pool with fresh water from the river Sutjeska. Take your swimming suits, sunscreen, and towel and enjoy your free time in the pool. This region of Bosnia is well known for high temperatures during the summer thus do not even hesitate to take your swim suits because if not, you will probably be very sorry.


Capture “STIPE “and “MUJO”Capture the “Stipe and Mujo” is an amazing VSS remake of the well-known ancient game, ‘Capture The Flag’. The partici-pants will form two groups, where they will have the task to hide our precious tiger babies Stipe and Mujo in the radius of 300 meters from the central point. After completing the task, both teams will receive the task to find the other’s team hidden tiger-baby.Cunning is brought into the game with the rule that none of the participants of a certain group should be seen by the other team’s participants. However, if that happens, participants of the opposite team will have to catch the other with a ribbon and put this ribbon around the arm. The first to do so win the other participant over to his/her team and enslaves him or her. This is where strategy comes in handy: you can either concentrate on the attack or on the defence of your hid-den animal, preferably both. The group who manages to find the hidden VSS baby first, will be the winner of the game.

YogaYoga is a form of fitness that was developed in ancient India thousands of years ago and we are bringing it to the VSS! If you want to work on your physical and mental balance, meditate, learn how to breathe consciously, focus on your mind, reduce stress and negative thoughts, or just stretch your body after a long workshop, yoga activities are the right thing for you to do. The beautiful secret about yoga, is that everyone can practice it. It is not important if you are unfit - just listen to your body and do as much your body allows you to. We are looking forward to have you as a part of our yoga activities!

Traditional dancesTraditional folkloric dances are a form of expressions of emotions and storytelling through movement. A certain dance is traditional Slovenian and is simply called folklore. It includes costumes and a complex choreography. Every traditional dance is connected with a place and has movements, postures, costumes and ways of singing unique to this place.

The tradition of folkloric dances is changing through time, transmitted from generation to generation and used with local costumes as the traditional way of socializing in the community. For some dances you even require a high level of stamina and mobility to fully express this art of Balkan traditions.


Self DefenceMaster your martial art skills and learn how to outsmart your attacker, to knock out people, to defend yourself from knife attacks, etc. by the guidance of two experienced fighters.

Creative cornerIf you love spending your free time doing something creative, this leisure activity will definitely satisfy you. We will make a little creative corner where you can draw, paint or make something creative for this VSS. We will provide you paint, colours, papers, scissors, glues, pens and everything you need for your work of art. The theme for the creative corner is to express diversity in the world, but you can also do something that is not connected to this. Bring your passion to this VSS and join this leisure activity.

Bike RideIf you look at the skyyou’ll see that mountains are highSo just give me a high fiveTake your bike and let’s drive

Feel free don’t be afraidIf you crash we have first aidLet’s explore this beautiful placeWe’ll drive slowly, we won’t race

Basics Bosnian/Croatian/SerbianIf you have planned to stay a bit longer in Bosnia and Herzegovina after the VSS (or in Croatia/Serbia/Montenegro), this is a great opportunity for you to learn some basics of the commonalities between the three languages, in the fun way of course!


If you arrive to Bosnia before or decide to stay after the VSS here is a list of places you should visit.

Sarajevo is the state capital and the biggest city in Bosnia. There are a lot of interesting things to see and to do in Saraje-vo. The city is historically famous for its traditional religious diversity, with adherents of Islam, Orthodoxy, Catholicism and Judaism coexisting there for centuries.First thing you should visit is the Old Town. The cobbled streets, mosques and oriental style shops at the heart of the city are a world away from Europe, and when the call-to-prayer starts, one could be forgiven for thinking that they were actu-ally in the Middle East. You could actually be walking by a Catholic church, Orthodox church and a Synagogue and hear the Islamic call to prayer at the same time. You should also try Bosnian traditional food ćevapčići and pita which are the best in this part of the city. Since this year is 100th anniversary of the outbreak of the First World War, you should visit Latin Bridge which was the location of the 28 June 1914 assassination of Archduke of the Austrian Hungarian empire Franz Ferdinand, the event that sparked the beginning of World War I. A plaque commemorates the event.One of the most beautiful places in Sarajevo is Vrelo Bosne. The beginning of the river Bosna where the water is pure and ice cold. In less than a 20 minutes from the city centre, you are out in the countryside, with no suburbs in between: unique for a large city. Here you can walk in a beautiful park, picnic and spend the whole day without ever getting bored.More info can be foundon www.navigator.ba

Banja Luka is the administrative capital and the largest city of Republika Srpska, and the second largest city in Bosnia and Herzegovina.First thing you should visit in Banja Luka is Kastel fortress on the bank of the Vrbas river with history up to Roman ages.If you decide to come to Banja Luka you should go on rafting on the river Vrbas, which is one of the best in the world.More info about Banja Luka can be found onwww.banjaluka-tourism.com

Mostar: We also recommend to visit Mostar. The most popular place in Mostar is Stari Most - The Old Bridge. Originally built by the Turks in 1566, it was destroyed in 1993, but rebuilt in 2004. The bridge is the highlight of Mostar and is a UN-ESCO World Heritage Site. The bridge is 21m high and you will frequently see members of the Mostar Diving Club dive off the bridge. Also you should visit Kravice waterfall which is about 40 km from Mostar. More info at www.visitmostar.net

What to do before and af-ter the VSS?


Tuzla: You should visit Tuzla as well which is the third largest city in Bosnia and Herzegovina, located in one of the most important industrial Bosnian regions. The first place to visit is the square at the center of the old town which is very nice and the park is very beautiful. You should also visit the Pannonica Lakes, whose water is directly supplied from the local wells of salt water. Tuzla’s salt has been exploited for centuries and you should visit the Salt Square dedicated to this aspect of Tuzla’s history.

Višegrad: The last but not least place we recommend you to visit is Višegrad. It is well known for Mehmed Paša Sokolović Bridge. This is a historic bridge in Višegrad, over the Drina river. It was completed in 1577. by the Ottoman court architect Mimar Sinan on the order of the Grand Vizier Mehmed Paša Sokolović. UNESCO included the facility in its 2007 World Heri-tage List. The bridge is widely known because of the book ‘’The Bridge on the Drina’’ written by Yugoslav writer Ivo Andrić, Nobel prize winning author.


How to get to the VSS?

From the airport to city centre of SarajevoTo reach the city centre you can either use a taxi or public transportation or combine those two options. There are no direct buses from the airport. If you use taxi be careful, because it should not cost more than 15KM. Taxi drivers sometimes overcharge their passengers. Do not use a taxi that you can find in front of the airport building. The best option is to call for a taxi to the airport by using phone number +387 033 15 16 (it is a reliable company).

If you prefer to use public transportation you’ll have to go by foot for around 15 minutes. Follow the map that is given bellow and you’ll find the first trolleybus stop in the part of city that is called Dobrinja. There you can take the bus lines 103 and 107 to reach the city centre (it will take around 30-40 minutes). You can buy ticket from the driver and it costs 1,6 KM.

To get to the venue itself you should take a shuttle bus that we’ve organised for you. You can find schedule of departures below.


Arrival

Below is an overview of the shuttle buses that we have arranged for you. We will get back to you with separate info on which bus to take, but they have all been adapted to your arrival times. City Center Bus Pick-up The bus will pick you up in front of the:

The National Museum of Bosnia and HerzegovinaZmaja od Bosne 3Sarajevo 71000Bosnia and Herzegovina

Bus number Leaving from the City Center(See address under addresses

Leaving from the Airport

1 14:30 Approximately: 15:002 15:30 Approximately: 16:003 18:00 Approximately: 18:30

In case we have not yet received your arrival details, you will be taken with the last bus. Again, you will receive an email about this.

Departure

Regarding departure, the following buses will leave from the venue towards Sarajevo Bus number Leaving from the Venue Arriving at the Airport Arriving in City Center1 8:00 Approximately: 10:15 Approcimately: 10:452 8:30 Does Not Stop Here Approcimately: 11:003 9:00 Does Not Stop Here Approcimately: 11:30

In case you have still not booked your departure and you’re leaving on the 26th July then aim at leaving no earlier that noon.

In case you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact [email protected]

Bus Schedule


Hello Ćao/zdravoHi ĆaoBye ĆaoGoodbye Doviđenja Good evening Dobro večeI’m... Ja sam...Nice to meet you Drago mi je da smo se upoznaliThanks HvalaPlease Molim teYes DaNo NeI’m sorry/excuse me IzviniI don’t know Ne znamMaybe MoždaHow much does it cost? Koliko košta?Where is (the station)? Gdje je (stanica)?How do you get to..? Kako doći do..?I’m lost Izgubio/izgubila sam seCan you help me? Možete li mi pomoći?Where am I? Gdje sam?Do you speak English? Da li pričate engleski?I’m looking for... Tražim...Bus AutobusTrain VozTaxi TaksiAirport Aerodrom (zračna luka)Station Stanica (kolodvor)Ticket KartaBreakfast DoručakLunch RučakDinner VečeraBon appetite PrijatnoCoffee with milk Kahva/kava/kafa sa mlijekomTea ČajWater VodaJuice SokBeer PivoCheers ŽivjeliWhen is lunch? Kada je ručak?Volunteer VolonterCan I take a picture with you? Mogu li se slikati s tobom?Can you take a picture of us? Možeš li nas slikati?I’m tired Umoran samI’m hungry Gladan sam Where is the info desk? Gdje je info desk?Bosnia is beautiful Bosna je prelijepaI love ćevapčići Volim ćevapčiće

BasicBosnian


Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Firday Saturday07:00-08:30 Breakfast Breakfast Breakfast Breakfast Breakfast

09:00-10:30 Official Opening T4T Sessions Workshops Workshops Departure of Participants

11:00-12:30 Thematic Opening T4T Sessions Workshops Workshops

12:30-13:30 Arrival of Participants Lunch Lunch Lunch(13:15-14:15)

Lunch

13:30-15:00 Leisure Activities Leisure Acitivites Leisure Activities (14:15-15:45)

I Can Teach You

15:30-19:40 Workshops Workshops Community Project Sharing of Outcomes

and

Official Closing

19:45-21:15 Dinner Dinner Dinner Dinner Dinner

21:15 Welvome Evening Local Night Bazar Common Night with Local Community

Goodbye Party

Programme


Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Firday Saturday07:00-08:30 Breakfast Breakfast Breakfast Breakfast Breakfast

09:00-10:30 Official Opening T4T Sessions Workshops Workshops Departure of Participants

11:00-12:30 Thematic Opening T4T Sessions Workshops Workshops

12:30-13:30 Arrival of Participants Lunch Lunch Lunch(13:15-14:15)

Lunch

13:30-15:00 Leisure Activities Leisure Acitivites Leisure Activities (14:15-15:45)

I Can Teach You

15:30-19:40 Workshops Workshops Community Project Sharing of Outcomes

and

Official Closing

19:45-21:15 Dinner Dinner Dinner Dinner Dinner

21:15 Welvome Evening Local Night Bazar Common Night with Local Community

Goodbye Party


- Please be on time for programme activities

- Smoking is forbidden inside. When smoking outside use the ashtrays.

- Please respect others in need of sleep

- Please clean up after yourself

- Using the pool is at your own risk; you need to be a good swimmer

- Alcohol can only be consumed as of dinner time - please drink reasonably

- We are in the middle of nature in a venue that is spread out quite far, nevertheless, you should pay attention to wildlife, avoid getting hurt in places that are not directly used as VSS facilities (e.g. under construction)

- We have set up hot spots for wi-fi access and you can get the password at the information desk. Please use it reasonably (i.e. do not use it during workshops, do not download movies)

The VSS Rules and Guidlines


With the financial support of the European Youth Foundation of the Council of Europe

Vss14 info booklet

Documents

Transcript of Vss14 info booklet