The conference was opened by H.E. Anika Ben David, Ambassador of Sweden in Serbia, Mr. Joao Alvim, Deputy Head of Mission from the Embassy of Portugal in Serbia, Ms. Holly Zardus, Attaché for culture from the US Embassy in Serbia, Mr. Roberto Cincotta, Director of the Italian Institute in Serbia, Mr. Amadeus Faltheiner, Director of Austrian Cultural Forum in Serbia, Ms. Monika Damnjanovic, Director of the French Institute in Nis and Ms. Snezana Andric, President of the Young Ambassadors.
#KreNI9 participants worked with 10 experts from Italy, Sweden, Austria, France, the USA, Portugal and Montenegro, gained new knowledge and experience and developed their own ideas on how individuals and organisations can be relevant in the new market. They have worked with experts on two stages: digital skills and soft skills.
Our speakers were: Philippe Boutie, Marketing and Communications practitioner from France; Dagmar Schurrer, Digital Artist from Austria; Frederico Duarte, Design critic and curator from Portugal; Debra Giunta, Social-Emotional Learning Specialist from USA; Ross Valizadeh, Business Manager at Nexer Insight from Sweden; David Bergling, Digital Strategist from Sweden; Paolo Atzori, Professor of Sustainable Interaction Design from Italy, Irene Provvidenza, International Business Developer at TeamDev, Holly Zardus, Attaché for culture from the US Embassy in Serbia and Dušan Medin, Archaeologist and cultural professional from Montenegro.
During the program “KreNI talks” we had master classes on the topic of “Reinventing skills” and we found the best practices from Italy, Sweden, Austria, the USA, France and Portugal.
It was followed by workshops with speakers where participants had the opportunity to work on their ideas. After the workshops, they received a task to present their idea from the angle of change that it is making to themselves or their project.
During the pitching part, 40 ideas were presented and all participants had the opportunity to vote for the best idea.
The winning idea of KreNI9 was “We think about you” presented by Milan Mikić.
Description of winning idea: Focus was on addressing a neglected group in Serbia – individuals with disabilities. The proposal aimed to protect parking spaces for them using movable bollards equipped with light sensors. These bollards could easily incorporate relay and phototransistor equipment to release parking spaces when activated by specific light wavelengths, with LED lights on the front bumper of cars. Another suggestion was to influence the automotive industry to prioritize modifications for individuals with disabilities, such as relocating vehicle controls and creating accessible car features, inspired by a video showing the struggles of a person in a wheelchair getting in and out of a car. The overarching goal was to ease the daily lives of those at risk and emphasize empathy.
Awards to the winning ideas will be study visits to Split (Croatia) during the spring of next year where KreNI9 winner will have the opportunity to develop his idea with peers from the whole of Europe.
KreNI9 was organized by Young Ambassadors in partnership with the City of Nis, the US Embassy in Serbia, the Embassy of Sweden in Belgrade, the Embassy of France and the French Institute, the Embassy of Austria and the Austrian Cultural Forum, the Embassy of Portugal, Italian Institute for Culture and OTP Bank.
At KreNI9 we have gathered relevant experts who have presented different approaches in response to technological advancements and the increasing importance of soft skills in the digital world. Through the creative ideas of young people, we wanted to propose the best ways for individuals and organizations to stay relevant and adapt to the changing demands of the modern workforce.
This was another step in encouraging greater use of creative industries in the development of society, and in the coming period, together with partners, we will work on further development and implementation of KreNI9 ideas.
KreNI is the first and most influential festival of creativity in southeastern Serbia, which brings together innovative creative professionals and experts from around the world with the idea of creating space for creative young people to develop the kind of society they want to live in. KreNI contributes to the empowerment of young people and their involvement in mapping and addressing challenges in their society.