A Space for Learning, Creation, and Connection - Nexus Festival Workshops

Community development

As part of this year’s Nexus Festival - Points of Encounter, free workshops in documentary photography, graffiti art, applied design and print, and social media videography were held at the Youth Center Zaječar and at various city locations.

Over the course of nine festival days, more than 30 participants aged between 12 and 45 attended the workshops. Guided by mentors Mikica Andrejić, Nikola Dančević, Marko Sibinović, and Dušan Zdravković, participants combined theoretical knowledge with hands-on fieldwork. The result was not only the acquisition of concrete skills but also the discovery of new ways of expression and perspectives on art and media.

Videography and photography, workshop on the streets of Zaječar (Photo: Dunja Marušić)

Participants in the documentary photography workshop captured urban life from fresh angles, exploring the relationship between institutions and the community toward cultural heritage, and learning how a single moment, through the lens, can become a story.

At the graffiti workshop, street art gained a new dimension – the collective creation of a mural in the courtyard of the Youth Center demonstrated the power of collaborative creativity.

The applied design and print workshop introduced participants to the process from concept to final product, while the videography sessions showed how short-form content can become a powerful tool for communication and activism.

The program concluded with a final exhibition at the Youth Center, showcasing the participants’ works, their creativity, and their plans to continue collaborating through the establishment of an informal photo-cinema club.

Before going outside to shoot content, the theoretical part at the premises of the Zaječar Initiative (Photo: Dunja Marušić)

The workshops highlighted the essential role that independent cultural centers play in creating spaces for the development of young people and local communities. Culture is not a luxury, but the foundation of a free and healthy society.

The project “Spaces of Freedom” is supported by the European Union and implemented by the Zaječar Initiative in partnership with the Youth Center CK13 from Novi Sad, UG Fakiri s Juga from Kruševac, and the K-Town Group from Kosjerić.