Program in Istria CROATIA situated at the crossroads

Program in Istria

CROATIA situated at the crossroads of central Europe and the Mediterranean

CROATIA • 5 835 km long coastline • 1 182 islands

CROATIA • 20 counties and the Town of Zagreb (capital)

ISTRIA LOCATION: - the westernmost Region (county) of Croatia - the largest peninsula of the Adriatic

ISTRIA - the nearest tourist destination to the seaside for Central European countries - it borders Slovenia to the north and to the west shares the sea border with Italy

ISTRIA POPULATION: - 206. 344 inhabitants - during the summer season the number of tourists double the number of population

ISTRIA - The Region of Istria active participant in the programme from 1996 - 2004 -53 young Istrians participated in the programme -44 young Europeans were hosted in Istria

ISTRIA The exchange programs were made with: Franche-Comte (F), Poitou-Charentes (F), Champagne-Ardenne (F), Bourgogne (F), Rhone-Alpes (F), Wallonia (B), Catalunya (E), Valencia (E), Jura (CH), Ticino (CH), Hargita (R), Hunedoara(R), Baden-Wűrttemberg (D)

TRAINING 4 months (May - August) PULA -the biggest city in the Region of Istria (60 000 inhabitants) Accommodation: -an apartment shared with other trainees - a family

TRAINING LINGUISTIC TRAINING Duration: May - Intensive course: 100 hours of Croatian - 4 weeks/5 h per day - Location: University of Philosophy in Pula - Includes: grammar, reading, conversation, istrian (chakavian) dialect and glagolitic letter

TRAINING PRACTICAL TRAINING • The possibility of professional training in different sectors: • Tourism (tourist agency, youth hostel, tourist animation, restaurant) • Social work (children's home, home for elderly people) • Education (kindergarten, private primary school) • Culture (theatre, bookshop) • Communication (radio)

TRAINING PRACTICAL TRAINING • Duration: June, July and August (35 hours per week) • following of the work of participants and their adjustment and engagement at work • constant contact with the responsible persons at working places

TRAINING GRANT • 270 € during linguistic training • 300 € during practical training at the end of each month

TRAINING The Region of Istria covers the expenses of: - the linguistic training - accommodation - cultural activities - local transportation - tickets to some events

TRAINING REPORT: • at the end of the training

CULTURAL ACTIVITIES LEARNING • about culture, history, tradition, gastronomy and natural heritage of the Region of Istria

CULTURAL ACTIVITIES DISCOVERING ISTRIA • as interesting tourist destination (Rovinj, Poreč, Umag, Nacionalni park Brijuni. . . ) • as rich inland of Istria (Pazin, Gračišće, Roč, Hum, Grožnjan, Buzet. . . )

CULTURAL ACTIVITIES EXPLORING • the tradition and costumes of Istrian people

CULTURAL ACTIVITIES TASTING • traditional Istrian cuisine (truffles, maneštra, fuži, njoki, kroštule, supa…)

CULTURAL ACTIVITIES VISITING • many places of interest (Baredine cave, Pazin's pit and the stream, Lim fjord, extreme sport camping site "Raspadalica", cape Kamenjak. . . )

CULTURAL ACTIVITIES PARTICIPATING at many different manifestations and events (film festival in Pula, independent film festival in Motovun, international theatre festival in Pula, Jules Verne's Days in Pazin, Wine day, Istria Ethno Jazz festival and other concerts and exhibitions)

CULTURAL ACTIVITIES ALSO VISITING: - many places in Croatia (Plitvička jezera, Zagreb, Dubrovnik. . . ), Italy and Slovenia

CULTURAL ACTIVITIES HAVING FUN: "Istriada" - annual meeting of Istrian students who study in Croatia and other European countries (weekend in May) - friendly atmosphere, sport and entertainment

IN THE REGION Meeting with the president of the Region: - the importance of participating in the programme - the only region in Croatia participating in it

IN THE REGION PRESENTATIONS OF THE REGION OF ISTRIA: • administrative department for budget and finances • administrative department for local self-government and administration

IN THE REGION Television, radio and press conferences - introducing the trainees at the beginning, during and at the end of the training

PROJECTS OF THE REGION OF ISTRIA "The Day of Europe" (7 th of May) - giving free publications and brochures about EU to citizens of Istria

PROJECTS OF THE REGION OF ISTRIA "Giro d'Italia" (23 rd and 24 th of May) - international cycling tour in Istria - help in the organization

PROJECTS OF THE REGION OF ISTRIA "United Istrians of the world 2004" (21 st to 26 th of July) - meeting of Istrian emigrants - help in the organization

EVERYTHING IS GREAT BUT. . . No potato instant in Croatia! No expensive shops! No cornflake s bowl! I miss my mom!

COORDINATORS of the Eurodyssée program in the Region of Istria: Manuela Hrvatin - Gordana Sirol Flanaticka 29 52100 Pula Croatia tel. + 385 52 372 158 // 372 117 fax. + 385 52 372 168 // 372 114 e-mail: interregional@istra-istria. hr