On Saturday, 14 May 2022, in the Church of the Resurrection of Christ in Vienna, the Serb Educational and Cultural Association Prosvjeta Austria and the Association for Culture Word – Color – Tone organized a Poetry afternoon for children and adults, with a guest from Serbia, the poet Svetlana Spajić.

The event, which gathered a large number of children and their families, was organized with the great help of the team of the Prosvjeta’s Serbian Language School in Vienna.

The musical framework was provided by Prosvjeta’s Mali Hor (Little Choir) conducted by Vera Simić, while the program was presented by prof. Srđan Mijalković, the founder and long-term head of the school, who thanked especially Mrs. Jadranka Gross, who had initiated this program. Father Mihajlo Smiljanić greeted and blessed the present, wishing them a good mood.

After Mali Hor’s musical introduction, the children listened carefully to poems, asked curious questions, and then participated in the workshops on Cleanliness is half the health and Forest animal kingdom.

After a break and refreshment, the best joint drawings were presented, followed by reciting of verses that the children and parents had composed spontaneously through play and laughter. After two hours, the participants had a hard time parting and saying goodbye to each other, wishing that this nice gathering would happen again soon.

‘I am glad that our children are so creative, well-mannered, and that they can fully understand and enjoy poems for children in their own language! Our dear guest, Svetlana Spajić, inspired them to socialize, create and cooperate with their friends and families in a creative way. Such programs enable better and faster learning, and nurture family values and team spirit. I would like to thank our wonderful teachers Suzana Nedeljković, Ivana Milovanović, Vesna Špirić and Aleksandra Tanasković for the excellent organization, and aunt Vera Simić for the preparation of Mali Hor. Their long-term work with children in Prosvjeta’s School is yielding excellent results!’ said Mijalković and added: ‘This year we hope to form new Prosvjeta Schools in Austria, with the support of the Directorate for Cooperation with the Diaspora and Serbs in the Region and the Eparchy of Austria and Switzerland. We also hope that many of our citizens will support the schools and enroll their children, because educating children in their own language is the most necessary and most important thing for everyone in the diaspora!’

Source and photo: Serbian Educational and Cultural Society PROSVJETA AUSTRIA