This year marks the tenth anniversary of the establishment of Prosvjeta supplementary schools in Austria. On the occasion of that significant jubilee, the Viennese Prosvjeta, the schools promotor, prepared a number of special events dedicated to marking a full decade of operation.

‘It started with one school and about fifty students in the St Sava Church in Vienna, and today we have Prosvjeta’s network of Serbian supplementary schools in Austria with almost a thousand students and over thirty schools throughout Austria. However, this would not have been possible if many people had not helped and participated in the creation of our Serbian schools in Austria. First of all, the Serbian Orthodox Church in Austria, our people, the clergy led by Bishop Andrej, but also many others. Particularly important was the support of the Directorate for Cooperation with the Diaspora and Serbs in the Region and its Director Arnaud Gouillon, our embassy and consulate, cultural workers and a large number of citizens. Of course, my many colleagues from the Prosvjeta team, teachers, many parents and good people. As throughout all these years, I repeat what we are still fighting for: the Serbian language to be fully recognized in Austria and this country to accept its citizens and children of Serbian origin, so that it also helps and enables the teaching of Serbian to be officially introduced in local schools. Because we do all this precisely for them – our children. If we lose our language – we are no more. I am proud and grateful. Thank you, everyone!’, said the founder and head of Prosvjeta schools, prof. Srđan Mijalković.

The central celebration will be the ceremonial academy on the occasion of the first ten years of Prosvjeta’s network of Serbian supplementary schools in Austria, to be held on 30 September in the Albert Hall in Vienna (Albert Hall, Albertgasse 35, 1080 Wien) in cooperation with the Republic of Srpska Representative Office in Austria, with the support and co-financing of the Office of the minister without portfolio in charge of coordinating activities and measures in the field of relations with the diaspora of the Republic of Serbia.

In addition to the music program by Jelena Krstić and Prosvjeta’s Mali hor (little choir), there will be a screening of a film about the work of the school.

A week before the academy, on 23 September at 19:00 in St Sava Church (Veithgasse 3, 1030 Wien), in cooperation with the St Sava Center for Serbs in the Diaspora Belgrade and Serbian Educational and Cultural Society Prosvjeta Austria, there will be a ceremonial opening of the exhibition Cyrillic, the Unfading Seal of Identity authored by Radmila Kunčer, president of the Center, and the program Serbia through Space and Time authored by Verica Mihajlović, poet and publicist.

On 19 September at 19:00, the Church of the Resurrection of Christ (Engerthstr. 158, 1020 Wien) will host an evening dedicated to Serbia and the great Branko Miljković, which will include the presentation of film and book about Branko Miljković by the famous author Dejan Stojiljković, and presentation of the beauties of southern Serbia.

With these programs, Prosvjeta shows that it wants to offer the Serbian community in Vienna the opportunity to celebrate together the decade of Serbian schools, to remind everyone that children are the most important pledge of our future, and to invite citizens, institutions and associations from the diaspora and motherland to become involved and support the operation of Serbian schools in Austria.

Welcome!

Source: Radio and Television of Serbia – Serbian Educational and Cultural Society PROSVJETA AUSTRIA

Photo: Serbian Educational and Cultural Society PROSVJETA AUSTRIA