October 24, 2022 - Earlier this year, the Baška association Sinjali organised workshops and the restoration of a mrgar (stone drywall) on Ljubimer. They did it with the support of the Baška Municipality Tourist Board, the Baška Municipality, and the professional technical assistance of the 4 Grada Dragodid association. After the successful workshops held in spring, the efforts will continue this November.

If you are a fan of nature, cultural heritage and helping out - the Baška Municipality Tourist Board invite you to register for the stone drywall construction workshop that will be held on November 5 and 6, 2022 in Baška. Learn the principles of traditional stone drywall construction techniques, and enjoy the view of the sea and islands, far from the city noise and busy everyday life. The workshop is free for all participants and includes tools, protective gloves, a hot meal and expert guidance from a mentor from the association 4 Grada Dragodid.

The workshop aims to restore part of the neglected mrgar, but also to encourage their further restoration and evaluation in terms of tourism, while the educational part of the programme is aimed at informing and educating the local population and visitors about the values ​​of natural and cultural heritage and the possibilities of sustainable development that such a valuable infrastructure brings. Sign up here!

Schedule:

Saturday, November 5

08:30 - 09:00 - gathering at Zarok and distribution of tools, protective equipment and water 
09:00 - departure to Ljubimer
10:00 - the start of work
15:00 - completion of works and return to Baška
16:30 - arrival in Baška
17:00 - joint dinner at Heritage Hotel Forza for all volunteers and organisers
19:30 - lectures in Zvonimir Gallery, Baška

Sunday, November 6
09:00 - departure from Zarok to Ljubimer
10.00 - 14.00 - workshop
15:30 - arrival in Baška and return of tools
16:00 - lunch at Heritage Hotel Forza and distribution of certificates of appreciation

Lectures:

1. All our mrgars - lecturer Branka Polonijo, Sinjali Association

PP presentation with photos of all mrgars, locations, functions, conservation, presentation, protection and tourism valorisation

2. Drywall construction and renovation techniques - lecturer Filip Šrajer, 4 Grada Dragodid Association 

Photographs and drawings will present the most common forms of stone drywall constructions, the basic principles and the most common mistakes in stone drywall construction and the reconstruction of destroyed parts of drywalls.

With their unique structure, which resembles a stone flower, mrgars are a recognisable decoration of the pastures (komunade) of Baška, Jurandvor and Batomalja, or at least they should be, which is the purpose of these reconstruction workshops. The speciality of these stone laces is that you can only find them on the southern part of the island of Krk. There are ten of them, five on each plateau and another five on the neighbouring island of Prvić. This way of breeding sheep was used in Wales in Great Britain, and there are two further mrgars on the uninhabited island of Dolin (near the island of Rab) and one in Switzerland!

This Krk rhapsody in stone was once created by the shepherds of Baška, Batomalj and Jurandvor, not as an artistic intervention in the landscape but as a functional object in the service of collecting and sorting sheep in the collective type of sheep farming. The mrgars consist of a common central space of the hall and, like the petals of a flower, arranged mrgarići (smaller drywalls) that the shepherds individually own.

Due to the changes in sheep farming in recent decades, the mrgars have lost their primary purpose and have been left to the test of time. However, they are part of the cultural heritage of the island of Krk and, as such, should survive for all future generations, and this is precisely the wish of the organisers of this action.

They invite all interested locals, visitors and fans of Baška to participate in a two-day workshop on stone drywall construction, an important part of the heritage of the Baška region. All help is welcome! 

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated Lifestyle section.

March 17, 2022 – TCN had the opportunity to meet Ivana Jozic and talk about her work, including the Speak Through Fear project, an approach to enhance public speaking capabilities, guiding participants through a personal process to unlock their potential, and encourage effective presentation.

There comes a time when everyone must be in front of an audience, albeit small, or at some point be interviewed and perhaps feel unsuitable or not sufficiently prepared. It happens every day and almost to everyone, be it a professional or a family circumstance. Society itself puts us in front of these daily trials which sometimes become fears.

As always, some people feel more confident and more relaxed than others who get blocked and cannot express themselves just for the simple fear of doing it. Those who are looking for a solution and help in this field could rely on the professionalism of Ivana Jozic. She was born in Zagreb but has built her incredible career as an actress and dancer in Antwerp.

Credit: Masa Lucic

Ivana studied dance at the School for Classical Ballet in Zagreb and the London Contemporary Dance School, but she also studied acting at Drama Studio London.

She started working with the Belgian visual artist, theater director, choreographer, and writer Jan Fabre in 2003 in several performances; she also toured for four years with Fabre’s solo Angel of Death, a worldwide success that won the Golden Laurel Wreath at the MESS International Theatre Festival as the best overall performance. In 2008, Fabre has written and created another solo for her: Another Sleepy, Dusty, Delta Day. She is regularly teaching in Jan Fabre Teaching GroupWorkshops and is still actively performing.

Thanks to her background in education and being professionally active in arts for over 30 years now, she is very well acquainted with the difficulties and limitations that stage fright can create. And that is precisely why she developed an approach for people outside the realm of performing arts and who are presented with the challenge of public speaking, guiding them to overcome their fears and insecurities when on stage, be it an actual stage, podium, a meeting, or an interview. 

Credit: Goran Lepen

In her approach of Speak Through Fear, she points out that we always need to find a way to have a strong relationship with what we are saying. How can we convince others if we are not convinced ourselves? This is the question that we must always answer. Thanks to this redefinition of the person’s motivation in the speaking situation and by guiding the person to a genuine approach towards public speaking, everyone can find the most natural and best way to reach it. 

When did you start this teaching project?

The idea of ‘Speak Through Fear’ teaching/coaching has been present for a long time. I have been teaching in theatre workshops for many years, and at some point, I realized that I could draw parallels working with people outside of the artistic realm on public presentation. Since there is a significant demand for this kind of practical approach to the public presentation, I have decided to create a coaching program. The project started in 2020 as a result o the long-term experience I have as a performer and a teacher. I find it challenging and refreshing to share it with people who are not necessarily directly connected to arts but who can significantly benefit from the mechanisms of presentation skills I am incredibly familiar with.

What kind of professionals and people attend your workshops? 

The workshops are for anyone who wants to improve their public speaking and presentation skills. We have a wide range of participants: creatives who need to present themselves and their work, big companies, managers, freelancers, entrepreneurs, executives, policymakers, representatives of the EU institutions, NGOs, students, sales & marketing experts, real estate agents, yoga teachers, and other professionals. These are not always people having some fear and obstacles when facing a public speech, but they can also be very experienced with public speaking, but nevertheless want to work on the improvement and development of their skills and appearance, both online or offline. And this workshop is created for both categories in order to feel safe and supported while learning how to deal with fear or challenges in the arena of public presentation.

How many people are in your working groups?

It is a workshop designed for every individual type of job. Otherwise, the experience of the participants becomes too passive. Therefore, I have limited the number of participants from 4 up to 10. Everything above that would not be fair and would not give a chance to the participants to experience what I am aiming for. For people who would like a more individualized approach, I also work with them in 1-to-1 individual mentoring, including short-term and long-term mentoring consisting of monitoring, advising, and guiding the person in their process and development.

Credit: Masa Lucic

What’s the difference between the various coaching courses we have now and this one? 

The main difference is that it is a workshop of a practical nature. What does that mean? It means we are not sitting and talking (only), but we tend to test public presentations in practice and, in this way, give participants a possibility to experience and learn. I am using relaxation exercises to enhance focus and concentration and several physical activities to liberate the body and voice. And then, the main part of the workshop is working on each participant’s speech individually. In that way, participants have a chance to test their speeches and, together with me, find out how to improve the speech itself and the way it is presented. There is no specific technique to master. Each participant is encouraged to find their own most authentic and comfortable way. I am guiding them in that process. Participants’ feedback we have received so far is overwhelmingly positive. Recently, one of my participants told me that this was a unique experience for her after she attended many different public speaking workshops. She emphasized the importance of this practical, rehearsing part, and exercises we are doing at the workshop, which is missing from many other public speaking workshops.

You hold your workshop mainly in Antwerp. You have scheduled two workshops in April, the 2nd in Brussels and the 9th in Antwerp. What about Croatia? Last year you organised a workshop on the island of Vis. Will you replicate this year? 

This year, we will organize a workshop again on the island of Vis for a limited number of participants. It will be a 3-day public speaking workshop from 9^th to 12^th June in a format of business gateway for clients from all over the world. Far away from busy lives, this workshop will combine work with the amazing nature of the enchanting island of Vis, good food, excursions, and relaxation. Along with deep individual coaching and intensive work with me on improving participants’ skills in public speaking, participants will be given a chance to find peace and concentration, allowing their innate skills and talents to develop.  We are preparing a special offer, and soon you will know all the details. Places are limited to a maximum of 12 people, so I would like to take this opportunity and invite all the interested people from Croatia as well, to register already to reserve their place and join us in this unique opportunity of professional development on a beautiful Vis! This would be also a great opportunity for them to meet, connect and network with other international business professionals. You can find all the information on our Speak Through Fear website.

For more, check out our lifestyle section 

July 9, 2021 - The REPLACE Project was presented at the JOINT SECAP workshop in Rijeka on June 23. There is no better way to end a year and a half-long Interreg project for Croatia, which was one more ecosystem-concerned cooperation between Italy and Croatia.

When it comes to energy efficiency in Croatia, there is no doubt anybody cares about it more than the scientific community working and associating with Energy Institute Hrvoje Požar (EIHP).

Not only is the EIHP building on its way to becoming the first nearly zero energy building in the whole of the country, but EIHP's expertise also plays a big role in REPLACE Project from Horizon Europe. As TCN previously covered, the project aims to make Primorje Gorski Kotar County energy-renewable territory, and the ongoing meetings about the project (in collaboration with the University of Rijeka) see slow but steady progress in those respects.

As EIHP reports on its website, June 23 saw REPLACE Project presented in the congress hall of Rijeka's Jadran Hotel as part of the final workshop of the JOINT SECAP project.

„On behalf of EIHP, Antonia Tomas Stanković presented REPLACE in the second half of the event. The goal is to support European energetic, climate, environmental, economic, and social goals by 2030 and 2050 by encouraging the gradual replacement of inefficient and outdated cooling and heating systems with new, energy-efficient systems based on renewable energy sources“, informed EIHP.

JOINT SECAP, part of Interreg Italy-Croatia strategic program (much like the CASCADE Project TCN previously wrote about) aims to improve the climate change monitoring and planning of adaptation measures tackling specific effects in the cooperation area.

„The project idea reflects the necessity to operate at a wider district level and better define strategies and actions for climate change adaptation, especially for those weather and climate changes and hydrogeological risks affecting coastal areas. The first phase is developed to build the common methodology for Joint Actions definition and implementation and to share the basic knowledge about issues concerning climate change adaptation strategies and energy efficiency measures. The second phase starts upon the analysis uploaded in the web platform, acting as a useful tool for the development of scenarios for the Joint Actions to be implemented in the Joint SECAP plans, those last constituting the main project deliverable“, explained JOINT SECAP on its website. The workshop in Rijeka was the conclusion of the project as JOINT SECAP ended on June 30 after it began on January 1, 2012, with a budget of € 2,094,857.

The workshop in Rijeka, writes the EIHP website, was organized by Primorje Gorski Kotar County Office for Regional Development Infrastructure and Project Management and by Kvarner Regional Energetic Agency. Representatives of local authorities of Primorsko-Goranska county that were enrolled in creating an Energetic and Climate Sustainable Development Action Plan. These local authorities include towns such as Opatija and Kastav and the districts of Čavle, Matulji, and Viškovo.

„Joint SECAP analyzed energy spending for the included towns and districts, their risks and vulnerability regarding climate change, yearly emissions of CO2 in sectors of building construction industry, public lighting, and traffic. Concrete measures with the goal of adjusting to the effects of climate change and CO2 emissions down to at least 55% by 2030 were suggested“, stated EIHP.

With measures identified, the race with time begins as these measures should be in place as fast as possible to tackle one of the biggest challenges humanity is facing, and Croatia isn't able to be isolated from the threat.

Learn more about Rijeka on our TC page.

For more about science in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

March 22, 2021 - Hotel Dubrovnik announced the 5th Salon of Sparkling Wines with two sparkling Kvarner workshops on Friday, March 19.

Fiuman reports that two sparkling wine workshops were held in front of loyal visitors: Sparkling Kvarner and Natural Sparkling (Croatia & Slovenia).

At the first workshop, six wines produced by the pét-nat method (fr. pétillant naturel) were presented at a "blind" tasting. With the leader dr. Sc. Nina Levičnik, the founder of the Salon of Sparkling Wines network and a big fan of "natural" sparkling wines, the participants learned what the terms pét-nat, méthode ancestrale, and col fondo have in common and how they differ from other methods.

The presenter emphasized the importance of "terroir" in wine production with this ancestral method. The Croatian representatives were Tomac, Šember, Veralda, and the Slovenian Atimo, Keltis, and Štemberger.

At the second workshop, participants learned that Kvarner is the third Croatian wine region in terms of sparkling wine production. The recently founded the Kvarner Wine Association which today has as many as 10 sparkling wine producers who were presented at the workshop under the auspices of the Kvarner Tourist Board. Sparkling wines in Kvarner are produced from the original varieties - žlahtina, belica, mast - charmat, and the traditional method. 

The moderator, Dr. sc. Žarko Stilin, secretary of the Kvarner Wine Association, one of the loudest promoters of original Kvarner wine varieties, organizer of several wine events, the most important of which is the International Wine and Gastronomic Festival WineRi, spoke about the interesting and special features of Kvarner sparkling wines.

Participants tasted 10 sparkling wines: Maličić winery Šipun, Porin Estate Winery Katunar, Valomet PZ Vrbnik, Gospoja PZ Gospoja, San Marino Wine houses Pavlomir, Soubze catering and Nada shop, Stara Bakarska Vodica PZ Dolčina Praputnjak, Biser žlahtine Ivan Katunar - Plovanić vina and Ružić - OPG Ružić.

Workshop leader dr. sc. Žarko Stilin proudly stated that sparkling wines in Kvarner have a long tradition, and with the Kvarner Wine Association, the promotion will be even more visible through many activities, education on table culture, organization of round tables, lectures, and scientific conferences to promote Kvarner with the support of Kvarner Tourist Board.

The wine workshops were an introduction to other sparkling events ahead of the 5th Salon of Sparkling Wine Zagreb, on June 11, 2021, on the Oleander terrace of the Hotel Esplanade. The date has been targeted to meet the summer and the upcoming tourist season when the consumption of sparkling wines will be more frequent than usual and any promotion is welcome.

For more about lifestyle in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

Remember that “anti-boredom” group we were telling you about a few weeks back? Well, they are at it again (and this time with an uber cool event we all may find ourselves participating in)!