Biography

Organization Creative conjunction for alternative development of culture, Croatian abbreviation K.V.A.R.K. was founded in the year of 2000. and since then has organized over 400 cultural programs and over 20 larger projects intended for young and others with affinity for urban cultural contents.

Organization K.V.A.R.K. was working without it’s own premises until 2005., so most of the programs from that time were held in various private premises in Kri?evci. One of the crucial moments for the organization happened in the summer 2005, when the organization got a donation prom the Netherlands foundation CNF-CEE intended for reconstruction of former basement of Hrvatski dom, todays Culture club. Premises were renewaled by the end of October and formally opened ond November, 24th 2005. Since then life in Kri?evci is changing, citizens have a place where they can move freely in their free time, use free Internet, visit various cultural happenings and attend various unformal educational programs. In the year of 2008. the organization is readjusting the Culture club into a multimedia center where we shall emphasize new technologies and medias. The project shall be again realized through help of the Netherlands foundation CNF-CEE, which has again recognized quality and importance of this project.

Before the formal founding, members of the organization organized Peacekeeping games in April, 14. 2002. in collaboration with Antiwar campaign which financed projects in several cities in Croatia. A musically cultural event took place at the Central Square with 10 performers from Kri?evci, Koprivnca and Vrbovec. Beside the leisure program the young citizens had other educative contents to choose from: Creative drawing and painting by students from elementary school “Vladimir Nazor” on subjects such as relationship between genders (family, school, friends, love, hate, and violence), public forum on the subject how upbringing affects behavioral stereotypes in relationships among genders. Because the program was such a success the organization dedicates this festival to its home town every year for town’s festivities that take place in late April. We called this Festival G.A.D. on air and invited many different performers from all over Croatia and even some guest artists from Serbia and Montenegro.

Creative conjunction for alternative development of culture, K.V.A.R.K., is a non-governmental and non-profitable organization founded by citizens in May, 05. 2000.

The organization at this point has 70 members. It was founded with a purpose for mutual help and support in achieving joint goals. All joint goals witch are promoted by the organization, are pointed to development of independent cultural and artistic expression, civil society, evolving young people in the creation of it all and promoting the values of civil community in Croatia and beyond.

We gather youth, not well-known and well-known artists in the fields of art, literature, music and other. We inform the public about the work of our members through different actions and through work of cultural creators and other similar organizations.

We organize art shows, public forums and gatherings, lectures, workshops, theatre shows and musical events.

We introduce the public to our work through media. We distribute publications and periodicals on areas of our activities.

K.V.A.R.K. is a member of Croatian youth network, Clubture alliance of organizations and alternative libraries network KIZ (Knji?nica iz zajednice).

The Culture club in Kri?evci is a club operated by the K.V.A.R.K. organization and it’s located in the basement rooms of Croatian hall, 1 Ma?urani? square. Culture club is 200m2 in size with multi functional hall for concerts, theater shows, projections, art shows and an area for conferences and workshops. Beside the multi functional hall, the club has internet café with access to free internet for our citizens, alternative library, audio-video lab (area for recording events that take place in the club) and management offices for Culture club personnel.

During these years of existence the K.V.A.R.K. organization had over 200 diverse programs directed towards developing independent cultural scene. The organization has 20 big project of which we must sort out G.A.D. on air (till this day there were 6 festivals), Culture shock, a whole month dedicated to activism and independent culture in collaboration with the P.O.I.N.T. organization. This cultural festival is organized every May in Kri?evci.

The K.V.A.R.K. organization was registered in County register of Koprivnica on June, 26. 2000.

 

Realized significant programs and activities

 * -2000. – Kalni?ke uncutarije, entertainment program intended for youth organized with youth organization of Kalnik

* -2001. – Project and ecology action “Neka na?e ?ume budu ?iste” (Let our forest be clean) in cooperation with historical society Kri?evci. Cleaning wild trash dump in Gornjevinska forest.  With this project, the organization started an initiative together with its partners to resolve the problem of collecting and depositing big trash. The forest was cleaned with help of the students of local schools and citizens of Kri?evci. After this action, city started organized depositing of big trash.

* -June 2001. – Mladi Kri?ev?ani svome gradu (Young of Kri?evci to their town), entertainment program organized with Pu?ko otvoreno u?ili?te and city library Franjo Markovi?.

* -2002. – MiNT, Mladi i nove tehnologije (Youth and new technologies) in cooperation with ZaMIRnetom

* -2002. – Project Uklju?i se. Organization participated in a national project, the goal was to make a national program for youth.

* -2002. – Started publishing magazine ZUK, zine of urban culture and promotion of organization which promotes contents of areas in which our organization is acting and young authors from Kri?evci.

* -2002. – Human rights movie festival realized with help of Clubture platform and in cooperation with Pu?ko otvoreno u?ili?te. In the festival, there were 20 selected movies displayed from HRF festival in Zagreb.

*- 2003. – The organization is entering platform Clubture through realization of festival Urban culture and education

* -Semptember 1st, 2003. – after half year of lobbying, the organization gets usage of basement space of Hrvatski dom.

* -2004. – The organization rents premises which are turned into Infoshop, where are Care int. educations held, also there were held minor events and meetings. This was done for easier coordination of arrangement of Culture club. There is a big increase in a number of members and volunteers in arrangement of Culture club, which becomes our most important project.

* -2004. – Project Veni, vidi, snimi

* -2004. – Religious rights  are also children’s rights, project on regional level in cooperation with journal school from Novi Sad. A seminar was held in Novi Sad.

* -2004. – Urban village program, project of connecting and cultural exchange between Bjelovar, Kri?evci and Labin. Realized through Clubture platform.

* -2004. – Youth fair of north-western Croatia, project founded by Care int. and Osce in which 12 organizations were participating.

* -2004. – Marko i mladi, cultural, educational program organized in cooperation with city of Kri?evci

* -2004. – MUV, Youth in councils, national pilot program, the youth monitor and participate in work of local government.

* -2004. – 2007. – Kultura aktiva, project coordinated by Clubture platform in which participate 13 organizations  from Croatia (Drugo more, Metamedij, Labin art expres, art radionica Lazareti, Koalicija udruga mladih, agencija za informiranje, K.V.A.R.K., Doma?i, Akcija za civilnu transparentnost, Multimedijalni institut, Blok, Kontenjer, URK).

 *-2005. – 2007. – Culture shock festival, cultural-educational project realized in cooperation with organization P.O.I.N.T. andthrough Clubture platform.

 * -24.11.2005- Opening of Culture club, multimedia culture center

We would specially like to give thanks to Netherlands foudation CNF-CEE for providing us with funding required for renewal and aquiring equipment for Culture club. Without their help most of our activities would not be possible.

* – October, September 2006. – in cooperation with POU, Kri?evci we are working on Kri?evci summer evenings.

* -October, 2006. – Project P.E.N. started.

* -September, 2006. – Organization is working on a project for organizing a youth council in central Croatia in partnership with MMH.

* -January, 2007. – Started program JAKO (Strengthening capacity of civil society).