YES Macedonia Alumna Organizes Day of Recreation at Local Home for the Elderly

Evegenija (Eva) Stojchevska, a 2010 YES Macedonia alumna, was awarded an alumni small grant from America Councils to support her project, "Giving to Our Seniors." The goal was to honor what she believes to be one of the most overlooked social classes in her society: seniors in assisted living centers. This project took place at the Mother Teresa state nursing home in Skopje, Macedonia, before Christmas.

With the grant, Eva and six other volunteers, including 2010 YES Macedonia alumni Simona Ristovska, Irina Conevska, and Emir Hasanovic, bought presents for the nursing home residents based on the their needs and interests. The volunteers also planned a day for interaction and entertainment with the residents, beginning with a lottery.

A basket of lottery tickets was passed around, and once every senior had selected a ticket, the alumni and other volunteers drew numbers and announced the winning recipients of the gifts they had brought. The winner of the grand prize, an automatic tea maker, stood up and gave an impromptu speech thanking all the volunteers for their effort, expressing his wishes for the New Year.
The volunteers then read poetry from the selected works of famous Macedonian poets. This inspired two elderly women to spontaneously begin singing a Macedonian folk song, which, in turn, encouraged seniors, joined by the volunteers, to break into a traditional dance.

During the final activity - an art project - colored pencils, glue, card stock, and other craft supplies were distributed across several work tables, and the volunteers helped the seniors to make signs and cards for their rooms. Some of the seniors chose to write their names. Others drew pictures and designs. Some of them even wrote hopeful wishes for the New Year.

Eva plans to hold more events at the nursing home, and hopes to visit the residents at least once a month for various activities. In the future, she and other YES alumni will promote the event through the local media, encouraging others to spend time with seniors in their communities. Pictured are Emir Hasanovic, YES Macedonia alum from program year 2009-2010, Irina Conevska, and YES Macedonia Alumni Coordinator Simona Ristovska.