Between May 20–26, 2026, 3 Rails Association coordinated the first local workshop within the project, entitled The Island of Friendship, taking place in the commune of Roșia, Sibiu County, in collaboration with the “Hans Spalinger” Waldorf School and the local APAR Association.
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As part of the TRAST project, the Center for Social Innovation (CSI), together with associated artists from Cyprus, implemented a participatory storytelling, oral history, and community memory workshop programme with members of the Association of Unaccompanied Minors Hosted in Greece 1974–1979. The workshop process took place between 31 March and 18 April 2026 through a series of interconnected activities held at different locations across Cyprus.
TRAST 2nd Workshop, 19–23 March 2026, Denmark.
From 19–23 March 2026, CKI, held their second TRAST workshop with members of the Inuit community in Denmark. The workshop built on the trust‑building and community‑grounding work initiated in December 2025 and concluded with a public seminar at Union, Copenhagen.
Focus of Workshop 2
The first of two TRAST workshops in Portugal brought together artists, community members, and organisations to explore batuko — a powerful cultural expression connecting rhythm, memory, and identity. Over five days, participants worked across generations, sharing stories and experiences while developing new creative interpretations. The workshop was hosted by CRIA (NOVA FCSH), Associação Cavaleiros de São Brás, Batukadeiras Banderinha Panafrikanista, and Associação Passa Sabi.
TRAST workshop with the Inuit community in Copenhagen – taking back the narrative(s) together with an insular community that faces discrimination and difficulties in the Danish society.
From the 4th to the 8th of December 2025, CKI, together with Inuk artist and facilitator Karina Moeller, hosted the first of two workshops focusing on the Inuit community in Denmark.
On 5 October 2025, Leaving = Arriving was presented at CroatiaFest at the Seattle Center, a major annual festival showcasing Croatian culture in the Pacific Northwest. Invited as special guests, director Dalibor Martinis and producer/screenwriter Irena Sertić introduced the film to festival visitors and took part in a Q&A session.
On 3 October 2025, the documentary Leaving = Arriving was screened at the Everett Public Library auditorium. The event was opened by Ms. Kelly Trosvig and director Dalibor Martinis, and brought together members of the local community whose families migrated from the islands of Vis and Komiža to Everett and the wider Pacific Northwest.
From 4–6 September 2025, TRAST partners met in Copenhagen to set the course for the next phase of the project. Hosted by CKI, the meeting was a chance to align on workshops, milestones, and evaluation. One initiative already underway was presented by Omnimedia: Leaving = Arriving, a documentary approach tested on the island of Vis through intergenerational storytelling and mobile phone recordings.
On 16 August 2025 in Komiža, the TRAST documentary Leaving = Arriving had its premiere. The event was opened by Prof. Joško Božanić, who delivered the lecture Komiža in the Pacific. The film’s tribute to both those who left and those who remained on the island gave the evening special significance. With around 150 people in attendance, the strong presence of the local community created a highly emotional atmosphere, and the screening concluded with prolonged applause.
The journey of Leaving = Arriving continues. Stories that once departed from the island of Vis — travelling across generations and oceans — have now returned to the very community where they began. The film was screened for its main protagonists, the residents of the Home for the Elderly in Vis, who generously shared their memories. Now in the role of audience, their emotional responses reflected deep recognition, pride, and heartfelt joy.
We’ve completed the documentary Leaving = Arriving, created as part of the TRAST (Transmedia Stories of Insularity) project.
Directed by Dalibor Martinis
Written by Dalibor Martinis & Irena Sertić
Produced by Omnimedia
🎥 Watch the film here: https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/1095259909
On Tuesday, June 17, 2025, the TRAST project was presented at the online event “Inclusive Approaches in Cultural and Creative Projects”, organized by the Creative Europe Desk Croatia. The two-hour session, held via MS Teams, gathered cultural professionals and project leaders to explore how inclusive practices can drive innovation and foster social cohesion.
On November 20–21, 2024, the Grant Holders’ Meeting for COOP23 Creative Europe projects took place in Brussels, bringing together project coordinators and managers from across Europe. Representing the TRAST project, Coordinator and Project Manager Irena Sertić actively participated in this important gathering, which focused on fostering collaboration, sharing experiences, and exploring the potential of European Cooperation projects.
We are pleased to announce the release of the first part of our ongoing research within the TRAST project. This initial installment explores the socio-cultural, economic, and political contexts faced by various insular communities across Europe. It offers valuable early insights into the challenges of integration and cultural identity preservation.
Further sections of the research—delving deeper into specific subgroups and additional case studies—will be released as the project progresses.
On Wednesday, 25 September, the Jewish Cultural Centre, as a part of the European project TRAST, hosted the event Songs in Yiddish and Conversations about What We Carry Within - a musical encounter with Rabbi Motl Gordon, a prominent expert on Jewish culture and customs.
During the event, Rabbi Motl Gordon introduced the audience to the Yiddish language, sharing its rich history and current usage. He led an engaging discussion about the people who still speak Yiddish today and shared personal stories and songs, all accompanied by live musical performances.
From 24 to 28 September 2024, the Mini Teater, in collaboration with the Jewish Cultural Center Ljubljana, hosted a unique and inclusive workshop as part of the TRAST project. Participants, being inspired and mentored by theatre director, actor and puppeteer Robert Waltl and artist Dalibor Martinis, were introduced to the innovative concept of storytelling using puppetry to explore personal and collective identities.
Organized by Mini teater and the Jewish Cultural Center Ljubljana as part of the TRAST project, the large street performance Jewish Life in Ljubljana 2 took place on 1 September 2024 on Križevniška Street in Ljubljana. This performance also served as the official opening of the European Days of Jewish Culture festival in Ljubljana, an annual event aimed at showcasing Jewish heritage and promoting dialogue, recognition, and exchange through various activities across the continent.
On Wednesday, May 15, 2024, the TRAST project was presented at the Croatian American Hall in San Pedro by Dalibor Martinis, in collaboration with the Croatian American Club of San Pedro, CA, and Omnimedia. Ms. Renee Pea, Consul General at the Consulate General of Croatia in Los Angeles, and Mr. Frane Jerkovic, President of the Croatian American Club, warmly welcomed the attendees and introduced the presenter, Dalibor Martinis.
After several months of preparation and establishing individual connections, as well as collaborating with USA partners, from April 29 to May 17, 2024, Omnimedia held TRAST sessions with descendants of Croatian immigrants across various locations in the USA. The aim was to create a compelling narrative and stories about people from Croatian island communities and those who immigrated from these islands to the USA.
The picturesque towns of Vis and Komiza in Croatia recently played host to the inaugural TRAST workshop, held from April 2nd to April 6th, 2024. Organized by Omnimedia in collaboration with the Mini Teater, Ljubljana, Slovenia, and in cooperation with Homes for the Elderly and Infirm VIS and local cultural representatives, the workshop brought together artists, curators, and community members to explore previously invisible themes and share stories that were not widely known to the public, but hold significance to local people.
From March 7th to March 11th, 2024, the TRAST project team held meetings with various stakeholders in Vis. These gatherings aimed to introduce the project to Vis community members and foster information sharing and consultation regarding their involvement in documenting and sharing personal stories.
The members of the TRAST creative working team came together at Mini Teater in Ljubljana on January 24, 2024. Among them were Robert Waltl actor and puppeteer, and owner/head of the Mini Teater and The Jewish Cultural Centre Ljubljana; Ivica Buljan, a theater director and playwright; Branislav Cerović, a producer; Irena Sertić, a curator and the TRAST project leader; Dalibor Martinis, multimedia artist and TRAST artistic director; and Ilj Pušnik, in charge of PR.
The first TRAST Project meeting took place in Palermo on November 21st and 22nd, 2023, hosted by CEIPES. Key project personnel and project managers from 8 partner organizations across 8 countries convened to deliberate on project activities, establish the project's scope and structure, develop overall management strategies, and refine detailed work plans for individual work packages. The meeting facilitated a shared understanding of the interconnections between work packages among all participants.