Božidar Milovac is only 23, yet his journalism portfolio already reads like the CV of someone with decades of experience.
He is a journalist at the investigative network KRIK, an award-winning young author, winner of the prestigious “Dragan Janjić” award for media literacy and of an award from the Standing Conference of Towns and Municipalities. He has successfully edited the student newspaper “Odjek” and has worked with media outlets such as the Beta news agency, the 021 portal, Deutsche Welle and the BBC. Among the key moments in his development, he singles out his Erasmus exchange in Belgium at Howest University of Applied Sciences.
“Academically, it was very useful, and it’s a great chance to see how different media systems work. Belgium has a much healthier media environment than Serbia, and it’s interesting to see how they work, what matters to them and what they pay attention to. It’s useful to take away lessons about what we can do better in our society, or what we should be proud of.”
Besides academic knowledge, six months in Belgium also gave him valuable life experience.
“It was the first time I really lived on my own and had to take care of everything I needed. That meant a lot to me. You meet people there you would never meet any other way. I made friends from three or four continents and I’m still in touch with them. A few months ago I visited a friend in Vienna who was on the exchange with me, and he recently came to see me in Novi Sad. These are friendships that last a lifetime.”
Gathering the paperwork took serious effort, Božidar admits, but he says it pays off in the end.
“It is one of the more complicated parts of the process, because you need a pile of documents. I think the application ends up asking for 14 or 15 different documents confirming this or that. It really is a bit complicated, but it’s definitely worth it.”
As former editor of the student newspaper “Odjek”, he always encouraged younger fellow students to take the same step. Today he proudly says that some of his younger colleagues took his advice and will soon leave for exchanges in France and Croatia.
“I always advised them not to miss the opportunity. It’s an experience available now, and who knows if they’ll get that chance again. You should absolutely go.”
Although today he is mainly focused on investigative journalism at KRIK and on complex stories of public interest in Serbia, his Erasmus experience has left a lasting mark on his work and on his everyday communication with colleagues abroad.
All young people interested in an exchange through the Erasmus+ programme can learn first-hand about international mobility and exchange opportunities at an interactive info day on 16 October at 6 pm at OPENS in Novi Sad. Erasmus Days events are also taking place at Europe Houses in Belgrade, Niš and Novi Pazar.
Read more about Erasmus programme on the plaform EU Opportunities: