Sponsored article by Sharrcem.

Sharrcem supports projects aimed at improving living conditions. As part of that work, the main sponsors held a final meeting for the social-responsibility initiative “Frozen Music: Empowering Youth through Education”.

Following work with the project’s working groups and feedback from its main sponsors, the team finalised Frozen Music, presented its status, selected a professional jury with the participants’ assistance and launched the annual scholarship competition.

Local and international experts were appointed to the jury through a process designed to reward outstanding applicants with potential for further professional development.

Attendees included architects, international experts and representatives of Kosovo’s institutions, higher education, environmental organisations, businesses and NGOs. Students and graduates of architecture and civil engineering from the University of Prishtina and private universities also took part.

Project leader Senton Kacaniku outlined the scholarship types, criteria and application deadlines.

“Awards will be divided into two categories: students and young professionals, with civil engineers and architects forming two groups within each. Sixty Frozen Music scholarship recipients will receive different awards, ranging from full scholarships for master’s studies in EU countries to international study visits across Europe, including the 2016 Venice Biennale, Clerkenwell in London, a comprehensive visit to Germany, training courses and books,” Kacaniku said.

Anila Statovci Demaj, deputy minister of education, science and technology, said such projects help raise educational standards and strengthen links between the labour market and education.

“These initiatives deserve recognition and our support. I am pleased that Sharrcem, as an industrial company, understands market needs and creates mechanisms to help students and improve the quality of education,” she said.

Sharrcem head Emmanuel Mitsou said the project would encourage students to think beyond conventional approaches.

“I believe what we have created together as a team and with our partners will broaden young students’ outlook by helping them learn from practices in other countries and apply them here,” Mitsou said.

Architect Karoline Jaeger-Klein, whose experience is international, argued that young architects should focus not only on new buildings but also on making the best use of existing and historic buildings. Rather than leaving them as museums, they should find ways to keep them in active use.

Frozen Music is made possible by Sharrcem and its social-responsibility team, together with sponsors, professionals and supporters of civil engineering, architecture, education and youth development in Kosovo. The organisers credit the work of all participating parties with making the project possible.

Application criteria, procedures and assessment methods are detailed on the project’s official website, www.frozenmusic-rks.com.

The announcement lists the opening date as 5 November 2015 and the closing date as 30 January 2015; those dates are inconsistent in the original. Winners of the 2015/16 scholarship competition were scheduled to be announced on 30 May 2016 at a public event where the jury would present the successful applicants and their projects.