Termokiss

Termokiss is a community-run social center in the Dardania neighborhood that opened in 2016 after dozens of volunteers revitalized an abandoned structure in Pristina, Kosovo. The space is open for a range of diverse activities, and works to promote the ideas of cooperation and mutual aid, on the road towards social changemaking through civic activism.

History

Termokiss is based in a large abandoned building that belongs to the Municipality of Pristina. It was constructed in 1997 by Termokos, the heating company of Pristina and is surrounded by neglected lawns. It was used as a place where people could inject heroin. Njomza Dagusha, a construction engineer, Arber Salihu, a local musician, and Nikki Murseli, a local architect, were among the founders of the project. The space lacked a roof, windows, a floor, and any basic infrastructure that could make the building functional. In 2016, under the project “Toestand Mache Prishtina”, young people from Prishtina Architecture Week, Toestand vzw (Belgium) and InfoQuartier Mache (Switzerland) united, and as a result, the space got transformed with the help of the community and dozens of volunteers. Toestand, based in Brussels, specialises in the reactivation of abandoned or forgotten buildings, land and public spaces. They brought 25 Belgians and 15 Swiss people to help. The project was financially supported by the Erasmus Programme.

In a matter of ten days, using recycled materials that were found in the city, these volunteers managed to clear out the grass that was growing inside, and make the space ready for usage. They had help from the Pristina Fire Brigade, who lent them the use of their ladders. The people that gathered wanted to turn the space into something that would contribute to the community and would be non-profit, as such founding Termokiss, the first community-run center in Kosovo.  

Termokiss's logo

Since then, Termokiss has operated as a multifunctional space for people to meet in a non-commercial setting, where the activities are based on the needs of the community and their skills. It is Toestand's longest-lasting project.

By using the platform “Kosovoideas”, the community created a crowdfunding campaign which collected nearly 20,000 EUR. The funding was used for fixing:

• Floor work
• Toilet equipment
• Water and sewage connection to the main supply
• Electrical wiring installation.

Volunteering

With a collaboration between Prishtina Architecture Week, Toestand vzw from Belgium, and InfoQuartier Mache from Switzerland, 40 volunteers traveled to Kosovo, and were joined by local volunteers where they revitalized the center. Among many things, Termokiss offers a social space, where everybody can present ideas and the whole community within this space will voluntarily engage to develop that person’s idea, while embodying the values of belonging and togetherness inside the community. The platform is based mostly on volunteers, where volunteering is viewed as a productive contribution to yourself, and others.

The drawings inside Termokiss, the social community center in Prishtine, Kosovo

Activities

The center offers space for all kind of Social events, as long as they are not commercial. They range from arts such as free salsa classes, music concerts, movie screenings, poetry nights, audio design and DJ set workshops, to workshops on programming, flea markets, civic activities and many more. The center cooperates with other organizations such as DokuFest, Anibar, Ipko Foundation, and many more, delivering activities such as Hacking Urban Space and Dokutech.

Clubs

Part of the Termokiss platform is based on clubs from volunteers with similar interests who develop activities such as music, film, circus, psychology, education, entrepreneurship, visual arts, sports etc within the community center. Some of the clubs that are functional in Termokiss are:

Inside Termokiss in Prishtine, Kosovo

• Musical workshop
• Slam poetry
• Yoga
• Chess
• Stand-up comedy club
• Self-defense for girls
• Neighborhood club

"Krejt ka pak" Festival

Krejt ka pak is a festival created in 2016 by the center, which was the opportunity where all volunteers got to know each other, and the center. In 2017, the festival continued its second edition “Krejt ka pak - n’doren tone” where "n'doren tone" translates to "in your hands", where activities were developed around the theme of individual and collective responsibility throughout four days. In 2018, the festival continued with activities that explore the topic of informal education. Each year, the festival has a different theme, where the focus is on the community's needs and experiences.

Participation in documenta

Termokiss participated during the 14th edition of documenta, sharing their experience of creating a community space with Kassel initiatives and activists. For 2 weeks, 10 members of Termokiss community worked together with other community centers from Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, and Ukraine on the project “Title on the spot”, building a collection of ideas, which are based on methods of cooperation, productivity and transparency.

Internship Programme

The centre hosted presentations by the Internship Programme of German Business for the Countries of the Western Balkans in November 2018 where local people were invited to join the German Business Practice Program.

References

This article "Termokiss" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Termokiss. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.

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