Dear readers, dear colleagues, dear members and friends of IDEA,

Here we are coming close to the end of the year that celebrates thirty years since the founding of our association. And what a year it was! 

Many of us met at last in person after a long time, in Reykjavik, Iceland, at our wonderful and significant Congress organized with love and care by our colleagues from FLISS and the University of Iceland. I met at last face to face some of the Elected Officers that I meet regularly over Zoom every month, for we were elected on the first ever IDEA Online GCM in December 2020, and work together closely. And we have succeeded in having a face-to-face GCM at the Congress itself.

We were successful in completing ten sessions of THE (HI)STORY OF IDEA online webinars, connecting different generations of IDEA members, bridging the past, present and future of IDEA through dynamic, vivid dialogues that will stay forever in IDEA’s archives, and that could be viewed on IDEA’s Facebook page, and soon on IDEA’s YouTube channel. Besides that, we organized IDEA forums and online events with different subjects, gathering our members in the best possible way on platforms where we could learn from each other, be in dialogue, and most of all, support each other over the globe.

We have published two books, one dedicated to 30 years of IDEA and the book dedicated to the Young IDEA lab that took place in Togo.

We celebrated in the best possible way our IDEA Day on the 27th of November, also presenting our new members and activities of our community from different parts of the world.

We have celebrated, together with colleagues from the World Alliance for Arts Education the UNESCO Arts education week in May with a rich online program, advocating together for arts education for all.

We have published our quarterly IDEA Newsletter, sharing information with our membership and broader.

I am proud of our team of committed and hardworking elected officers, and I am confident that new quests and adventures lie ahead, such as the General Council Meeting in Kampala, Uganda, as part of the IDEA-endorsed International Conference on Performing Arts with the theme: “Performing Arts and the university of the 21st Century: Concepts, Training, and Practice”, organized by the Makerere University.

Hoping many of us will meet in March in Kampala, I wish you all a blissful and happy Christmas and New Year!

May you and your families be healthy, happy and safe.

May we give joy and meaning to many children, youth and persons of all ages through drama/theatre education.

Sanja Krsmanović Tasić

IDEA president