12 April 2024 – The final event of the project Carinthian Network of Supportive Environment for Youth (KOR-NET), co-financed by the Norwegian Financial Mechanism, took place in Ravne na Koroškem. The project, which is primarily aimed at young people, advocates for more support, better education, and an inclusive social environment through equal access to ICT services for young people in the Carinthian region.
The event, which was accompanied by informative workshops for young individuals and a panel discussion with various stakeholders from the national and regional youth sector, brought two years of work on the project to a close. Project partners presented to the public a publication of good practices in the field of youth work “A Model for Active Participation: Community for Youth, and Youth for Community.”
The Active Participation Model: Learning from the Best
The focus of the closing event was on the future of youth work in Carinthia, which has been given a new push by the KOR-NET project and which, according to the participants, should be maintained in the future. After opening greetings by Žarko Tomšič, Director of Dravit (project promoter), and Sturla Bjerkaker, Bjerkaker LearningLab (Norwegian partner), Viktorija Barbič, Director of A.L.P. Peca, addressed the gathering. She presented the final publication of the project, titled “A Model for Active Participation”, which bears the meaningful subtitle: “Community for Youth, and Youth for Community.”
In the publication, the team summarised the main findings of the implementation of their diverse project activities. The publication summarises, among other things, the findings of an extensive survey on the needs of young people in Carinthia. Survey took the form of workshops and questionnaires and covered 10% of all young people (aged between 14 and 29) in the region. The publication also showcases exemplary youth work practices from Slovenia and beyond, gleaned from insightful field visits undertaken by the team. The final part of the publication, which aims at further activating the youth sector in Slovenian Carinthia, also provides a thorough description of project ideas.
The project is co-created by Dravit Dravograd Public Institute for Sports, Tourism, Culture and Youth Activities as project promoter and project partners the Kompleks Youth Culture Centre, the Public Institute for Tourism, Sports, Youth and Social Programs SPOTUR, and as representatives of the business sector the Regional Chamber of Craft and Small Business Ravne na Koroškem and the company A.L.P. PECA, and the Norwegian partner Bjerkaker LearningLab.
11 April 2024 – In Kranj, the mayors of five municipalities from the Gorenjska region, which share the area of the pre-Alpine Karst plateau of Jelovica, signed a letter of support for the Jelovica Management Model. The vision for the conservation and development of the area has been developed over the last two years within the JeloviZA project.
The Mayor of Bohinj, Jože Sodja, stressed at the signing of the letter of support for the sustainable development of Jelovica that “this signature was necessary and urgent, and it is right that we have done it.” The purpose of the signature is to “keep Jelovica mysterious, green and for people who know how to manage it.”
The Vice-Mayor of Kranj, Janez Černe, highlighted the good example of cooperation between municipalities and partners. Mayor of Železniki, Marko Gasser, pointed out that the Management Model will have to be implemented in practice and stressed the importance of redirecting people to the peripheral areas of Jelovica. The signatures of support were also signed by the Mayor of Radovljica, Ciril Globočnik, and on behalf of the Mayor of Bled, Alenka Dolinar.
Jelovica is one of the most diverse and well-preserved parts of Slovenian nature. Due to human activities and climate change, the area of Jelovica and its inhabitants face natural disasters, which can be mitigated, and their impact reduced through proper management of the area. Within the JeloviZA project, the project partners carried out reforestation activities, which included the planting of more than 24.000 new trees and the exclusion of 30 habitat trees from commercial use, thus improving the diversity of habitats for animal species. 25 new nest boxes for Ural owls were installed and for the first-time monitoring of the Eurasian capercaillie was carried out using telemetry on Jelovica. Training sessions, workshops and guided tours for different stakeholders were also an important part of the project. These activities were aimed at discussing and exchanging views on the future of Jelovica. More than 140 people participated in all these activities.
The project is also important in terms of strengthening cooperation between different sectors at local and national level, in affiliation with the local population. Therefore, the project represents an important starting point for a more cohesive approach to the future management of the area, with an objective of tackling challenges and finding solutions together.
At the beginning of the event, the key results of the project were presented by Metod Rogelj, Institute of the Republic of Slovenia for Nature Conservation, Dr Irena Mrak, Slovenia Forest Service, Kristina Stakne, CIPRA Slovenia, Association for the Protection of the Alps, Anita Pokorn Oman, Sora Development Agency, and Andraž Valcl from the Municipality of Železniki.
“The main aspect of the project is networking and connecting,” emphasised Kristina Stakne from CIPRA Slovenia, Association for the Protection of the Alps, which is also the project promoter of the project JeloviZA. She said that during their study visit to Austria, they learned about the importance of successful management and the need to connect well with tradition and local culture. To transfer this knowledge to the stakeholders living and working around Jelovica, workshops on heritage interpretation and tourism in the forest area were organised.
According to Andraž Valcl from the Municipality of Železniki, Jelovica is a very homogeneous geographical area, but administratively very fragmented. The problems that arise are the same everywhere, so it makes sense for the municipalities to work together to find solutions. “The desire is to establish some kind of permanent contact or communication,” he added.
Metod Rogelj from the Institute of the Republic of Slovenia for Nature Conservation said that the project was looking for solutions to various problems, talking to people about what bothers them and what they would and would not like to see in the Jelovica area in the future. They stressed the importance of cooperation, keeping the quietness in nature and re-directing the visitors. “Jelovica will never be a reserve. This is not a wish either. There will always be certain activities in Jelovica, but they must be created in a way that is good for visitors, nature, owners, and locals,” he explained.
The event also featured an interesting panel discussion where Gašper Kleč, Acting Director of the Sora Development Agency, pointed out that “the JeloviZA project is an example of how diverse partners can work together to solve a common challenge, which makes it all the more important that the project has been actively joined by the municipalities and, above all, that the work that has been set out is being taken forward in the context of the proposed consultative body for Jelovica.”
Brigita Oblak from the Slovenian Forest Service presented the challenges of forest management in the light of climate change and the alarming forecasts for the European Bark beetle, which is considered one of the most important biotic damaging factors in our forests. “On average per year, around 30.000 m3 of timber is cut down in the area of Jelovica, but in 2019 and 2020, when the sleet hit and afterward the bark beetles, as much as 180.000 m3 was cut down per year. This makes it even more important that we strengthen the Jelovica forest. and, Within the JeloviZA project, the project partners have increased its resilience to weather events and other impacts of climate change by planting traditional tree species typical of Jelovica, such as beech, fir and sycamore maple,” she pointed out.
The JeloviZA project, which is supported by the EEA Financial Mechanism, is co-created by the Sora Development Agency, Institute of the Republic of Slovenia for Nature Conservation, Slovenia Forest Service, the Municipality of Železniki, CIPRA International and the project promoter, the CIPRA Slovenia, Association for the Protection of the Alps.
11 April 2024 – The sixth annual meeting with the Donor States in the current period of implementation of the EEA and Norway Grants took place in Slovenia. The annual meeting was organized by the National Focal Point.
The meeting was attended by a large group of Slovenian and foreign representatives. On the Slovenian side, representatives of the National Focal Point, Programme Operator, Certifying Authority, Audit Authority and Active Citizens Fund participated in the meeting. The Donor States were represented by representatives of the Embassy of the Kingdom of Norway in Budapest, Embassy and Permanent Mission of Iceland in Vienna, Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Financial Mechanism Office.
At the annual meeting, the participants approved the Combined Strategic and Annual Report for 2023, reviewed progress in the implementation of programmes and funds, as well as activities and initiatives in the framework of bilateral cooperation.
Representatives of the Green Penguin and Think XR projects presented the implementation and results of the projects, which are implemented under the programme Education, Scholarships, Apprenticeship and Youth Entrepreneurship. Participants at the annual meeting were given a closer look at the Green Penguin digital platform and the virtual and augmented reality equipment used by the Think XR project in the established new education programmes.
10 April 2024 – A press conference and a final event were held in the afternoon at the Kovačnica in Kranj, as part of the Green Penguin project. The project, which is co-financed by the Norway Grants, links education and environmental care in an interactive way.
At the press conference, representatives of the project promoter Iskraemeco and Slovenian project partners Municipality of Kranj, Municipality of Ljubljana and DOVES – FEE Slovenia presented the contribution to environmental protection, approaches to ensuring the sustainability of the project and the future development of the digital platform Green Penguin, which was created within the project. In addition to Slovenian project partners, the project also involves the Norwegian project partner FEE Norway.
At the final event, the project promoter presented the key achievements of the project, which are the result of a fruitful cooperation between the project partners and the elementary schools that participated in the piloting of the Green Penguin digital platform. The piloting phase included three elementary schools from Ljubljana (Jože Moškrič Elementary School, Hinko Smrekar Elementary School and Šmartno under Šmarna gora Elementary School), three from Kranj (France Prešeren Elementary School, Stane Žagar Elementary School and Elementary School Predoslje) and an international school from Kristiansand, Norway. Enthusiastic teachers successfully motivated pupils to actively contribute to reducing their carbon footprint and other environmental concerns.
The Green Penguin digital platform was developed to support the achievement of carbon neutrality through education and citizen engagement. It is primarily aimed at teachers and pupils. The main purpose of the platform is to raise awareness among children and consequently their parents about environmental protection, understanding carbon footprint and climate change. The Green Penguin web and mobile platform encourages children to establish daily habits that help to reduce their carbon footprint, both at an individual level and at the level of the school as an institution.
This innovative idea has been recognised by both the national and international community and has already won several awards in Slovenia and abroad.
9 April 2024 – Sharing good practices between Slovenia and Norway and finding synergies was the focus of the final conference of the PreseNEETi se project.
The PreseNEETi se project, which is co-financed by the Norway Grants, addresses the NEETs – young people between 15 and 29 years, with a focus on young individuals that are not in employment, education, or other training. The project aims at the empowerment and social activation of this target group, through which the project contributes to the establishment of support services and improves educational and social environment aimed at supporting the NEETs.
The final conference took place at the University of Adult Education Celje, where besides the project promoter also project partners participated. In the first part of the programme, the results of the project were presented, which can be divided into the micro level (NEETs level), the mezzo level (level of organisations and institutions) and the macro level (system level – country).
The main part of the event held a panel discussion with representatives of ministries, employment services and social entrepreneurship from both Slovenia and the donor country – Norway. The discussion was moderated by Prof. Dr. Andrej Naterer from the University of Maribor. The participants shared examples of good practices and discussed the challenges they face.
The event was attended by representatives of ministries, public sector employees, experts in the field of culture and education, and representatives of organisations and institutions working with the NEETs.
The conference was followed by an informal gathering, aimed at mutual learning and exchange of experiences in the field of work with NEETs between Slovenian and Norwegian participants.
The Project Promotor of the project is the University of Adult Education Celje. The project partners are University of Maribor, Employment Service of Slovenia, National Youth Council of Slovenia and Norwegian Organisation for Supervision and Co-Operation.
5 April 2024 – Designing for Enhanced Competence through Active Participation in Higher Education (DECAP-HE) project has successfully concluded. The project, co-funded by the Norway Grants, is based on improving the quality and effectiveness of teaching and learning and empowering individuals and institutions in higher education.
The audience was addressed by the project leader, Assist. Prof. Dr. Polonca Serrano, ALMA MATER EUROPAEA – European Centre, Maribor. She emphasised that “the project has improved cooperation and networking between institutions at all levels of formal and non-formal education. By establishing cooperation with selected partners, including Norwegian higher education institutions, teachers, institutional management, training providers and policy makers have gained access to modern, student-centred practices, giving them the opportunity to compare these practices with existing practices in the Slovenian environment. In this way, they have access to content for improvement.”
The event was attended by a representative of the Slovenian project partners and the Norwegian partner, who presented the results of the project and, above all, praised the cooperation of all stakeholders in the project.
The project has identified key features of pedagogical practices that are in line with the principles of active learning for the development of 21st century key competences in higher education. New practices and learning environments based on the principles of active learning for the 21st century were developed and disseminated, ensuring the development and sustainability of active learning environments across higher education in Slovenia.
The design of the didactic programme Introduction to Teaching and Learning in Higher Education – UPUVI, focused on developing and improving the skills and competences of lecturers to create active learning environments in their specific educational contexts. They also created a network of interactive learning environments for innovative teaching in active learning pedagogies at all levels of formal and non-formal education in higher education.
They have also developed a Centre for Enhanced Teaching and Innovation – SOPI with the purpose of providing and disseminating high quality skills and competencies for the creation of active learning environments in higher education.
The Project Promotor of the DECAP-HE project is ALMA MATER EUROPAEA – European Centre, Maribor. The project partners are the Educational Research Institute, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia, the Student Organization of Slovenia, and Kristiania University College from Norway.
4 April 2024 – The SETCOM project, which is co-financed by the Norway Grants, organised an international expert conference on “Synergies of Literacy in Artificial Intelligence Systems and Social and Emotional Learning in Education”.
The objectives of the project SETCOM are to develop social and emotional competence, to develop literacy in the field of artificial intelligence and to establish a Competence Centre SETCOM. The project’s objectives contribute to fostering institutional cooperation at all levels of formal and non-formal education and to improving the support environment for the whole education sector and its users.
The expert conference took place at the Faculty of Education, University of Maribor. In addition to the project promoter, both the Slovenian project partners and the Norwegian project partner were present.
On behalf of the co-financer, the Ministry of Cohesion and Regional Development, the audience was welcomed by Ms. Jadranka Plut. In her speech, she stressed that “projects as SETCOM represent an effective way of bringing together institutions, companies, experts, transfer knowledge and good practices and contribute to strengthening bilateral relations between two countries, in this case between Slovenia and Norway.”
The event was represented by several speakers from the fields of artificial intelligence and social and emotional learning. The focus was on linking technological literacy with social and emotional competences in education.
In addition to the Project Promoter, the University of Maribor, the project is co-created by project partners Nord University, the Municipality of Maribor, Elementary School Drago Kobal Maribor, the Secondary School of Economics and Gymnasium Maribor, the Elementary school Dušan Flis Hoče, the Friends of Youth Association Maribor and the Andragogic Institute Maribor – Adult Education Centre.
3 April 2024 – The challenges of digitisation in secondary vocational education in the field of mechanical engineering were the focus of the closing conference of the project Academy for Combined Learning.
The project co-financed by the Norway Grants, has developed six interactive learning materials with the support of institutional partnerships and the exchange of knowledge and good practice. These learning materials are the first of their kind on the Slovenian market. They are intended for school and independent use in mechanical engineering programmes in secondary and higher education. The teachers from technical schools and other conference participants had the opportunity to learn about the possibilities of using the developed materials.
The conference was opened by the Executive Director of Rokus Klett Publishing House, Maruša Kmet Dejak, who was the Project Promoter.
The keynote speaker was Marko Lotrič, President of the National Council of the Republic of Slovenia. He stressed that it is the efforts for cross-sectoral cooperation, networking between researchers, entrepreneurs and the education system that contribute to competitiveness and higher added value. He believes that such projects will empower students to come out of education systems with the right skills and thus be more employable.
In the main part of the conference, a panel of guests from secondary education, university education and business shared their experiences and concerns about the changes they are facing in their work and in their organisations because of digitalisation. Speakers stressed the importance of acquiring new skills for a different way of teaching. They also stressed the need to teach students a different way of learning. And since the combined learning model means both learning through various online applications and learning in the classroom, the right materials are very important.
In the second part of the event, ten teachers presented how they use the materials they have developed.
The Project Promotor of project Academy for Combined Learning is Rokus Klett Publishing House and the project partners are the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia – Institute for Business Education, Institute of the Republic of Slovenia for Vocational Education and Training, the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering of the University of Ljubljana, School Centre Novo mesto and the Gyldendal Norsk Forlag AS from Norway.
3 April 2024 – The IMRO project held its final dissemination conference on Supporting the Informal Carers in Palliative and Hospice Care at the Faculty of Health Sciences in Celje.
The IMRO project addresses the challenges posed by an ageing population. The demands of working life often cause distress for employees who are at the same time also informal carers of a seriously ill family member.
The dissemination conference addressed the issue of relieving the burden of working men and women who care for a chronically ill, dying, or elderly family member. The conference’s aim was to open a dialogue on the issue of informal caregiving in Slovenia and to raise awareness of integrated care in the home environment as a human right.
Opening speeches were given by the President of the Slovenian Hospice Society, Renata Jakob Roban, the Ombudsman of the Republic of Slovenia and the honorary patron of the conference, Peter Svetina, and the Vice-Mayor of the Municipality of Celje, Saša Kundih.
The conference, divided into three sessions, focused in the first session on the establishment of an effective system of informal care in the community. The second part dealt with the situation of informal carers and their need for skills and knowledge. The third part of the conference focused on the pressures and hardships of informal carers in palliative care and the concern for their relief.
Dr Manca Košir, a volunteer and ambassador of the Slovenian Hospice Society, who was unable to attend the conference in person, addressed all participants by letter. Part of her address said, “Volunteering is a shortcut. A shortcut for personal growth, for mental maturity, for spiritual awakening. For awareness.”
The IMRO project, which is supported by the Norwegian Financial Mechanism under the programme Education, Scholarships, Apprenticeship and Youth Entrepreneurship, is co-created by the Slovenian Hospice Society as the project promoter and the project partners the Society for Cultural Relations SPES, the Municipality of Solčava and Bjerkaker LearningLab from Norway.
2 April 2024 – The final conference of the PoMP project’s, co-funded by the Norway Grants, was held in Ljubljana on March 21, 2024. As part of the project outcomes, the free online platform PoMP Academy was presented, tailored for educators and other institutions to support youth in entrepreneurship.
The event highlighted the achievements of young individuals trained in entrepreneurship competences. Distinguished guests at the event included Her Excellency Trine Skymoen, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Norway, mag. Marko Koprivc, State Secretary of the Ministry of Cohesion and Regional Development, and dr. Jernej Pintar, Director of Technology Park Ljubljana.
The audience was welcomed with an opening speech by dr. Jernej Pintar, Director of Technology Park Ljubljana, delivered the opening speech, discussing the importance of mistakes and courage in the (independent) entrepreneurial journey. He emphasized Slovenia’s challenge that “we value knowledge, but we have one particular problem – we find it very difficult to transfer knowledge into practice.” He also encouraged youth on their entrepreneurial journey, stating that “entrepreneurs are those who connect A to B and make a difference. That is how they really change the world in the end.”
The project leader, dr. Lidija Tušek from the Scientific Research Centre Bistra Ptuj, presented the PoMP project and its outcomes. She highlighted its national-level implementation and its focus aimed at three target groups: schools, teachers, and students.
Dr. Tušek praised the fruitful cooperation with the Kingdom of Norway, especially with the Norwegian partner, through which they have successfully transferred their experience and good practices to Slovenia. She concluded by adding that they are committed to continue the project activities in the future and announced that “we will sign a strategic agreement between the partners to further strengthen and implement these (project) activities”.
Her Excellency Trine Skymoen, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Norway, thanked the project and stressed the inevitability of mistakes in work and life. She emphasised the importance of bilateral relations between Norway and Slovenia in knowledge transfer, particularly addressing young people gaining competences to build better tomorrow at the PoMP Academy.
Mag. Marko Koprivc, State Secretary of the Ministry of Cohesion and Regional Development, expressed gratitude to the Kingdom of Norway for the financial support it provides to Slovenia through the Norway Grants. It is the financial incentive that makes it possible to support projects such as PoMP and entrepreneurship among youth. He further noted, that “promoting these skills is very important for the future of our society. Often, when we talk about entrepreneurship and development, we forget or do not stress enough that development brings added value.” He concluded, “it is important to develop the spirit of entrepreneurship among youth, because this empowers them to be able to use these skills in nowadays society.”
The opening speeches were followed by short and concise presentations by 10 groups of young people (Pitch Festival), who presented their well-thought-out entrepreneurial ideas on how to improve everyday life.
The event continued with a press conference, where participants presented the achievements of the entrepreneurship competences of the teachers/mentors from the primary schools participating in the project and and their influence on young people’s career potential.
In the final part of the conference, students and teachers, each in their own meeting, came together to get to know each other, exchange views and experiences to promote entrepreneurship among the youth.
The PoMP project’s Project Promoter is the Scientific Research Centre Bistra Ptuj. The project partners are Primorska Technology Park, Development Centre Novo mesto, Technology Park Ljubljana, SAŠA incubator, and Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NOR).
