September 2019
Slovenian stories from home and abroad
An eventful autumn for the Office Emil Karajić:
The minister's Chief-of-Staff Mateja Jamnik and Jessica Jagec:
Cambridge Professor and Fashion Designer from London GoriÄ?ko Nature Park
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// FROM THIS ISSUE
AN EVENTFUL AUTUMN FOR THE OFFICE
EMIL KARAJIĆ, THE MINISTER’S CHIEF-OFSTAFF
GORIČKO NATURE PARK
Moja Slovenija www.slovenci.si PUBLISHER
TRANSLATED BY
The Office of the Republic of Slovenia for Slovenians Abroad
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EDITORIAL BOARD, ADDRESS
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Erjavčeva 15, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
PHOTO ON THE COVER
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Blanka Markovič Kocen
DESIGN AND LAYOUT
Lake Bukovniško. Photo: Jošt Gantar / slovenia.ino
CONTACTS
+386 1 230 80 00 +386 51 675 168 info@slovenci.si FOLLOW US ON
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An eventful autumn for the Office Emil Karajić, head of the minister's office
The beginning of September was very eventful for the Government Office for Slovenians Abroad, as its officials attended three events in the first three days of the month, following it up with numerous other activities. October will be dynamic, too. The purpose of the visit was to pay a symbolic tribute to Slovenian institutions in Bosnia and Herzegovina for their efforts to preserve Slovenian identity and connect with the home country. We also got acquainted with their work in more detail.
▲ 54th Draga Study Days in Trieste. PHTO: USZS
Minister Peter J. Česnik attended the traditional 54th Draga Study Days in Trieste, where he conferred the Peterlin Award on literary critic Jože Faganel. The following day, Minister Česnik and State Secretary Olga Belec attended the 14th Bled Strategic Forum (BSF). This year’s forum ran under the title (Re)sources of (In)stability, with the debates focused on the role of resources in connection with peace and stability, sustainable development and economic progress. After the forum, Minister Česnik attended the 54th autumn seminar for teachers and professors from Slovenian schools in Italy. This year’s seminar opened in Trieste, where the attendees could hear an opening address by Zvezdan Pirtošek from the Faculty of Medicine and the Faculty of Education of the University of Ljubljana. The Office also went on a longer trip this month. Minister Česnik and State Secretary Belec and other members of the Office visited the Slovenian community in Bosnia and Herzegovina between 5 and 7 September.
▲ A visit to the Slovenian community in Bosnia and Herzegovina. PHOTO: USZS
The Office was also present at celebrations and ceremonies, with Minister Minister Česnik attending on 8 September the main ceremony commemorating Slovenian anti-Fascists who were executed in 1930 in the village of Basovizza. He delivered a speech and laid a wreath at their memorial. On 14 September, the minister attended the national ceremony marking the Return of Primorska to the Motherland, which took place in the garden of Castra Fortress in Ajdovščina. At the Slovenian Consulate General in Szentgotthard, Hungary, State Secretary Olga Belec met on 11 September Ministerial Commissioner Ferenc Kalmar, the vice-chair of the Slovenian-Hungarian commission for the monitoring of the Agreement on the provision of
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The Association of Slovenians Emona from Ruma, Serbia, celebrated its 10th anniversary on 21 September. The ceremony was attended on behalf of the Office by Rudi Merljak, who handed out the Office’s award to representatives of the association. On 25 September, Office representatives attended a meeting of the Tetrijeb association for animal protection in Tršće, in the Croatian region of Gorski Kotar. Minister Česnik met with the association’s president Ivica Križ. A centre for the breeding of the wood grouse, a species endangered in Croatia, was opened on the occasion. ▲ State Secretary Olga Belec met with Ministerial Commissioner Ferenc Kalmar. PHOTO: USZS
special rights to the Hungarian ethnic community in the Republic of Slovenia and the Slovenian ethnic minority in Hungary. We were happy to attend a number of events also towards the end of the month. The Slofest festival of Slovenians in Italy took place between 20 and 22 September, with Minister Česnik attending the opening ceremony. On 21 September, he visited the first minority football tournament in Gerovo, in the Croatian region of Gorski Kotar, which was hosted by the Slovenian association Gorski Kotar. Minister Česnik was the keynote speaker at the main event of the traditional meeting of former internees and political prisoners in Nazi and Fascist camps, their children, relatives and friends, which took place in Portorož on 22 September.
▲ Main ceremony commemorating Slovenian antiFascists who were executed in 1930 in the village of Basovizza. PHOTO: USZS
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On 28 September, the Slovenian Association Triglav from Split, Croatia, hosted the opening cultural event of its 2019/2020 season. The main part featured performances by the association’s choir and the Sanje choir from Nova Gorica. The event was attended by State Secretary Olga Belec, who also visited the Triglav association. On the last weekend of September, Office representatives attended the 33rd Folkloriada in Germany’s Augsburg, which featured folk dance groups from Slovenia. The Slovenian Cultural and Sport Association Drava from Augsburg meanwhile celebrated its 40th anniversary, with Minister Česnik handing out awards to the association and deserving members on the occasion. October will be just as eventful. In the coming month, Office representatives will attend a ceremony marking the 100th anniversary of the Treaty of Saint-Germainen-Laye, at which Minister Česnik will talk with Governor of Carinthia Peter Kaiser. Office representatives will also visit a business conference hosted by AmCham Slovenia, and the 10th conference of Slovenian scientists and business executives from abroad and Slovenia, which will be addressed by the minister. A visit to a meeting of Slovenian associations in Croatia is also on the agenda. Also awaiting are longer visits to compatriots abroad, in Belgium and Serbia. At the end of the month, we are looking forward to celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Office.
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The Office active in the coordination of repatriation of Slovenians from Venezuela
PHOTO: The Office for Slovenians Abroad
The Government adopted on 29 August 2019 two relevant decision: 1. Decision starting the procedure of repatriation of Slovenians from Venezuela, and 2. Decision establishing an inter-ministerial task force for the drafting of an action plan for the repatriation procedure The second decision stipulates that the Office is in charge of the coordination between departments and monitoring of the process of drafting of the action plan. The task force will be headed by State Secretary Olga Belec. It has 30 days to draft an action plan for the repatriation procedure. The next session of the task force was held on 12 September 2019. ď € Blanka MarkoviÄ? Kocen
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The Government Office for Slovenians Abroad publishes the 18th PRIZE COMPETITION for diploma papers, master’s theses and doctoral dissertations on: A: Slovenians in the neighbouring countries B: Slovenians in the diaspora
The purpose of the prize competition is to encourage research by undergraduate and post-graduate students in the field of Slovenians in the neighbouring countries and the diaspora, and by doing so to raise awareness about their importance for the preservation of Slovenian identity in the home country and outside its borders. Candidates from the Republic of Slovenia and abroad may apply. The subject of the prize competition are successfully defended diploma papers, master’s theses and doctoral dissertations at any university in Slovenia or abroad which deal with a topic related to Slovenian communities outside the borders of the Republic of Slovenia. Works originally written in Slovenian, Croatian, Bosnian, Serbian (Latin script), Italian, German, French, English or Spanish will be considered. If the work is not written in Slovenian, an abstract in the Slovenian language (60 to 150 lines) must be attached. The Office’s prize competition is also open to individuals with works which had already applied for other similar competitions. Works defended in the period between 1 November 2018 and 31 October 2019 will be considered. Three works in the field of Slovenians in the neighbouring countries and three works in the field of the Slovenian diaspora will be awarded, with the first prize in both categories amounting to EUR 800, the second prizes EUR 600 and the third prizes EUR 400. The jury may as an exception confer a special EUR 400 prize for the best diploma paper for the undergraduate level. At the proposal of the jury, the Office may decide to confer more prizes in any of the categories, but the total number of prizes may not exceed the total number of prizes open for competition (six total and up to two for the lower level)
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and the prize fund of EUR 3,600 (EUR 400 for the special award for an undergraduate diploma counts separately for each category). The works proposed by the jury will, if the winners so wish, also receive a recommendation for publication from the Office. The jury will evaluate diploma papers, master’s theses and doctoral dissertations from various fields dedicated to Slovenians in the diaspora and in the neighbouring countries. In doing so, it will consider the following criteria: • Originality of the topic and approach, • “Applicability” or informative value of works studying the forms of preservation of the Slovenian identity outside the borders of the Republic of Slovenia and connectedness with it, • Expertise, complexity, general quality, inter-disciplinary features of the work. The Office will enable the award winners to hold one to two public presentations of their works until the end of the year in which the award is conferred. Participation in the prize competition will be considered as the author’s consent for the submitted work to remain kept in the archive of the Office or by the Slovenian Migration Institute at the Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts (ZRC SAZU) (for Slovenians in the diaspora) or the Institute for Ethnic Studies (for Slovenians in the neighbouring countries). By participating in the prize competition, the candidate also gives consent to the Office to use his or her personal information for the implementation of the prize competition and possible subsequent communication. Applications and deadline Candidates should send to the Urad Vlade RS za Slovence v zamejstvu in po svetu, Erjavčeva 15, 1000 Ljubljana with
the note »ZA NAGRADNI NATEČAJ”: - One bound copy of their work in hard covers, - Certificate on the successful defence of the diploma paper, master’s thesis or doctoral dissertation with the date of defence clearly visible, - A short CV with the basic personal information and contact address (postal address, e-mail address, telephone); - Electronic version of the work – in an enclosed USB drive or an email sent to zvone.zigon@gov.si. The Office will return your USB drives after the prize competition is concluded. The electronic version does not count as replacement for the printed version. The applicant should CLEARLY MARK in the application what kind of work it is – for a diploma paper at the lower level under the Bologna study programme (“diploma 1”), for the higher level under the Bologna study programme or for a master’s degree (“diploma 2” or “master’s degree”), for scientific master’s degree, doctorate … If the work was defended abroad under a different title, the applicant should note in the application the comparable degree or title under the Slovenian standards (master’s degree, doctorate…). The Office will be accepting the works up to and including 2 December 2019, while the results of the prize competition are expected to be announced by the end of April 2020. The prize ceremony is planned to follow in April or May 2020. For additional information, call (+386) (0)1 230 80 11 (Zvone Žigon) or send an email to zvone.zigon@gov.si.
// INTERVIEW
Mateja Jamnik: »I take my audience with myself on a journey in the story I tell.« Blanka Markovič Kocen Personal archive of M. J.
Mateja Jamnik, a full professor at the University of Cambridge, a half-marathon runner, a mother of three ... and we probably omitted something. A super woman? And if she is not a super woman, she is definitely interesting, as she researches artificial intelligence. We talked on a September morning, over the phone, after she took her children to school. She says that it is possible to coordinate her numerous obligations only with huge support from her husband and, unfortunately, at the expense of her sleep. The children, aged 17, 13 and 9, now need psychological support more than physical care. She sees returning to Slovenia as a realistic possibility.
Two weeks before our conversation, Mateja Jamnik and her family returned to the United Kingdom, where she has lived for 30 years, from Slovenia. She was a visiting researchers at the Jožef Stefan Institute in Ljubljana for a year. »I was on a sabbatical, which means a study vacation of sorts. I was thus relieved of my teaching and administrative duties so that I could dedicate myself to research,« she explained. »This means that I don't have to be physically present in Cambridge, although I have a large team of people - seven doctoral students, who I take care of and I'm responsible for everywhere I go.«
Mateja and her family picked Slovenia among many options, as she saw an opportunity for her children to live in the country for for a longer period for the first time. »Slovenia is also relatively close to the United Kingdom, which means that I can still appropriately manage my team of people. At the Jožef Stefan Institute, there are two departments for artificial intelligence that are doing a very good job and I hoped that the cooperation would continue after I get back. Such cooperation is usually a combination of interests covered by individual people.« According to Jamnik, there is plenty of cooperation, as certain
groups, including the American Slovenian Education Foundation (ASEF) and the VTIS association of Slovenians educated abroad, support Slovenia's cooperation with Slovenians abroad both in the country and outside of it. Her team includes two ASEF students. In Slovenia, the day starts and ends earlier than in the United Kingdom »We enjoyed it a lot in Slovenia, both my children and me and my husband,« said Jamnik. »While I needed some more time, my husband
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// INTERVIEW
assimilated very quickly. The work part was excellent, and the private part was even better! The children got accustomed to Slovenian schools very well. They liked some things very much, and others not so much.« Ljubljana is small compared to Cambridge and the Jamniks immediately bought bicycles, bringing transferring the tradition from Cambridge, which is a cycling-friendly city just like Ljubljana. »We also took advantage of the time in Slovenia for tourist trips, as the plan was to criss-cross the country. We saw a lot, enjoyed ourselves, and strongly felt the positive side of life in Ljubljana, which is much calmer here than in the United
Kingdom. The day starts and ends earlier, everything is close, you need only a few hours to reach the sea or mountains. You can be very spontaneous, you make decision on a daily basis, which enthralled us,« said Jamnik, who also had her family and friends close by, in the northern region of Koroška. And what is Jamnik like as a lecturer? Does she have a special approach to students? »This is not an easy question ... I always lecture by taking my audience along on a journey in a story I tell. If half of the students were asleep during my lecture, this would be neither rewarding nor good use of
time for me and them. I am interactive, dynamic and enthusiastic, because I want to share my love of work with my students.« Research in artificial intelligence and computer science is not very typical for women, but Jamnik is excited about it. »I studied mathematics, and for my post-graduate thesis I explored how people solve problems. Then I studied for a master's degree in computer science, because I was interested in how it would be possible to build a computer which would work with us and think in a more human-like way. I then earned a doctorate in artificial intelligence.
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Mathematicians like to apply their work to technology.«
specialists in diagnosis and treatment, she said.
For the future, she plans several projects and guidelines, all of them under the slogan »human-like computing«. »I have two to three main directions: research and modelling of how machines think, how they use informal intuitive methods and solve problems. We are trying to model human processes.« On the other hand, these methods are applied and used in medicine, for personalisation. This is especially true in cancer, where systems are being built in which data about a patient are projected into his or her analysis, which helps clinical
Where does she see herself in a decade? »In my research work, I still see myself in international collaborations, raising new students, specialists in artificial intelligence.« After spending a year in Ljubljana, Mateja and her family started seriously thinking about moving to Slovenia. »We have spent a realistic year there, without romanticising too much, and considering the current situation in the United Kingdom, it is not clear when we will have had enough. Now we see that this is possible. We did not know what the work opportunities
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are and this is the most important thing you need when moving to another country.« Jamnik ran a half-marathon this spring, and plans to run another one in the autumn. She tries to run two half-marathons every year, but is not thinking about a full marathon, she simply does not have enough time. Perhaps she will manage this in Slovenia, where time runs at least a bit slower.
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Jessica Jagec: I was not afraid of anything Blanka Markovič Kocen Andraž Blaznik
Slovenian fashion designer Jessica Jagec is living hear dream in London, but what has led her there was a steep road not always paved with gold. It was not Milan, Paris or New York, the most famous fashion centres, but London that Jessica always held dear, although she did not know that she would actually end up there. “I always suspected I would end up living abroad, but everything happened very spontaneously. The truth is that I probably did not know what I was getting myself into, but today I cannot imagine living a different life,” the young fashion designer has told Moja Slovenija. “This is the place that really suits me, where I get inspired and where things happen all the time.”
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Today you work for prestigious brands. How did this climb to the top start? What were your first challenges? Not everything is as glamorous as it may sound. I am extremely happy with my path, everything happened rather spontaneously. I've always had a strong drive and I am probably a workaholic to a certain extent. It has never been hard for me to work, because I really love what I do. At the beginning, when I got a job at Mirjam Rouden's studio, I worked long hours, but working with people in the fashion industry is actually the greatest challenge. It is full of people with a ÂťdifficultÂŤ character, who frequently see nothing but themselves. But you eventually learn how to work with them, and after almost seven years I can say that there are practically no such persons in my professional life any more. I work with wonderful people. What kind of collections do you create now and for whom? I make my own creations and I am not preoccupied with where they go, I do my own thing. Of course, it is interesting to work directly for brands and cooperate with different people - it is a unique sort of challenge. I've worked with various brands, from Guess and Calvin Klein to Zara and many others. What you consider your biggest achievement in the last five years? It is hard to single out one particular achievement. I think my career is still gradually growing and expanding,
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◀ Jessica Jagec in clothes with her Top Shop print. PHOTO: Andraž Blaznik
and that that I am constantly taking it higher. I'm happy that the things have been developing in this exact way, and I am looking forward to things to come. What do you think is of key importance for success? First of all, you have to like what you do, because then it is not difficult to work hard and fight for your path. And I actually don't think it is hard, but a lot of people give up too soon or do not invest enough effort, as they simply lack passion. My answer to a majority of questions in my first job was »yes«. I took business trips on my own, drove an English van around Paris every day, visited clients and presented my work to them. I was not afraid of anything. How is life in the British capital different from that in Slovenia? Once you settle in and create your circle of people, it doesn't matter where you are. Life is faster here, because you spend more time to get to work and back or to run errands, but if you do not look at it as a big deal, there is nothing to be afraid of. I personally work from home and the stress does not get to me that much. At the same time, you can do many things here. Everybody can find something for themselves. What is your working day like? I draw a lot, I explore and look for inspiration. Not every day is the same, but a majority of my day is creative. When I work, I am usually very relaxed, I like to create a comfortable
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environment. Actually I can work from anywhere as long as I have my iPad Pro and a computer. Have you met Slovenians in London, or even worked with them? Of course, I have some Slovenian friends. We have never cooperated, but we always help each other. There are many of us in London and we do a huge variety of things. I believe that you also follow the Slovenian fashion industry. Are we keeping up with global trends? It always makes me happy when I see what my colleagues from the faculty do. This is something I really enjoy following. I think that there are no standard criteria, as every market adjusts itself to the circumstances. It is hard to compare a country of two million with London, which is home to nine million people. The conditions and standard are completely different, and it is hard to apply a universal criterion for good or bad. I certainly believe that Slovenia has a lot of good designers in various fields. Where you see yourself in ten years? I don't know. I don't have a plan, and things have turned out very well so far without me making any plans. I don't have a huge, shiny goal, and we will see where my path takes me. The circle of people and acquaintances, the portfolio of people I worked with is growing, and it will be interesting to see where this leads me.
// WHO IS WHO
Emil Karajić, the minister's chief-ofstaff: “It is very important for me to build on trust and positive working atmosphere.” Blanka Markovič Kocen Personal Archive of E. K.
When you enter his office at Erjavčeva 15 in Ljubljana, where the Government Office for Slovenians Abroad is seated, what you notice first is that he is systematic - books on shelves, tables on paper sheets, graphs on the board, notes or single words organised in bulleted lists ... This is Emil Karajić, the chief-of-staff of Minister Peter Jožef Česnik, a psychologist and psychotherapist who has come to the Office having previously worked in education.
Were the local elections your first contact with politics and what has drawn you into it? This is true. During my years in the education system, I often faced administrative barriers, lack of cooperation with the higher-ups, inaccessibility and inefficiency of external support institutions and, of course, many lengthy conversations with teachers and other expert staff about all that is wrong and how our education system needs to be improved. There was a sense of strong dissatisfaction with the functioning of the system. At the same time, teachers frequently have the feeling that they are not being listened to by the state and they feel
powerless. I was offered the opportunity to get to know this governmental, political aspect of the story and I accepted it. I have realised that every story has several layers and if you try to fight for positive change, you need to understand all aspects of a system. What is your take on the Slovenian education system? There are many good things in the Slovenian education system. We have a lot of exceptionally talented, good and enthusiastic teachers and expert staff, who compensate for the shortcomings in the system with their sheer effort. I think the system itself is rigid and too fragmented. It is
excessively dependent on the good will of some excellent and enthusiastic individuals, who frequently get burned out. Generations change very quickly and the system cannot keep up. While pedagogy has strongly developed in the last few decades, teaching in primary schools, for example, is still mostly frontal. Many schools are trying to do a good job with what they have, and are exceptionally innovative and successful in their approach. But introduction of new and more effective pedagogical practices largely depends on the enthusiasm and energy of individual teachers. They
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often have to fight the system, politics or society when they want to introduce new content or methods. We are also frequently reinventing the wheel when we have a problem with implementing good practices. It seems that there is a lack of concrete coordinating work which would push the development vision forward. This is why some exceptionally well implemented and effective projects of individual schools die out eventually (when people get replaced, when project funds run out etc.). We need, for example, a good systemic approach to tackling peer violence, which was developed in Kranj as part of a large international project, but got stuck at the local level. We need more support staff for students with special needs and for teachers who work with them. This staff should have at least some basic
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psychotherapeutic skills. We need more extensive and, above all, more serious clinics for mental health, which would be able to provide clinical psychological and pedopsychiatric treatment to primary and secondary school students. Experts in this field are overworked. It is not acceptable that a teenager in early phases of depression has to wait half a year for the first examination. And that there is no specialised staff in schools who would then keep this teenager up for half a year is unjust both to the student and the parents and teachers who work with them.
“Generations change very quickly and the education system cannot keep up.�
Guidelines, debates and circulars are not enough. We need vision, action plans, support on the ground as well as regular and serious quality supervision. A system for rewarding good teachers would also be welcome. But not everything is bleak. We have a lot of excellent and enthusiastic teachers in Slovenia who keep things going and who make the effort to work with what they have on a daily basis. What are the advantages and shortcomings of the Slovenian education system compared to other European countries? Despite everything, teachers in Slovenia have a great deal of freedom. This means that they can be more creative. This freedom is becoming gradually limited, mostly because of additional administrative
// WHO IS WHO procedures and fear of parents. We take good care of students from poor families. And, of course, the main advantage is that our education system
“The ability to really listen to someone is very important in the political world.” is public and available to all. Much has also been done in accessibility and integration. As for shortcomings, I already mentioned some of them. We should be aware that no system is perfect, and that we all work within some kind of restrictions. You dealt a lot with behavioural disorders, which are on the increase among adolescents. Do teachers understand them well enough, in your opinion? No. But this is not just their fault. This issue is extremely complex and it is a very demanding job to adjust teaching to special needs. Teachers are trying their best. I know a lot of teachers who do not sleep at night because they do not know what to do with this or that difficult student or parent. Internal training is usually ineffective, or its effect are short-lived and the usual behavioural patterns return after a few months. In addition to knowledge and motivation, such teachers need support staff by their side to would keep the common thread running. Schools need more specialised staff (psychologists, social workers specialised in children, special education experts ...) that would provide support for teachers and parents, and deal less with students. At the moment, counselling and special services are mostly overburdened or they do not feel competent enough for dealing with certain problems. This is why teachers and
other experts get burned out, and students do not get support they need. What are the reasons for the increase in peer violence? Do you think that this is just because we failed to recognise it earlier? This is too simple an answer to such a complex question. I personally think that the increase is a consequence of many factors. This is something that can be influenced by culture, modern lifestyle, new technologies, new ways of socialising, different upbringing, pace of life, higher susceptibility for this type of issue, and many other things. It is not just about the increase, but the forms of peer violence themselves are changing. There are also more special needs, psychiatric and psychological disorders etc. Let us take anxiety, for example, and I will extremely simplify it here. Why strong anxiety occurs in a student already in sixth grade and in such an extent that it limits them in their everyday life? Perhaps the student is susceptible by nature. Perhaps great demands and expectations are placed on the student at home. Perhaps the student had a lot of unpleasant experiences in his or her life already and is now only responding to the world which he or she interprets as very threatening. It may be possible that the student identified himself or herself with the ideals of perfection, high efficiency and success, which are widely promoted these days, in particular in the world of social media. Perhaps the student was a victim of overly sensitive and protective parents. It is most probably a little bit of everything. And then, because of poor work ethics, limited ability to concentrate, low level of tolerance to frustration,
underdeveloped social skills or simply an average intelligence, this student underperforms or even performs averagely in school, while an exceptional result had been expected. Such a student gets caught in a vicious cycle of dysfunctional thoughts and unpleasant feelings, which further prevents him or her from being as successful as he or she would like to be. Who will extract this student from this? At first glance it seems that all this is part of life and that the student will survive. He or she will survive, but will become a very different adult than he or she would become is someone recognised this in the sixth grade and provided help. Sometimes it does not take much for such a student to be helped. A little bit of time and energy may prevent a lot of unnecessary suffering.
“I can identify with our emigrants around the world and Slovenians in the neighbouring countries and I know how hard it is to maintain a balance between different cultures and roots.” Why did you decide to work with Slovenians abroad? As a child, I was a student with special needs. This experience helped me immensely in my work as a special education teacher. I understood my students better and I was more motivated to help them. The topic of Slovenian emigration is close to my heart because my father was an emigrant. He came to Slovenia from Bosnia-Herzegovina as a teenager and started working as a
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bricklayer. He married a Slovenian here and decided to stay and start a family. I know first-hand what it is like to be a second-generation migrant. I know what it is like to have two mother tongues. I also have a lot of relatives who went abroad in search for work, and I spent my childhood with them. I can identify with our emigrants around the world and Slovenians in neighbouring countries and I know how hard it is to maintain a balance between different cultures and roots.
Do you accompany the minister on his trips and, if this is so, what impressed you the most so far? At least at the beginning of the term, I am trying to be around as much as possible as the minister makes his trips. It is important to meet the main players in the neighbouring countries and abroad, establish good connections. I have been at the Office for only two months and what surprised me the most is the quantity and quality of what is going on. If we attended all possible events, we would not be
What are the tasks of the minister's chief of staff? It is a little bit different at the Office than at large ministries. My tasks are primarily organisational, but I also work a great deal with content. I have to make sure that the work runs smoothly, that everybody is in the right place at the right time and that conditions facilitate high-quality and productive work. I act as a link between all stakeholders at the Office. At the same time, I serve as a link between the Office and other bodies, associations and institutions, because a lot of coordination is required among us.
“I act as a link between all stakeholders at the Office. At the same time, I serve as a link between the Office and other bodies, associations and institutions.�
What was the first task you took up? First I took some time to meet my co-workers and get acquainted with their needs, wishes and expectations. To learn about their advantages and weaknesses. Of course, this is a never-ending process. After that, I started coordinating the work of the Office within what was already a well-functioning system. It is very important to me to build on trust and a positive working atmosphere. I am also getting acquainted with the content of work at the Office. I think that a good coordinator and organiser must know the specifics of the work of co-workers content-wise.
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present at the Office at all. Slovenians in neighbouring countries and abroad are exceptionally active and motivated, and I admire their enthusiasm and willingness to make things happen. How can you apply your knowledge of psychology and therapy at your new job? I have realised that these skills are priceless. What comes in handy the most is the ability to keep calm and balance my own stress. Our work is rather stressful because it is dynamic and unpredictable. Sometimes you need to jump between tasks and make important decisions in the meantime. Sometimes it happens that whatever decision you make, there may be an unpleasant consequence. What helps me here is the ability to solve problems, which is one of the most important and most fundamental techniques of behavioural and cognitive psychotherapy.
Another important thing is communicating clearly and positively expressing and receiving emotions. I am used to listening to people, and the ability to really listen to someone is very important in the political world. I am trying to be as empathetic as possible and I like to take time to develop positive relationships. What also helps are mediation skills and the ability to lead a group. For an organiser it is important to know and manage the factors of positive motivation. It is important to be able to recognise the first signs of burnout and overwork. And of course, if a child of some of the co-workers has problems in school, I am always at hand. Do you drive to work from Ilirska Bistrica every day or do you live in the capital? I currently live in Ĺ kofja Loka. I wanted to live there since long ago and a few years ago I got the opportunity to make this wish come true. Driving from Ilirska Bistrica every day would be really too hard. But I like to return home to Ilirska Bistrica for a weekend here and there. What are your political ambitions? Perhaps it is too early for such a question. I was very hard for me to leave the education system. I think that something will pull me back into education in one way or another. Perhaps I will do some more good things for our education system from the political side in the future. But this is something far ahead of me and at the moment, my attention is focused on the Office. My current ambition is that we work well during our term. I would like to give my 150 percent in this job and leave something positive behind me. My current priority is to notch up as many successes as possible and create nice memories about this period.
// LANDMARKS OF SLOVENIA
Goričko Nature Park: The splendour of nature and culture amidst Pannonian hills Blanka Markovič Kocen
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◀ Goričko Castle. PHOTO: Jošt Gantar/Slovenia.info
The Goričko Nature Park, the largest nature park in Slovenia, which also features the largest castle in the country, stretches across the rolling Pannonian hills, among forests and meadows, orchards and vineyards. As the park director Stanka Desnik explained, it is an area protected for its cultural landscape, which has been preserved due to its remoteness and proximity to the border. It is reflected in a mosaic-like picture of the diverse land use, with fields, meadows, vineyards and orchards taking turns in the landscape, interspersed with hamlets and villages. What also gives the region its unique character are local craftspersons, who present their work every year at the Grad Fair, which will take place on 12 October.
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// LANDMARKS OF SLOVENIA From cultural monuments to biodiversity The forest, which covers almost half of the surface area of the nature park and which gives way to lower vegetation as the land nears water courses, surrounds the cultivated land of the rolling, low hills, whose highest point does not exceed 418 metres in altitude. Scattered around the region of Goričko are numerous cultural monuments of different kinds, from Romanesque, Baroque and 20th-century churches to local architecture exemplified in simple farm homes, some of which still defy time, and modern homes. Another distinct feature is Grad Castle near the eponymous village, which is among the largest castles in Slovenia. Parts of the natural landscape that encompasses this cultural landscape provides habitat to numerous protected plant and animal species which have survived because the area has so far been known for extensive farming. Goričko shows a high level of biodiversity. Desnik notes that the Goričko Nature Park is the north-easternmost part of Slovenia, situated on the left bank of the Mura river, between the borders with Austria and Hungary. In the south, the border runs along foothills. The area measures 462 square kilometres or 46,200 hectares. Castle near Grad - the centre of the nature park »The management of the Goričko Nature Park is based at Grad Castle. The state-owned castle is operated by the public institute Krajinski Park Goričko,« explained the director. »The castle stands on volcanic tuff rock, in a eight-hectare castle park near the village of Grad. While its has completely new roofing, some 20% of the building has been refurbished. On the ground floor, the castle houses permanent collections of artefacts
presenting crafts such as distilling, pottery, herbal medicine, smithing, wheelwrighting, ropemaking and weaving. The Knights' Hall, also situated on the ground floor, houses a permanent exhibition about the reconstruction works at the castle and an exhibition about the dynasties which lived there until 1945. A Renaissance palace on the first floor features the castle gallery which occasionally hosts art exhibitions, while the southern part features three science rooms presenting the nature park, orchards and the local habitat of the European otter. The lobby of the castle chapel houses an exhibition on the castle's history and a small chapel intended for contemplation. Also on the first floor are four bedrooms with a total of ten beds intended for guests who spend the night at the castle. The castle basement, located under the visitor centre, is an information point and souvenir shop and includes a wine cellar with Goričko wines from small vineyards. In the castle park, in front of the south-western facade, there are three playgrounds for children, and it is also possible to take a walk in
▲ Jeruzalemske Gorice. PHOTO: KP Goričko
the park and observe centuries-old trees.« Considering its remoteness and proximity to the border, what are the road connections like? What about population density? The area is accessible from several directions. In Slovenia, with an exit from the motorway in Murska Sobota, from the Austrian side through the
▲ Lake Bukovniško. PHOTO: Jošt Gantar/Slovenia.info
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Of course, the nature park comes with certain restrictions. How do these influence the development of Goričko? Besides the preservation of habitats of endangered plant and animal species, there are no restrictions, and the park actually provides an opportunity for the development of local products, such as healthy food and drinks and accommodation in renovated houses for guests and locals who want to spend time in a quality and healthy environment and live a healthy lifestyle. ▼ Mura river basin. PHOTO: KP Goričko
border crossing Tauka/Kuzma from Jennersdorf and the border crossing Zelting/Cankova from the direction of Bad Radkersburg, and from Hungary through the border crossing Felsoszolonok/Martinje from the direction of Szentgotthard and the border crossing Bajánsenye/Hodoš from the direction of Budapest. The road connections are good, because there are eleven local communities within the park and they take good care of the road network among 90 villages. Around 17,500 people live in the nature park. People take care of the basic necessities themselves this is a predominantly farming population - but they also go to shopping centres in Murska Sobota. Masters of local crafts are still active in Goričko. Which are some of the most distinct local artisanal activities? The masters of local crafts are already senior citizens, which is why these activities, which are not fashionable any more, are fading away irreversibly; young people are mostly involved in the production of jewellery. The masters of local crafts present
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their products every year at the Grad Fair, which will take place on 12 October. The most distinct crafts include pottery and smithing, and more recently also food and drink making, for example of cheese, spirits, fruit, wine, honey, vegetables and homemade bread.
Who are your visitors? Where do they come from? The visitors come from everywhere and they are of all ages. They come in croups with buses or as families or individuals. Do you also offer accommodation? There are four bedrooms with bathrooms in the castle, with a total of ten beds. Those who spend the night there can rent a bicycle free of charge to explore the Goričko Nature Park. How many guests did you welcome in 2017 and last year and what number do you expect this year? In 2018, we recorded 22,274 visitors and 264 overnight stays at the castle. The annual number of visitors of the nature park is, of course, much larger, and stands around 100,000 according to data collected by other tourist information centres. Are you planning any major investments in the future? We are currently drafting the project dossier, but unfortunately we do not have guaranteed investment funds to continue the reconstruction.
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Plamen building ties between Slovenia and Canada
The women's choir Plamen from Toronto, which has been cherishing Slovenian songs and musical expression in Canada under the leadership of Marija Ahačič Pollak for nearly three decades, celebrated its 25th anniversary with three concerts in Slovenia - and it won the hearts of the local audience. Its line-up and repertoire make Plamen really exceptional. The choir proudly sings Slovenian songs, and it also happily puts Canadian folk songs, spiritual music and popular modern songs on its concert set-lists, singing them in various languages. The charismatic leader Marija Ahačič Pollak is a talented choirmaster who makes the singers' wishes come true as they follow her example and dedicate themselves to the choir. Six out of ten singers from the original line-up are still with the choir. It performed for the first time in Toronto when Canada recognised Slovenia's independence and it has been in Slovenia six times. According to Ahačič Pollak, the performance in Toronto still represents the apex of the choir's concert career. As Ahačič Pollak told Moja Slovenija, the choir practised in her house for the first seven years, with some of the singers coming to rehearsals from remote places.
Some of them left the choir after becoming mothers or because of other obligations, with others filling in. By teaching in English, Ahačič Pollak is also bridging language barriers, as some members of the choir do not speak Slovenian very well. But they do gladly sing in Slovenian, as those who attended the concert in St. James's Parish Church in Ljubljana could hear, after the choir sang in Brežice and Ptuj. In addition to Slovenian, the Plamens also sing in French and Latin, and some of the songs even in both Slovenian and English, thanks to Ahačič Pollak's translations. It was at this year's concerts that they sang Ahačič Pollak's own song »Tečejo, tečejo nitke« in Slovenian and English for the first time to the delight of the Slovenian audience. Blanka Markovič Kocen
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„Slovenian Greeting“ - Days of Slovenian Culture in Tuzla
The event Slovenian Greeting - Days of Slovenian Culture, was held in August in Tuzla, Bosnia-Herzegovina, hosted by the local Slovenian community. It featured numerous activities that took place in the beautiful ambience of the Peace Flame House in the city centre.
The event started on 19 August with the official opening of the 6th annual regional fine arts workshop »Slovenians in Tuzla«, which featured 18 artists from Bosnia-Herzegovina, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, the US and Canada: Marijana Gregl - Bikar, Sremski Karlovci, Serbia, Tatjana Rašković - Bosnić, Banja Luka, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Ljiljana Čuček, Novo Mesto, Slovenia, Dragan Gačnik, Zenica, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Mirjam Gremes Hibbing, US, Irena Schmidt - Hribar, Ottawa, Canada, Melada Huseinagić, Tuzla, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Boža Jambrek, Šentjernej, Slovenia, Borka Jokić, Tuzla, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Anica Krašna - Kocijan, Maribor, Slovenia, Ivan Kosmos, Split, Croatia, Zvonko Ostojić, Kakanj, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Lidija Stehlik, Split, Croatia, Jelena Šehović, Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Nura Šehović, Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Zlatko Šehović, Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Radmila
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Jeremić Čurčin, Belgrade, Srbija and Vlatko Zimmer, Tuzla, Bosnia-Herzegovina. Bringing new ideas and a fresh spirit, the artists worked in a friendly atmosphere and skilfully connected artistic stories from the entire region and beyond. The participants of the workshop made two paintings each with various motifs and using selected techniques. In a bid to present Slovenian culture and heritage and the historical link between Bosnia-Herzegovina and Slovenia, the bilingual book »Slovenian ethnic minority in Bosnia-Herzegovina« by Dušan Tomažič, a journalist and editor at public broadcaster RTV Slovenija, was presented. The book is a result of an interesting cooperation between the authors and members of the Slovenian minority in Bosnia-Herzegovina, and is
// AMONG US
certainly a precious work, which again confirms the ethnic diversity of the country. The event was joined by the women's choir Slovenčice with a performance by several Slovenian songs, adding its musical piece to the mosaic of this cultural and social event. The choir was conducted by Samra Ibrahimović, and supported by Nina Božič on the piano. The creative week concluded on 24 August 2019 with an exhibition of works made at the fine arts workshop, presenting various topics, motifs and authors connected by an invisible brush of positive atmosphere, friendship, mutual respect and inspiration. The exhibition was opened by Slovenian Ambassador to Slovenia Zorica Bukinac, who pointed to the importance of time, because she believes that it is the most precious thing people have. While the artists gave us their time by
painting, Dušan Tomažič gave it to us as was studying and filling up the empty pages of history and connections between the two nations. For us organisers, it is very important that all participants left Tuzla happy, full of impressions and with a new experience, and that we agreed to see each other next year. This means that we are on track to making the Week of Slovenian Culture in August a traditional cultural event which would connect Slovenians in Tuzla, Bosnia-Herzegovina, the region and beyond. Slovenian Greeting - Days of Slovenian Culture in Tuzla was sponsored by the Government Office for Slovenians Abroad, the Ministry of Culture, Sport and Youth of the Tuzla Canton and the City of Tuzla.
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Support for Slovenian associations in Serbia
Slovenian Prime Minister Marjan Šarec was in Serbia on 27 August in what was his first official visit to the country. After bilateral talks with senior representatives of the Serbian government, Šarec had a meeting with representatives of Slovenian associations and Slovenian executives working in Serbia in Belgrade City Hall. The reception was attended by Josip Veber, the president of the Association of Slovenians Logarska Dolina from Pančevo, who is also a member of the National Council of the Slovenian Ethnic Minority, in which he is a vice-president of the Information Committee. Šarec spoke with Veber about the activities of the association and its branch office in Kovin, as well as about plans related to the association’s future work. Veber thanked the prime minister for the support and assistance from the relevant ministries and the Government Office for Slovenians Abroad provided to Slovenian associations,
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especially for additional Slovenian language and culture classes in Serbian towns, including Pančevo and Kovin, where they have been conducted for a third year running. The prime minister emphasised that the work of Slovenian associations in Serbia was of great importance for the state of Slovenia and that with its activities, the Slovenian diaspora represented and preserved cultural heritage, history and customs of Slovenia in an original way. The prime minister also pointed to the important role of around 1,600 Slovenian companies which successfully operate in Serbia and record better business results every year. A joint session of the governments of the Republic of Slovenia and the Republic of Serbia is expected to be held in Belgrade by the end of the year.
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Slovenian Folk Games of our Grandparents Accompanying Additional Slovenian Language Classes in Switzerland
Nataša Čebulj, the founder and director of the Institute for Systemic Constellations, and her colleague Damijana Žišt have decided to carry out a project called Slovenian folk games of our grandparents in cooperation with Anja Dobrovc, a teacher of Slovenian language classes in Switzerland. They held twelve workshops co-financed by the Government Office for Slovenians Abroad between 26 and 30 August in the Swiss towns of Basel, Liestal, Bern and Baden, in five Slovenian language classes taught by Dobrovc. Slovenian language classes are organised and financed by the Slovenian Ministry of Education, Science and Sport. The workshops featured students of Slovenian language
in Switzerland of all age groups and their relatives. The workshops aimed at using old Slovenian fables, songs, counting songs and plays to show Slovenian-speaking children, teenagers and adults in Switzerland how our grandfathers in Slovenia used to play. The Institute for Systemic Constellations deals with a family constellation method, whose purpose is to connect with ancestors, which enables us to live a happy and successful life. The topic of the workshops were fables about animals, especially about the fox and the hare. The students were able to learn about the history of the games, how and when they were played in Slovenia, and get to
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know their meaning and the importance of folk tradition for the preservation of Slovenian and maintaining ties with Slovenia. Slovenian fables about the fox and the hare were played or told. The students made fox and hare masks, played old Slovenian games and learned various counting songs. At the end, the students presented to their parents and relatives what they had learned and showed them the masks they made and played with at the workshop. Learning about Slovenian cultural heritage through play The purpose of the workshops was to acquaint Slovenian-speaking participants or children of Slovenian parents living in Switzerland with Slovenia's cultural heritage in the form of old Slovenian folk games, counting songs, songs and fables which they are not directly exposed to like their peers in the homeland Slovenia as they grew up and got socialised in a different environment. Through the workshops, the students had the opportunity to get a closer look at Slovenian cultural heritage and its diversity. The workshops were very well received by the students, as they improved their Slovenian as the mother tongue, strengthened their Slovenian national identity through play, and the children
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learned something new. Despite living abroad, in Switzerland, they are very well aware of their roots, which they strengthen through the Slovenian language classes. One of the adult students, whose mother is a Slovenian and father an Italian, told us that it is at the workshop that he heard about Resia (Rezija in Slovenian) and its fables for the first time. He promised that he would explore this part of the Slovenian folk tradition. It was good to learn that many Slovenians in Switzerland are aware of their Slovenian roots, that they speak Slovenian with their children and that they send them to Slovenian language classes. Many descendants of Slovenians born in Switzerland, frequently to parents with different cultural and language backgrounds, want to learn Slovenian as the mother tongue of their mother or father. Let me conclude the article with a thought from the teacher Dobrovc: »I'm always happy about such links and cooperation with Slovenia, because they bring depth and genuine contact between students and Slovenians and Slovenian language into lectures. This means a lot to students, it encourages them to speak Slovenian and attend lectures, and to return to Slovenia.« Damijana Žišt, the Institute for Systemic Constellations