Archives: Novice

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.

SOURCE: PreseNEETi se

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.

Project Results

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.

 

SOURCE: ALMA MATER EUROPAEA – European Center

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.

SOURCE: SETCOM

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.

 

SOURCE: Academy for Combined Learning

 

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.

SOURCE: Project IMRO

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).

 

27 March 2024 – The main purpose of the LEAP project, supported by the Norway Grants, is to develop and demonstrate solutions for designing advanced functional packaging made from invasive plant species.

If you would like to learn more about the progress and innovation in the development of sustainable packaging you are invited to the closing event of the Learning and Demonstration Alliance for Designing and Manufacturing Sustainable Industrial Packaging from Alternative Lignocellulosic Biomass »LEAP« project.

The public presentation of the project’s achievements, which focus on the sustainable transition to a circular economy, will occur on Wednesday, 3 April 2024, between 9.00 and 11.00 at the Institute of Pulp and Paper (ICP) in Ljubljana. Registration is open until the end of March via the online form.

The LEAP project involves the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering of the University of Ljubljana as the project promoter and project partners Pulp and Paper Institute, Gorenje Ltd, Surovina, Waste processing company, and SINTEF AS from Norway.

SOURCE: Project LEAP

27 March 2024  – As part of the project Creative Work-life Balance – BalanCed, co-funded by the Norway Grants, a final conference entitled “With creativity to a balanced life” was held yesterday in Ljubljana.

The event was attended by representatives of ministries, public and private sector employees and experts from the culture, health, social, education and business fields. A discussion developed among participants on the importance of culture in work-life balance, good practices on new approaches and strategies for using culture and creativity in promoting work-life balance.

The opening speech was given by Jadranka Plut, Head of the Financial Mechanisms Sector at the Ministry of Cohesion and Regional Development, who pointed out that projects of this kind are an instrument for cooperation at the national, regional, and local levels. She further explained, “Even during the Pandemic, creative and cultural content kept us company, helping us to maintain stable mental health on one hand, and community on the other. Studies have shown that people who engaged in artistic activities coped better with stress and depression. Art is not only a therapeutic tool for the individual but a power that brings people together. Through art, we can build bridges between genders or generations, and build an inclusive society.”

Anja Cerkvenik, Principal of the Centre for the Communication, the Hearing and the Speech Portorož, also gave a speech, introducing the event by saying that creativity can contribute to a harmonious life if it is channelled in the right way. She emphasised that “through creative activities, we can better understand and express feelings, find new paths and solutions and overcome obstacles. The project recognised the opportunity to offer the chance to get enthusiastic, to create with clay and other handicraft skills, and to support employees and their families to live more harmonious and peaceful lives. Thank you to all the participants in the project’s activities, the collaborators and the project partners who showed through the creative process how creativity can transform our lives, contributing to better harmony and coherence, a sense of balance and fulfilment.”

Sandra Končan, Assistant from the Science and Research Centre Koper, presented the findings of the in-depth interviews conducted with 27 participants of the courses at the Creative Centre. The interviewees mostly pointed out similar feelings they experienced while working with clay: relaxation, concentration, acceptance of the situation, satisfaction, pride, and some even felt inner peace. The results of the survey showed that the workshops enabled live social interaction, which is lacking nowadays due to the rise of interaction on social networks. More than half of the interviewees said that attending the course had stimulated their creativity and artistic expression, inspired them to be more active in their free time, and most felt calm. In the results, participants reported that the skills they had learnt, such as setting boundaries, patience, listening skills and better time management, had enabled them to have a better work-life balance.

After the opening remarks and the presentation of the survey results, a panel discussion followed, where experts addressed the importance of culture and creativity for human lives and presented examples of good practice. The panel discussion was attended by Tadej Meserko from the Ministry of Culture, Jasmina Ferček from the Institute OLOOP, Prof. Dr. Andreja Avsec from the Faculty of Arts, University of Ljubljana, and Asst. Matej Vinko, Dr. med. spec. in public health, from the National Institute of Public Health.

In the last part of the conference, a workshop entitled “Clayfulness” took place. Through clay modelling, participants were able to experience creative enthusiasm through a joint reflection.

The final conference took place in the framework of the BalanCed project, co-created by the project promoter Centre for the Communication, the Hearing and the Speech Portorož and project partners NO PROBLEM ZONE, the Institute for lifelong learning, creativity and well being, NOMED, the Institute for Independent Media Activity, Association for Culture and Education PiNA and the Culture Break Borders from Norway.

Source: Projekt BalanCed

22 March 2024 – On Tuesday 19th March 2024 an expert conference was held in Maribor, hosted by the project partners of the TRIALOG project, which is co-financed by the Norway Grants. The event moderated by the TRIALOG project leader Tjaša Rupar from the Gender Equality Research Institute Maribor (IPES) addressed the topic of youth and mental health. The moderator especially shed light on the question, “How can I contribute?”

The expert conference was dedicated to the conclusion of the TRIALOG project, which addresses the issues and challenges of young people in the context of the COVID-19 Pandemic in the Podravska region. The project focuses on the absence of social contacts, the lower social inclusion of young people, the increase of domestic violence (arguments, disagreements, physical, psychological and economic violence), the rise in the level of peer violence, including online violence and youth vandalism, the lack of support services for young people in the Podravska region, and the deterioration in young people’s self-esteem as a result of increased exposure to social media and posts by peers, influencers and strangers, which portray idealised images of their lives and bodies.

Dr. Agata Zupančič from the Ministry of Health opened the event with a keynote speech. She shared a few words introducing all the activities of the Ministry of Health related to mental health.

The conference was divided into three parts. In the first part, dr. Andrej Naterer, Associate Professor at the Faculty of Arts, University of Maribor, presented the findings of the Youth Survey (Mladina 2020). Among other things, he pointed to ways of coping with stress that used to be efficient, such as music and sports, but no longer work today because society is too competitive and, as a result, such activities have the opposite effect and cause additional stress.

At the second part a panel discussion was held, including Kaja Stropnik Eferl specialist in clinical psychology from the Mental Health Centre for Children and Adolescents Maribor, Associate Prof. dr. Rudi Klanjšek from the Faculty of Arts, University of Maribor and Anja Durjava from the National Institute of Public Health. The panellists discussed the mental health problems of adolescents, and the discussion was further deepened with additional questions by the moderator Tjaša Rupar (IPES).

The conference ended with a World Café discussion, where participants worked in groups to address pre-defined questions related to mental health of young individuals.

The TRIALOG project is co-created by the project promoter the Gender Equality Research Institute Maribor (IPES) and project partners the Municipality of Ptuj, the University of Adult Education Ormož, the Center for Free Time Activities Ptuj, the Youth Council of the Municipality of Ptuj and Avisensa, the Institute for Psychology, Counselling and Education.