13. 5. 2019 | PR, U-LEAD: with Europe
Centre for European Perspective is hosting the 5th International Study Visit in Slovenia this week. The event begun on Monday, 13th of May at Jable Castle.
There are currently 17 local officials, entrepreneurs and business associations from Ukraine taking part in the study visit. The topic of the visit is “Role of Business Organisation’s cooperation with local communities”.
The first day started by an opening delivered by our Executive Director Katja Geršak who welcomed the participants and introduced keynote speakers, mag. Aleš Cantarutti, State Secretary and Marko Drofenik, Director General from the Directorate for Regional Development, Ministry of Economic Development and Technology, Slovenia. All the speakers welcomed our participants, expressed their satisfaction that such projects are happening, and hope they will continue in a meaningful manner.
We were also thrilled to host Andrii Borodenkov and Oleksandra Yanushevska from the Embassy of Ukraine in the Republic of Slovenia, who have been present in all of the study visits so far.
The content part of the visit started by a presentation delivered by Irena Meter, from SPIRIT Slovenia – Public Agency for Entrepreneurship, Internationalization, Foreign Investments and Technology, who focused on incentives for companies in Slovenia, its program and activities. The presentation that followed was organized by Zoran Stamatovski, who focused on Systemic approach to business environment development; Small business assistance programs and Local communities in the developing business environment.
Third on the agenda was Gorazd Jenko, expert on Smart specialization strategy of Slovenia from the Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy, who focused on Challenges of Slovenia and answers from the S3 strategy, projects under the S3 strategy, bilateral national and local partnerships.
Finally, participants were addressed by Matej Rogelj from Chamber of commerce and Industry of Slovenia, who focused on Forms of organization in associations and chambers; Local and regional forms of associations and Cooperation between the Private and Public Sector.
In the following days, the participants will learn more about doing business in Slovenia and about Slovenian business associations. They will meet representatives from the Local Entrepreneurs Club in Kamnik, visit their incubator Kik Štarter, as well as Technology Park Ljubljana, join a business breakfast with Local Business Global Network, meet the mayor of Kamnik and visit Graz and the region of Styria.
The visit is taking place in the framework of the multi-donor action U-LEAD established by the European Union and its Member States Denmark, Estonia, Germany, Poland and Sweden. It aims at contributing to the establishment of multilevel governance that is transparent, accountable and responsive to the needs of the population of Ukraine. U-LEAD with Europe is supporting the Ukrainian Government, represented by the Ministry of Regional Development, Construction, Housing and Communal Services of Ukraine (MinRegion) as a key political partner in the coordination and implementation of the decentralization and regional policy reforms. The Program carries out demand-driven and targeted trainings for officials at the national, regional and local level.
10. 5. 2019 | PR, Slovenian Development Assistance, WB6 Startup academy, Youth
Click here to read more about the project in Slovenian language. 
Center for European Perspective is this year, with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Slovenia and in cooperation with the GIZ Regional Office in Sarajevo, implementing a project ‘WB6 Startup Academy,’ whose main purpose is to empower innovative young entrepreneurs from all six Western Balkan countries to strengthen their knowledge and increase the opportunities for realizing their business idea.
The first three workshops were held in the region (Tirana, Niksic and Pristina), and the last one will take place in Slovenia. On Monday, May 20th, 25 young people, representing 15 entrepreneurial ideas from all six Western Balkan countries, will meet with the Business Angels of Slovenia in the ABC accelerator, where the 8 best will be able to present their entrepreneurial idea to investors. Investors will help them improve ideas, a business model or marketing strategy with critical comments and tips. The group will move to Maribor, where the international conference Podim will be held on May 21 and 22, which is the regional largest conference for start-ups, investors and other experts. The young entrepreneurs will be able to present their ideas at the event, look for potential partners, investors and learn a lot through listening to various lectures from world-renowned experts. One of the main dimensions of the whole workshop is also the peer-to-peer networking of young people, who often face similar challenges in the region.
7. 5. 2019 | Global Education Network Europe, PR, Slovenian Development Assistance, Youth
Click here to read more about the project in Slovenian language.
As part of the project ‘Global Responsibility for the Future’ on Friday, April 26, 2019, the SLOGA Platform conducted a global learning workshop for young entrepreneurs who are involved in the program of the youth entrepreneurship accelerator Ustvarjalnik. The topic of the workshop was fair trade.
Young entrepreneurs have learned the principles of fair trade and decent work, and what needs to be taken into account when planning and implementing an entrepreneurial idea so that they will not exploit people, harm nature or overuse natural resources.
The purpose of the global learning workshop combined with entrepreneurship was to invite young to start thinking wider about the impact of their product /service or components that are required to produce their product.
Through experiential activities the participants discussed the shortcomings of fast fashion and alternative methods of production – fair trade products and services – and were invited to form their ideas in line with principles of fair trade. In the discussion they examined how their products could be even more sustainable. SLOGA platform also offered young entrepreneurs the possibility of individual counselling, which some of the workshop participants have already used.
More and more young people in Slovenia are involved in business workshops and activities that encourage development of entrepreneurship. However, such activities devote little attention to the global dimension and sustainable development. The main purpose of those workshops is to provide, through the support and mentoring of representatives of NGOs, an opportunity for young people to acquire the skills needed to promote a sustainable lifestyle, including respect for human rights, gender equality, promoting the culture of peace and non-violence, citizenship of the world and to respect cultural diversity.
Participants of the workshop were as well acquainted with the possibility that their ideas will be competing for the award that will be granted to the most ethical idea at the end of the project.
The project is financed by the Global Education network Europe – GENE. The project is part of the CEP program activities co-financed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the scope of Slovenia’s development cooperation.
Source: SLOGA Platform
3. 5. 2019 | Global Education Network Europe, PR
Click here to read more about the project in Slovenian language.
Centre for European Perspective (CEP) is part of the project ‘Global Responsibility for the Future’, as that will host a thematic weekend for young people in May. Youth entrepreneurship accelerator Ustvarjalnik, one of the project partners, will organize a weekend in the form of a train travel, where young people from 8th to 12th May 2019 will on the way from Ljubljana to Sofia develop their entrepreneurial ideas. Among them, there will be ‘Global responsibility for the future’ workshops’ participants, who will try to incorporate the dimensions of global learning and sustainable development into their entrepreneurial ideas.
Participants – more than 50 young travellers, will before the departure from the Ljubljana Railway Station, present their entrepreneurial ideas and form teams. Each team will have to develop its idea during the train journey and prepare a short presentation for investors. In doing so, trainers will be available on the train – business experts from the region, including a representative of a non-governmental organization from the field of global learning, who will help teams to turn ideas into reality. The event will conclude with public presentations – pitches of entrepreneurial ideas at the headquarters of LauncHub in Sofia. The local investors can financially support the most promising ideas.
Amongst the ideas CEP, together with partner NGOs, Forum for Equal Development, SLOGA and HUMANITAS, will select the globally most responsible entrepreneurial idea. The winning team will receive an invitation to participate at this year’s Bled Strategic Youth Forum. At the ceremonial closing event hosted by the President of the Republic of Slovenia, Mr Borut Pahor, in September 2019, the team will be awarded with special acknowledgment.
The project ‘Global Responsibility for the Future’ is financed by the Global Education network Europe – GENE. The project is part of the CEP program activities co-financed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the framework of Slovenia’s development cooperation.
