12. 12. 2024 | BiH - Young Politicians, PR, Regional cooperation, Slovenian Development Assistance, Youth
Portorož, 12 December 2024 – We are halfway through ‘BiH’s Visionary Voices: Leading the Change’ forum, offering an enriching experience for our participants.
Participants have delved into some crucial topics, including:
- The challenges and opportunities of the Western Balkans and pathways to progress
- The principles of rule of law and democracy
- Shaping impactful messages for the media through effective communication
- Using strategic communication to build democratic resilience and social cohesion
- The role of media in fostering social change, with a focus on youth and citizenship
Two workshops further encouraged participants to explore leadership in depth—examining its core competencies, reflecting on their own leadership experiences, and considering how they can create meaningful change in their communities.
In the remaining two days, participants will focus on two very important topics: gender equality and diversity and the role of women in the political context.
12. 12. 2024 | HEAT, POTC, PR
The Peace Operations Training Centre (POTC), under the aegis of the European Security and Defence College (ESDC), is organising a Hostile Environment Awareness Training (HEAT). The training will take place at the Gotenica Police Training Centre in Slovenia from Sunday 16th to 21st of February 2025.
Kliknite tukaj za branje članka v slovenskem jeziku.
This training activity contributes to security and situational awareness, reinforces a safety and security awareness mindset, and develops confidence in hostile situations. In addition, the training provides guidance on individual and team behaviour to help deter, detect and react during and after threatening events, thus increasing the overall personal safety and security of participants while serving in hostile environments. This year’s HEAT will be conducted in a winter environment.
Up to 20 professionals with different backgrounds, working or aiming to work with national or international (non-)governmental organisations, academic or private sector are eligible to apply for participation in the training.
The participants will join an experienced group of Slovenian and foreign trainers for a five-day intensive course in the southwestern part of Slovenia. The training is designed to:
• improve participants’ knowledge about multiple threats present in hostile field environments and learn how to deal with them in an effective manner;
• rehearse and practice safety and security procedures according to specific threats;
• develop skills and behaviours to deal with different stressful situations.
Activities include e-learning prior to the in-person training, lectures, guided discussions, role-playing, simulations, and a complex field training exercise. Trainees will be addressing deployment in hostile environments (threat awareness, management of various threats, etc.), medical help, orientation, communications, mobility, etc.
Apply to the training activity here: REGISTRATION FORM
The deadline for submitting the application is January 10th, 2025. The selection of participants is done by POTC and ESDC after the deadline, and both selected and unselected applicants will be notified.
You can find all the information regarding the registration process and the training delivery here.
Link to Goalkeeper Schoolmaster – Published Course.
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11. 12. 2024 | Peace and security, POTC, PR
OPEN CALL FOR APPLICATIONS – deadline 17 January 2025 – EXTENDED TO 24 JANUARY
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The Gender in Operations 5-day training programme will be delivered in cooperation between the Peace Operations Training Center and the European Security and Defence College (ESDC). The residential part of the course will take place at Jable Castle in Loka pri Mengšu, Slovenia, from 10 to 14 March 2025, with individual e-learning planned before arriving to the training.
The primary objective of the training is to enhance operational effectiveness by providing participants with the necessary knowledge and skills to effectively incorporate a gender perspective in CSDP and international missions and operations.
The course is designed for up to 25 civilian experts, police and military personnel, deployed or planning to be deployed to international missions or operations. Participants should be middle management military officials, civilians including police, and diplomats from EU Member States and EU institutions and relevant agencies who are assigned to or interested in participating in (future) CSDP, NATO, OSCE or UN missions or operations, or who are to be assigned to a position in a fragile state. The course is open to third countries.
The working language of the training will be English, and no translation services will be provided.
Attendance is free of charge for all selected participants (no tuition fee).
Sending authorities need to cover all costs for their participants’ travel and accommodation (including breakfast) during the residential part of the course.
During the course, POTC will cover the costs for:
– daily local transport (bus) between the designated hotel and the course venue;
– all costs connected with attending any social/cultural event;
– lunch, beverages and other refreshments provided during the training course at Jable castle.
More information can be found in the Invitation Letter.
Participants can apply only via the ESDC secure internet system ENLIST, by designated nominators, under https://esdc.europa.eu/enlist/login no later than 24 January 2025. A list with relevant ENLIST nominators can be retrieved from the ESDC website at https://esdc.europa.eu/nominators/. Registration will not be final until confirmed by the ESDC Secretariat and upon completion of the requested personal data in ENLIST by the confirmed participants.
For any additional questions regarding the application procedure, please contact both Esther (ESDC) at [email protected] and Danaja (POTC) at [email protected].
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9. 12. 2024 | BiH - Young Politicians, PR, Slovenian Development Assistance, Youth
Portorož, 9 December 2024 – The first forum of the “Enter: Change” project, BiH’s Visionary Voices: Leading the Change, has begun today in Portorož, Slovenia. Held from 9 to 13 December, it brings together 12 young politicians from Bosnia and Herzegovina for a program focused on leadership, governance, and social change.
The Forum was opened with opening addresses by H.E. Mr Dario Novalić, Ambassador of Bosnia and Herzegovina to Slovenia and H.E. Ms Melania Arreaga, Chargé d’Affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Slovenia, with a welcoming speech by Ms Nina Čepon, Executive Director of CEP.
Programme of the first day will also feature an opening lecture on the challenges and opportunities for the Western Balkans by Mr Peter Grk, Secretary General of the Bled Strategic Forum and National Coordinator for the Western Balkans at the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of Slovenia, teambuilding session on leadership and a night owl session on the rule of law and democracy with Assistant Profesor Dr Faris Kočan from the Faculty of Social Sciences (University of Ljubljana).

The activities within the project ‘Enter: Change’ are financed by the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of Slovenia within the Slovenian Aid and Partnerships programme and by the U.S. Embassy in Ljubljana.
9. 12. 2024 | Peace and security, POTC, PR
From 3 to 6 December 2024, POTC implemented a Stratcom Pilot Training at Jable Castle in cooperation with the Ministry of Defence of Slovenia. The first edition of the training on strategic communication in the context of international operations and missions took place at Jable Castle.
Kliknite tukaj za branje članka v slovenskem jeziku.
Over the past couple of decades, exponential technological advances have introduced new mechanisms, tactics, techniques and means into warfare and, consequently, into international operations and missions (IOM), not only in all five domains (land, sea, air, cyber, space), but also and especially in the areas of cognition, information generation and information flow. As a result, geographically bounded phenomena have entered individual consciousness globally in real-time through different information channels, shaping thinking and influencing the values, attitudes and behaviour of target audiences. In such an environment, security processes, which were once limited in scope, required an integrated and synchronised approach by the whole of society. The understanding of this idea and its implementation influenced the end goal pursued and the effectiveness of action in ensuring national and international security. The above was the starting point and the basic guideline for the preparation of this pilot training.
At the end of the training, the participants who had attended the training received a certificate of successful completion.
The POTC would like to thank Lieutenant Colonel Nina Raduha and her team for their contribution to the delivery of the training. The feedback from this pilot training will be used to implement a second, updated edition of this activity next year.
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29. 11. 2024 | BiH - Young Politicians, PR, Regional cooperation, Slovenian Development Assistance, Youth
30 November, Mengeš – We are delighted to announce the first forum of the “Enter: Change” project, which will take place from 8 to 13 December in Portorož, Slovenia. The event is titled ‘BiH’s Visionary Voices: Leading the Change’, and is dedicated to fostering young leaders from Bosnia and Herzegovina. The forum will bring together 14 young leaders for a dynamic five-day program.
The activities will focus on discussions of challenges in the Western Balkans, the rule of law and democracy, strategic communication and combating misinformation, diversity and inclusion, and a workshop on youth political engagement. The forum aims to provide a platform for skill development, networking, dialogue, and empowering young leaders from BiH to drive meaningful change in their communities and beyond.
The forum will among others, include representatives from the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of Slovenia, Chargé d’Affaires of the U.S. Embassy in Ljubljana, Ms Melania Arreaga, and former Slovenian President, Mr Borut Pahor.
The activities within the project ‘Enter: Change’ are financed by the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of Slovenia within the Slovenian Aid and Partnerships programme and by the U.S. Embassy in Ljubljana.