For its ‘Socially Responsible Days’ project, the Ljubljana City Campers’ Association has been awarded the Best Youth Project 2012, while Urška Ivanovič, who with her dog Sky provides therapeutic assistance in Ljubljana kindergartens and schools, has become Volunteer of the Year 2012.

Under the patronage of President of Slovenia Borut Pahor, and in partnership with the Ministry of Labour, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities and the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport, the National Youth Council of Slovenia organised the awards ceremony for the Volunteer of the Year 2012 competition at Brdo Castle near Kranj on Wednesday 26 June 2013. The competition saw 152 diverse nominations of 187 individuals and 64 projects.

The winner of the Best Youth Project 2012 was the Ljubljana City Campers’ Association for its Socially Responsible Days project, while the Volunteer of the Year 2012 was Urška Ivanovič, who with her dog Sky provides therapeutic assistance in Ljubljana kindergartens and schools.

Urška Ivanovič and her dog Sky work under the wing of the Slovenian Association for Therapy using Animal Assistance – Ambassadors of Smiles, where they carry out therapy and activities with animal assistance and put smiles on the faces of those that most need them. In this way they rid children of the fear of dogs and educate young people in the kennel areas. The Slovenian Association for Therapy using Animal Assistance – Ambassadors of Smiles project of animal-assisted activities (AAA) and animal-assisted therapy (AAT) for pre-school and schoolchildren with special needs which runs in the Ljubljana Majda Vrhovnik primary school, Kolezija kindergarten – Murgle unit and Ciciban kindergarten – Mehurčki unit is co-financed by the Addiction Prevention Section of the City of Ljubljana’s Pre-School Education and Schooling Department.

As part of its Socially Responsible Days project, Ljubljana City Campers’ Association organised camping activities for various groups of young people with special needs, with sixty volunteers involved in preparing and carrying out the camps and as part of which social activities were carried out. The aim of the project was to cheer up 130 young people with special needs who would not otherwise have been able to take part in traditional scouting activities, as well as educate the volunteers themselves about working with different groups of young people. Socially Responsible Days, the Best Youth Project, is co-financed by the Youth Section of the City of Ljubljana’s Pre-School Education and Schooling Department.

The City of Ljubljana’s Pre-School Education and Schooling Department is proud of its co-financing of a range of projects and programmes that incorporate the values of mutual respect, solidarity, and selfless assistance to children with special needs. Within the limits of set possibilities, these will also be supported in the future.

We would like to offer our sincere congratulations to Ljubljana City Campers’ Association and Urška Ivanovič for their outstanding achievements in working with children and children with special needs and for winning their awards, and wish them many successes and challenges in their future work.

The City of Ljubljana’s Pre-School Education and Schooling Department