On 2 December last year, we presented the renewed SIAE Awards at the National Gallery.
A large audience responded to the invitation. Over the next five years, as part of the Awareness-Raising for Lifelong Learning Project and the Lahko.si campaign, we will actively promote inspirational stories of exemplary learners. Through these stories, we aim to inspire individuals of all ages to courageously embark on the journey of acquiring new knowledge and skills.
The event’s moderator, Bernarda Žarn, who energetically guided the evening’s programme, handed over the floor to the SIAE Director after the introductory speech.
The greatest obstacles are the ones we set for ourselves with our own beliefs.
Following her speech, the Deputy Mayor of the Municipality of Ljubljana, Dejan Crnek, addressed the audience. He emphasised that since 2022, Ljubljana has been a member of the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities. He expressed support for projects that promote lifelong learning and highlighted that the Municipality of Ljubljana actively supports the SIAE’s efforts to increase adult participation in various educational programmes. According to him, broad knowledge and insight are essential to maintaining Ljubljana as a people-friendly city.
The key to learning lies in inner motivation – and the library offers the right environment to support it.
Previous award recipients enriched the event. Among the speakers were former elite rower Rajko Hrvat, Director of Jože Udovič Library Cerknica, Marija Vidmar, and Natalija Planinc from Piran, who leads and actively promotes study circles. She emphasised the crucial role SIAE played in her life and expressed gratitude for the support she received on her journey through the third period of life.
The event also introduced the sculptor of the award for 2024 recipients. Guillaume Froger, a stonemason and sculptor, trained at the Adult Education Centre in France. His career, which includes work on Gothic cathedrals in Strasbourg, Orléans, Beauvais, Metz and the Louvre Palace in Paris, exemplifies dedication to lifelong learning.
Visitors also watched promotional videos from the Awareness-Raising for Lifelong Learning project, which will be broadcast as part of an upcoming media campaign. In 2025, the campaign primarily targets young people and individuals with lower levels of education.
The event was musically enriched by the ensemble Prifarski Muzikanti, accompanied on the zither by Jasmina Levičar, recipient of the 2013 SIAE Award. The dance group Ajda also performed, proving that age is no barrier to youthful energy with their lively routines, ranging from country dance to cabaret.
David Kraševec (david.krasevec@acs.si), SIAE
Photo: Rok Mlinar
