On Friday, 20 April 2018, BTC City Ljubljana hosted the third closing event of Encouraging Friendship, a project carried out by Sobivanje – Society for Sustainable Development, with the support of the BTC Company. This project, which took place for the sixth year in a row, encourages children to think and create on the topic of friendship. The event included the announcement and the award ceremony for the best kindergartens and primary schools from central Slovenia and an exhibition of the submitted children’s artworks.

The aim of Encouraging Friendship, which involves educational institutions, schools, and kindergartens, is to strengthen creativity and solidarity, as well as the promotion of positive values among children through a contest. Taking part in this year’s project are 11,142 Slovenian children from 189 schools and kindergartens across Slovenia. The number of children involved in the project over the last six years has surpassed 30,000.

“The BTC Company is well aware of the importance of sustainable development and social responsibility. We support numerous projects and activities with a green and socially responsible note, which are implemented through our partnerships. We pay special attention to young people, whom we see as generators of future development of Slovenia. Our support of the Encouraging Friendship project is no coincidence. The project’s extensiveness points to how necessary and beneficial it is to encourage friendship among children and strengthen their creativity and thirst for knowledge about this value,” said Miha Mermal, Director of the Mission: Green business unit in the BTC Company, upon the project’s conclusion.

In the scope of the project, children made illustrations, photos, and other artworks.

The best participants in the category of kindergartens were: kindergarten Miklavžev vrtec Logatec – groups Mehurčki and Mavrice; kindergarten Vrtec Zala – unit Dobrava; kindergartens Kranjski vrtci – unit Čirče.

The first three places among primary schools went to: primary school OŠ Žirovnica, primary school OŠ Sostro, and primary school OŠ Vrhovci.

The winning primary schools and kindergartens received rewards, while all the participating children were given special recognition awards for their participation.

Nada Pavšer, president of Sobivanje – Society for Sustainable Development, said: “All of us at Sobivanje are aware of the fact that coexistence and good relationships are the basis for living a quality life. With the Encouraging Friendship project we remind children of all the small experiences that enrich their moments at school, at home, and elsewhere. We want to remind children and adults about the significance of warmth, love and mutual help among people – all of which intertwine with friendship. This is a must if we want to live in a tolerant society.”

The best artworks were exhibited at three spring events in all three BTC Cities. The first exhibition took place as part of an event in BTC City Murska Sobota. It was followed by an event with an exhibition in Novo mesto and in Ljubljana on 20 April 2018. All the exhibited artworks will be published in an e-booklet of the Encouraging Friendship project, which will also be published online at www.misijazeleno.si (in Slovene only).

The Encouraging Friendship project is part of the broader programme School of Coexistence, which joins projects from different fields of sustainable development and strives towards a just society and a better quality of life for all people. In the spirit of sustainable growth, socially responsible activities, and the encouragement of young people to help others and build friendships, the BTC Company supports this project under the patronage of its business pillar Mission: Green. This mission constitutes a platform for numerous activities in different domains (environmentalism, science, education, healthcare, sport, culture, and humanitarianism), with which the BTC Company and its partners create opportunities for the current and all future generations.

Additional information

Maja Oven, Director of the Market Communications and Public Relations Sector

• T: 01/585 13 15
• E: maja.oven@btc.si