Establishing a Culture of Peace
through the Culture of Heart
2^nd International Family Project in Slovenia, Ljutomer,  8^th – 17^th  August 2003

Help people in need, live for others, be sensitive to the suffering and calls of others, actively participate and positively contribute to the society that is the heart’s legacy that parents should hand down to their children.  A culture of heart that teaches children how to deal with the heart and soul of a human being and goes beyond the marked family frontier.

T

The Family Project’s vision is to inspire families to raise up children in the spirit of solidarity and service; for parents, through their own example, to teach children about loyalty, respect for others, honesty, self-sacrifice and taking responsibility. They should sow this seed widely, throughout the society, from family to family, throughout the world.

Parents together with their children, spend few days in a community as volunteers and get to know local lifestyles and customs and other families.  The Family Projects take parents and children beyond the boundaries of their own family and positively challenge them through the culture and habits of other families coming from different cultural and religious backgrounds.  For a short time families are bound together, they live, share and work together.  They build unforgettable ties and memories that help them respect and understand their differences and overcome racial, cultural and religious impatience.

This year the project took place in Slovenia in Ljutomer from 8^th to 17^th August and involved 12 families and 7 volunteers, all together 52 participants from Austria, Bulgaria, Bosnia, Czech Republic, Philippines, Italy, Japan, Korea, Luxembourg, Germany, Hungary, Romania and Slovenia. They stayed in Veržej, in the Salezian Institute, a spiritual, cultural and educational center for youth and parents.

To begin the project, families and young participants went through two days of orientation facilitated by Massimo Trombin and Roman Frühauf.  They received short presentations, and took part in discussions and group work in order to get to know each other, and reflect about themselves and their families.

During the orientation time they visited an annual traditional craft fair in Ljutomer and competed with local villages in the 2^nd Roman games on Stara cesta in throwing stones (they won 1^st prize in that discipline), skiing on grass and carrying water with a wheelbarrow.  The families were also asked to make mosaics that would later be built into their memorial park trail. They were also taught basic Slovene by a local student. 

After two days of orientation and experiencing their first contacts with local people their working days were spent at two local kindergartens (Ljutomer and Strocja vas) restoring toys and tidying the surrounding area.  For two days they cleaned the library and museum at the Institution for Culture and Education in Ljutomer and helped in the Salezian Institute where they were living.

On the last day of the project, the families spent some time with grandparents in a local old peoples’ home.  Some they took out for a walk in their wheelchairs, with others they did bawling and had creative workshops.  Another group of volunteers painted benches in their park.  The day was concluded with a rich cultural and music evening performed by original ethnic group Šcuka, a folk group of pensioners, Women chore from the old peoples’ home and our families.  

Families experienced a rich and diverse cultural program, and thanks for that go to Mr. Andrej Vršic, the director of Ljutomer tourist organization, and our local coordinator.

Participants took part in a round table entitled “FAMILY - CHALLENGE, RESPONSIBILITY & PATIENCE” organized by Mrs. Marija Pušenjak - director of the Ljutomer kindergarten, Mrs. Sonja Sunko from the Social Care Center and Mrs. Marija Pelcar from the Slovene Institution for Employment in Murska Sobota. The Commander of the Civil Service of Ljutomer, Mr. Franc Jurša together with volunteers from the Branoslavci Fire Brigade arranged a one-day rafting on the River Mura, where they could see the oldest mill in Slovenia, river landscape and had lunch in nature.  The children were invited to a Pirate’s Day event at the nearby Banovci swimming pools where families could also relax in their free time.

For one evening, the musician Joseph Rakotorahalahy and his daughter Malala Tina joined the project, and with their African music lifted up the spirit of the participants and the locals, giving them a chance to play on their drums and other Madagascar instruments.

At the project’s closing, the participants were addressed by the Mayor of Ljutomer Mr. Jožef Špindler, who expressed deep gratitude for them coming to Slovenia, to his town in order to spend their precious holiday time working in his community and awarded them with Certificates of Appreciation.

Even though the families endured long and hot working days, they were full of energy and unforgettable memories.  Throughout the project and short meetings with local people they were astonished by people’s friendliness and openness.  They were worked hard and invested a lot but at the end they felt they received much more than they gave.

Copyright (c) 2003 IRFF Europe
Luxembourg@irff-europe.org