The Daily center for activities and the Information office for older people are active in the frame of the Austrian-Slovenian Social Network (ASSO) in Globasnitz. The coordinator of the Center and of the Office, Mag.a Jasmine Gutovnik, presented the activities and the plans of this project, led by Bernard Sadovnik.
The cross-border social network intends to improve the living quality of senior citizens in Austria and Slovenia. Beside the Institute for promoting inovativity and culture Hevreka! In Ljubljana as the main partner, the project partners are also the City Association of retired persons Ljubljana, Social d.o.o., Celje, the Establishment for intergenerational contacts from Mozirje and two Austrian partners - the Association of Carinthian Slovenes and the Alps-Adriatic Centre for Cross-border co-operation (AACC) from Klagenfurt.

Which planned activities have already started?
Mag. Jasmine Gutovnik: In the frame of the project in Globasnitz we have established the Daily center for activities for older people, also we have opened the Information office for senior citizens. Both are located in the Florian workshop, where we rented the room for our Information office.

How are you performing the activities?
J. Gutovnik: The programme of the activities of the Daily center is running mostly from 4:00 P.M. onwards. Namely In the Florijan workshop there are people with special needs and we must take care not to disturb them. In the first phase we prepared the programme for the period from October to December 2014; after Christmas, in the beginning of January, the new programme with future activities will be ready.

Beside the Center you opened the Information office, too. What is its goal?
J. Gutovnik: The goal of this office is, that older people can contact us, if they face certain problems or challenges in their daily life, or if they need information , because they are handicapped, as for instance they do not have a computer... If they need suggestions, namely help on various fields- f.i. of social or juridical nature - then we organise it. We help also if somebody comes asking to write a letter for offices or public institutions... We do all this for them, so that they have one point to contact in such or similar matters.

What is the offer of the Daily center?
J. Gutovnik: The Daily center offers a programme of various activities with the aim to provide the older people a higher quality process of getting older, what means an active and healthy process. Between October and December different activities were on the schedule- from gymnastics , nordic walking... to meditation. We also had a computer course, which was totally booked. On the programme there was f.i. a bit of handcraft and making the advent wreaths and lectures on the thema »heritage« and a lecture »authorisation to represent in official and medical matters and statement of will of the patient« with notary Mag. Wenger was organised. Furthermore we prepared one meeting with notary, who personally advised persons, in need of information.

How will you proceed in the New Year?
J. Gutovnik: We are already preparing a very wide programme for months from January to March 2015. The programme will be very varied, from gymnastics, medical information, computer courses, handcraft activites as f.i. forming clay or making bundles to different lectures. Namely rich and interesting programme. We are planning also exchanges with Slovenia, since our project is a cross-border one, and in Slovenia we have four partners, who are very experienced on this field. Primarly it is the exchange of educated staff, because in Slovenia these matters are running already for ten years and we can learn a lot from them. We were two days in Celje watching their activities, the next exchange will be in March. Everything is very, very interesting.

For whom the Daily center and the Information office in Globasnitz are meant?
J. Gutovnik: People are coming to us from the whole Völkermarkt district. Often it happens that people call from elsewhere and ask if our offer is only for people from Globasnitz. We tell them that everybody can come and take use of our offer. Our establishment is really in Globasnitz, however the project is not limited to our place. Regarding the age of the group I can tell that we are implementing the programme for older people, but since the project is intergenerational one, we involve also younger people in our activities. And I must say: They are supplementing one another well - and this is nice to see!

What are the future plans?
J. Gutovnik: The project is a cross-border one, with emphasis on the exchange of educated staff nad experiences, therefore now in the course of this exchange partners from Celje will come for three days and partners from Ljubljana for one week and they will prepare us a programme, which will be based on the cultural field. Players on zither will also visit us – this is planned for the begining of February - and it will be a lovely experience for our older ones. Regarding the organisation view: European funds for this project are ensured only till March 31st, 2015, however we plan to continue the project in any case. The frame conditions are in this moment still in preparation/planning.

Project Goriška brda

The project of superlative, which foresees a hotel with thermal resort, should be built near the place Dobrovo, in Gorizian Hills. (Goriška Brda-west Slovenia)
According to ideas and estimation of the project leaders (companies Siemens and Porr) the thermal resort is supposed to become the leading tourist company in the mentioned region.
In autumn 2006 the drilling tests will start. The experts think the hot water is in the depth from 1000 to 1600 m. The cost of the project is around 40 million Euros.The president of Alps-Adriatic Centre for Cross-border Co-operation Bernard
Sadovnik: ”The idea for spa appeared to me while visiting Brda, where to I am coming for several years. I motivated a group of Austrian investors for this project however my wish is that the project is realized together with Slovenian investors.” Sadovnik is expecting EC funds, too.
Oskar Stern, the project leader in company Siemens: ”Already the Romans knew that in a healthy body there is also a healthy spirit. Behavior in leisure time has not changed significantly in our society, so we followed this motto and together with company Porr we are developing on one of the loveliest locations in middle Europe the thermal and hotel complex, awarded with the beautiful surroundings -the Slovenian Toscana.
The novelty on the Slovenian market will be wellness and beauty offers, the so called wine therapy. The architecture will follow regional castles and buildings and will be presented in modern architecture of castle character.