ABOUT THE PROJECT

The BalanCed project provides an innovative and comprehensive service that enhances and enriches human resources through art. It is based on the insights of positive psychology, which teach that people who feel better are more satisfied, persistent, and optimistic and are more successful at facing life’s challenges and trials. The project aims to support employees and their families to better manage challenges, build children’s competencies, support organisations in caring for their employees, build employees’ creativity competencies, and explore the effects of work-life enrichment.

Visitors are given the opportunity to improve their well-being by modelling clay, making clothes, and practising photography. Stronger people will find it easier to balance work and private life. At the same time, we also provide childcare and involve children in workshops with content concerning environmental protection.

The project will also create a creative centre where a network of partners will develop and implement three programmes to support work-life balance:

  • At the Creative Centre, we offer visitors the experience of creation, which has an encouraging effect on well-being and develops creative competencies. We offer the opportunity to improve their well-being by modelling clay, clothing, and photography, empowering them to balance their work and private lives.
  • Active childcare for minors, based on experiential learning and their active participation. Through a variety of hands-on workshops, children develop competencies and skills, critical thinking, and care for the environment and the community. The Children’s Programme strengthens children’s autonomy and responsibility and develops them into independent, critical individuals equipped with the skills to face the challenges of the future.
  • We also offer workshops for organisations based on creativity to support employees and employers in coping with stress and challenges in the workplace and in balancing work and private life. We will ensure the sustainability of the programme by training mentors in the organisations implementing the programme.
  • The establishment and operation of the Creative Centre will be accompanied by a guided public debate to examine the needs and challenges in the local environment and to raise awareness among individuals and decision-makers about the importance of empowering employees to face the challenges of balancing work and private life.

ABOUT THE TEAM

The project partnership was carefully selected in order to provide the necessary competencies for the implementation of the project, such as: experience working with adults and children, knowledge of sustainable content, non-formal learning skills, and mastery of at least one creative medium.

The Centre for Communication, Hearing and Speech Portorož is represented by experts in the field of providing assistance and some knowledge of design.

The CONA B.P. Institute wants to offer all generations of residents the opportunity to improve their well-being by engaging in creative activities, as well as to strengthen their skills for cop-ing with stress, building self-efficacy, and maintaining good relationships with one another.

For several years, Nomed Institute has been focused on environmental practises and non-formal education for young people in the fields of environmental protection, soft skills, and media literacy.

As one of its central actors, it co-created the Zelenci movement, which works with children of all ages to bring about green change in a world of global consumerism.

PiNA will draw on several years of experience to implement an effective communication strategy, conduct a needs analysis and evaluation, and contribute its knowledge in the field of non-formal learning and mentoring to the design of a training programme for mentors.

From Norway, we are joined by the associates of the Culture Break Borders association, who use art to bring about a change for the better in society.

ABOUT THE PROGRAMME AND SOURCE OF FUNDING

The project is co-financed by Norway through the Norwegian Financial Mechanism in the amount of EUR 499,903.96.

The EEA and Norway Grants (Slovenia) and The EEA and Norway Grants represent Norway’s contribution to a green, competitive, and inclusive Europe.

Through the Norwegian Financial Mechanism and the EEA Financial Mechanism, Norway contributes to reducing social and economic disparities in Europe and strengthening bilateral relations with the beneficiary countries in Central and Southern Europe and along the Baltic Sea.

Norway cooperates closely with the European Union through the Agreement on the European Economic Area (EEA). Together with two other donor countries, it has provided EUR 3.3 billion in funding through financial mechanisms over five consecutive funding periods between 1994 and 2014. The Norwegian Financial Mechanism, funded by Norway alone, is for countries that joined the European Union after 2003. The total amount of funding under the Norwegian Financial Mechanism for the period 2014–2021 is EUR 1.25 billion.

The Education – Strengthening Human Resources programme, with the aim of improving human capital and the knowledge base, aims to strengthen human capital and support the development of competencies for the 21st century, the development of the creative economy (industry), a better connection of education and training to the real world, and the development of support measures for the inclusion in life and work of specific groups that are excluded from, or have less access to, support systems. Furthermore, the programme encourages the development of measures to better reconcile work and family life at a local level and strength-ens institutional capacity for good governance and intersectoral and interdepartmental cooperation.

This website has been created with financial support from the Norwegian Financial Mechanism. The contents of this website are the sole responsibility of the Centre for Communication, Hearing and Speech Portorož (Lead Partner) and can under no circumstances be regarded as reflecting the views of the Education – Strengthening Human Resources, the Programme Operator.