Joveva in Maribor: Eurok will help kindergarten children learn about the EU

On Monday, 24 April 2023, MEP Irena Joveva visited Maribor. Together with secondary school students from the Prva Gimnazija Maribor, she first attended the presentation of didactic material on the European Union to pre-school children. The booklet introduces the meaning and purpose of the European Union to the youngest children in a simple way, through illustrations of a coin called Eurok. The MEP went on to meet key regional players in the field of education and volunteering.  

Meeting at the Prva Gimnazija Maribor

In thinking about what they could accomplish within the framework of the European Parliament Ambassador School programme, the Prva Gimnazija Maribor students realised that there were no materials that would introduce the European Union to Slovenian Kchildren in simple terms. They took the initiative and created the character Eurok, which MEP Joveva, on behalf of her political group Renew Europe, supported financially.

Together, they handed over the booklets to the kindergarten children of the Boris Peče Maribor kindergarten, which held a special session. It was opened with Ode to Joy, the anthem of the European Union, which was followed by a conversation with MEP Joveva, who asked the children questions about the European Union and was pleasantly surprised about everything they knew: the number of Member States, the common euro currency, and also that the European Parliament is a place where MEPs vote and debate. The children were most astonished when the MEP told them that she commutes to work by plane.

She then met with representatives of Slovene Philanthropy Maribor and the Pekarna Magdalenske Mreže NGO to discuss the challenges in the field of volunteering and the implementation of the European Solidarity Corps programme in practice. A key challenge they mentioned is the lack of resources to recruit coordinators who would be available to volunteers not only to deal with administrative matters, but also to support them in terms of discussing their mental health concerns. This is observed as a growing need. Joveva said that mental health is one of the priority areas that she will be covering within the Public Health subcommittee.

Meeting with representatives of Slovene Philanthropy Maribor and Pekarna Magdalenske Mreže

Meeting with the leadership of the University of Maribor

In the afternoon, the MEP also met with the University of Maribor leadership. The meeting focused on European higher education, its challenges and international opportunities. They stressed the importance of cooperation in the European Union in the field of science and higher education, which will lead to appropriate education, the creation of new professions, more competitiveness and the economy’s further development. They also discussed the common European Education Area, which has great potential but is also constrained by a lack of competences at the European level. Various transnational projects were highlighted, including the European Degree, the European Student Card and paperless Erasmus. These initiatives go beyond national contexts and allow for federal integration at the European level with more cooperation and competitiveness.

MEP Joveva concluded her visit by saying that the European Union must support effective education, which is the only way to truly prepare ourselves for the challenges ahead and for all the new skills and professions that will shape our future.