As we all know, the year 2015 was regarding the near east catastrophic. Left aside the political backgrounds, that would earn much more than just a little; we however could only offer whatever we could to put Slovenj Gradec, as International Peace Messenger City, also on the map regarding the offer to support.
Besides pointing out our view for the failed cultural integration policy of our administration in form of an Open Protest Letter offering, we did offer our associations spaces to host refugees. We pushed our municipality at least to a discussion. Happily, this time we were openly welcome and within a spontaneously set up committee, where Urška Čerče and Rado Carlo Poggi took one of the leading roles, although the basics, we did not agree on in the first place, did not change.
In no time we organized the cleaning and setting up a small, since some years not working, empty hotel in possession of the municipality (Partizanski Dom). We organized an entire work brigade, cleaned the entire building and surroundings, and organized a work-schedule. In coordination with the Slovenian home office, we waited to know, when the refugees would arrive. – After two days it became clear, Slovenj Gradec was not foreseen to become a location the home office would consider. However, we should go on with themes of intercultural understanding, just go and see other projects we did in this regards.
