Institute for the Support of Civil Society Initiatives and Multicultural Cooperation Pekarna Magdalenske mreže

Institute for the Support of Civil Society Initiatives and Multicultural Cooperation Pekarna Magdalenske mreže is active in the field of youth, culture, and civil society. The institute is building a stimulating environment for networking, co-management, socially engaged art and civil society activism.

In 2010 they developed the first Slovenian model of alternative culture management as a result of the international conference New Times New Model where examples of good practices of independent culture management throughout Europe from the point of view of advocacy were presented. The model defines the relationship between the owner (municipality), technical manager (public institutions) and users (NGOs and self-organized groups).

They have developed a model of critical literacy intended for use in working with the youth, youth workers and teachers. Critical literacy methods and tools enable target audiences to add critical literacy to both the consumption and the creation of written, visual and audiovisual texts, as an ethical and political dimension aimed at fair coexistence. Their trainings are aimed at teaching individuals that language and access to information and knowledge are key axes for establishing power relations in society, according to which domination, exclusion and violence are carried out. Developing critical literacy enables individuals to read texts critically, create texts independently and take part in social engagement.

For 11 years they have organized the StopTrik MFF festival, the first and largest stop animation festival in Europe, bringing the animation community from different parts of the world to Maribor every year and presenting a valuable, but less represented film format to new audiences. Maribor has thus been placed on the map of European cities with quality film festivals, and StopTrik also contributes to the cultural and tourist development of the city.

Through the international artist-in-residency program GuestRoomMaribor, they promote the interconnection of the international creative scene with the one in Maribor and ensure a greater presence of foreign artists in the city, while also connecting the artistic community with other communities in the local environment. By managing the content in the gallery space at Koroška18 (Gallery K18), they contribute to the greater value of engaged art and promote theoretical education in the field of art.

As the coordinator of the local network of volunteer organizations "Volunteering in Maribor", they strive to establish a favorable systemic environment for the development of volunteering and to recognize the importance and role of volunteering in the local environment.

In the next three years, the program pillars of the organization will be thematically unified around key topics, thus responding promptly to current social conditions, more effectively reaching target groups, and gaining greater visibility in society and the media. They will set up a Critical Literacy Center, which will encourage the youth, youth workers, and teachers to use critical literacy tools for engaged participation in social life. As a vibrant artistic community, they will examine current social issues in the local environment. By way of the StopTrik festival and beyond, they will take care of the wider distribution and popularization of the animated short film for adults. They will also promote the importance and role of volunteering in the local environment, especially among young people and volunteer organizations.