Project Transformation
The project “Revitalisation of the Mekinje Monastery as a tool for the revitalisation of the abandoned cultural heritage building and the strengthening the capacities of the inhabitants of urban areas” – Transformation in short, was confirmed at the first public call by the Local Action Group Srce Slovenije (Heart of Slovenia) for the ERDF Fund. The investment is co-financed by the Republic of Slovenia and the European Union from the European Regional Development Fund.
The applicant or leading partner is the Municipality of Kamnik, and the other two partners are VEZAL – the Institute for Education, Research and Consulting, and Noah Londer Charney s.p.
The Mekinje Monastery is an important local cultural monument and an untapped potential for the socio-economic development of the region. With this project, in order to avoid the decay and inhabitation of the large monastery complex and to ensure a quality offer, the Municipality of Kamnik will serve the needs of the local population, carry out the rehabilitation of one part of the building and formulate a wide range of useful contents for the benefit of the local population, thus ensuring the transformation and further use of the building, while respecting its past values/traditions and the cultural-educational development orientation.
The project aims to:
- raise the quality and the number of local content aimed at empowering individuals and society in general with knowledge, skills and abilities for an independent and quality life,
- improve the living habits of the local population through their active involvement in local life,
- improve the Municipality of Kamnik’s regulation of its urban area with the revitalisation of the abandoned cultural heritage,
- boost environmental awareness of the local population with a range of environmental issues,
- improve the competencies of vulnerable target groups and the rest of the population through accessible, diverse and quality content,
- help with socialising and establishing connections in the local environment within the framework of a modern cultural and educational centre that is open and accessible to the general public,
- create an innovative development partnership in the urban centre,
- establish an active network of stakeholders that will contribute to diversified and quality cultural and educational content through their activities.
The project tackles the problem of unexploited spatial capacities of the area, while at the same time, with a set of quality, local social issues of the adapted contents that are lacking in this area, it creates a space for informal socialising of the population, as well as being aimed at education, promoting creativity, empowering particularly vulnerable target groups with knowledge and skills for quality life and social inclusion in the environment, integration, personal growth and strengthening of the feeling of belonging to the local environment.
The Transformation Project includes the following main activities, which will be implemented in two phases for a total of 25 months with its expected completion by February 2020
reorganisation of the monastery building’s ground floor, which was by a special act declared a cultural monument in 1998
the design and implementation of educational and cultural contents – activities aimed at the development of the local population, which coincide with the educational and cultural purpose
the purchase of supplies for conducting workshops, seminars, debate evenings
activities aimed at promoting the aforementioned educational and cultural contents (webpage design, promotion of the project in printed media, doors open days, etc.)
coordination of project activities, including support from the applicant in establishing the management structure in the design of programmes and the search for business opportunities for the Mekinje Monastery
establishing a partnership to improve social capital
