Descrizione dell'organizzazione

Javni zavod Mladi zmaji (Public Institution Young Dragons) was established in 2009 by the Municipality of Ljubljana with the aim of implementing programs that enable quality free time for young people and adolescents. The aim of the organization, in cooperation with the Youth Office of the Municipality of Ljubljana, is to provide children, teenagers and young people aged between 10 and 29 years living in Ljubljana with opportunities for development and support on the way to their independence.

Javni zavod Mladi zmaji currently consists of four district youth centers: Bežigrad, Črnuče, Šiška and Zalog, a team of street-based youth workers Ulični Zmaji (Street Dragons) and a mobile youth centre Ljuba&Drago. The long-term plan is to open a youth center in every district of Ljubljana.

District youth centre Bežigrad - Mladinc (Vojkova 73, 1113 Ljubljana) is located in urban settlement BS3 in Ljubljana. It operates as a living room for young people, where they can hang around, play board games, participate in the workshops and co-create the activities of the youth centre. The centre is interesting for volunteers and interns as it is also located near the faculties. Specific to the youth center is an organized project of individual support for young people, which is a combination of learning support and psychosocial support, provided by the volunteers under the mentorship of one of the coordinators. Besides that, the centre is actively involved in community projects, such as seasonal clothes swap, festival Biti mlad je zakon (Being young rules), open doors day etc.

District youth centre Črnuče - Basement (Dunajska 367, 1231 Ljubljana) is a central art youth centre in Ljubljana, where young people can develop their ideas with the help of mentors - experts in different areas. It offers a safe and respectful environment for youth and builds a community of young artists. Its program is based on three pillars: music and radio, theatre and literature, dance and artistic expression.

District youth centre Šiška (Tugomerjeva 2, 1107 Ljubljana) represents a space where young people can spend their free time, make new connections according to their interests and build their competences through co-creation of the program. It lives and breathes urban culture and offers young people to explore skateboarding, bmx, hip hop, DJing, graffiti and other creative arts.

District youth centre Zalog - Čamac (Zaloška 220, 1129 Ljubljana) connects young people through sport activities and photography. Bright and spacious hall and small fitness room offers young people to carry out different sports activities and to further develop their talents. Its location on the edge of Ljubljana combines the pulse of the city and pleasant countryside atmosphere and offers a nice scenery for budding photographers.

Mobile youth centre Ljuba&Drago represents a story of an old city bus transformed into a space for young people that became reality when Mladi zmaji, public transport company Ljubljanski potniški promet, Municipality of Ljubljana, young people and different experts joined forces. Ljuba&Drago are searching for hidden spots that lack facilities and programs for young people and deliver fun and socializing activities to every corner of Ljubljana.

Street Dragons are a very special unit of Young Dragons that take care of street-based youth work. They consist of a youth worker and students that carry out different workshops, events and other activities that address the needs of young people in different areas of Ljubljana and its surroundings.

The main activities of youth centres involve:
- different activities that are part of daily centres (from1/2 pm to 5/6/7 pm on working days and from 2 pm to 6 pm on Saturdays) - sports, music, multimedia, speaking skills and dialogue, socializing activities and events (tournaments, cooking, debates …),
- holiday activities, carried out during school breaks, that also include excursions and camps,
- learning assistance carried out with the help of volunteers and in collaboration with educational institutions in local communities,
- participation at events of other organizations in Ljubljana.

Mladi zmaji offers young people an additional opportunity for turning their ideas into projects through an instrument Mestni inkubator (City incubator'). It is part of the “What is good and can be better?” program that consists of workshops, mentoring and financial support for local initiatives of young people aged between 18 and 29 in Ljubljana.

We strive to connect with different organizations on regional, national and international level (Bite of Art, Youth too, European mobility week, Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps projects). We are involved in the Youth prevention programs in Slovenia network and are a member of Network of Youth Centres Mreža MaMa. We also coordinate the Network of Youth centres of Municipality of Ljubljana.

Temi di inclusione

Questa organizzazione è disposta a coinvolgere volontari che si trovano in situazioni che rendono la loro partecipazione alle attività più difficile, delle seguenti categorie e per diversi tipi di progetto:

• Ostacoli geografici
• Problemi di salute
• Rifugiati