On October 13, 2025, the Social Academy participated in the 3rd Conference of Teachers of Social Sciences and Humanities (DUH): Youth and Citizenship, held in Portorož. The conference’s key purpose was to present the opportunities and challenges of raising awareness and strengthening civic competencies among young people.
The event offered seven parallel panels where speakers reflected on how young people act as citizens in the modern world. Special attention was paid to understanding social, economic, legal, and political concepts, current domestic and global affairs, and sustainable development.
The Response to Polarization
Matej Cepin, Director of the Social Academy, participated in a panel focused on democracy, human rights, migration, and interculturalism. In his contribution, he presented their response to polarization and populism in today’s world: a dialogic attitude.
“Schools often deal solely with knowledge, the labor market increasingly requires practical skills, but the key element for coexistence and community building is the development of attitudes—respect, self-awareness, mindfulness, the ability to listen, empathize, and embrace diversity,” Cepin emphasized.
Our Learning Triangle: Knowledge – Skills – Relationships
At the Social Academy, we recognize the importance of all three dimensions for the holistic development of young citizens and their competencies (knowledge – skills – relationships). We understand dialogue as a fundamental way of shaping social relationships, enabling the management of tensions and long-term community growth.
- Knowledge Acquisition: The educational portal razgledan.si is dedicated to acquiring theoretical knowledge, offering “Simple explanations of society in a few minutes” through lessons, videos, and quizzes.
- Strengthening Dialogic Attitudes: We cultivate dialogic attitudes through specific methods and approaches. A highlight is the online application Težke teme (Hard Topics), which allows educators, youth workers, and facilitators to organize so-called “dates of opposing opinions,” encouraging a respectful confrontation with different perspectives.
- Skills Development: In the area of skills, our incubator supports various groups of change-makers. Young people and adults who strive for a better world meet, learn from one another, and jointly acquire skills in event management, project organization, online promotion, team leadership, public speaking, and other vital areas.
Relevance in the School Environment
Conversations held on the sidelines of the conference with participants and practitioners confirmed that the Social Academy’s presented content and approaches are highly relevant and, with minor adjustments, directly applicable within the Slovenian school environment.
