President Milanović Receives Social Cooperative Contest for Secondary Schools Participants

The President of the Republic Zoran Milanović received today in the Office of the President the participants of the “EU Scoop!” 2021 Social Cooperative Contest for Secondary Schools, the project leaders and students of Donji Miholjac Secondary School, as well as their teachers and mentors.

The students of Donji Miholjac Secondary School represented Croatia in the first edition of the “EU Scoop!” 2021 international competition, which was held in Florence, Italy from 23 to 27 September as part of the transnational Social Cooperative Contest for Secondary Schools (SCoopConSS). With their “Drava Cooperative” project, the students from Croatia won second place in the competition.

They told President Milanović that the project gave solutions to the issues of unemployment and emigration of young people, while drawing attention to the lack of educational and other activities in their community. Through the project the students also wished to encourage a healthy lifestyle and the use of locally made products, as well as the harnessing of local manufacturers’ know-how to create new products and services. As the youngest participants in the competition, the students demonstrated that they know how to apply their knowledge in social entrepreneurship and thereby use the full potential of their local community, it was said at the meeting.

SCoopConSS is a two-year project financed by the Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs of the European Commission. The organisation from Croatia that is responsible for implementing the project is the Centre of Technical Culture Rijeka. The aim of the project is to encourage young people, particularly secondary school students, to give thought to social entrepreneurship – hence the reason for their contribution to the development of an innovative methodology that incorporates social entrepreneurship in the current curriculum.

The following persons attended the meeting with the President of the Republic: contest participants and students of Donji Miholjac Secondary School Luka Boro, Fran Falamić, Florijan Horvat, Dora Jantoš, Fabijan Josić, Vid Novak, Ivan Rajninger, Dora Sigurnjak and Lea Zetalić; Executive Director of the Centre of Technical Culture Rijeka Olivera Stanić; Development Coordinator and Deputy Executive Director of the Centre Zagorka Prce Veseli; Principal of Donji Miholjac Secondary School Nenad Perić, Teacher and Mentor Kornelija Sabolek; School Counsellor Mirta Grodanić Falamić, Director of the Local Development Agency – Miholjac Entrepreneurial Centre Anela Šovagović and an expert associate of Donji Miholjac Secondary School.

Attending the meeting alongside President Milanović was Adviser to the President of the Republic for Education Jadranka Žarković.

PHOTO: Office of the President of the Republic of Croatia / Dario Andrišek