We are delighted to share the wonderful news that our project Circle of Compassion – Youth Work Based on Compassionhas received an award from the Slovenian National Agency for the best Small-Scale Partnership project 2024/2025.
On 5 December 2025, we attended the final event “Building a Community of Erasmus+ Programmes: Youth and the European Solidarity Corps”, where the Slovenian National Agency MOVIT presented awards to the most outstanding projects from the 2024–2025 period. Among the awardees was our Circle of Compassion project, which places young people’s well-being at the center and paves the way for a new compassionate youth center in the heart of Ljubljana.
The recognition once again confirmed that focusing on the development of compassion competencies and care for oneself and others is the right path at a time when youth workers and young people alike are required to show great inner strength, reflection, and the ability to build safe communities. The quality, innovation, and impact of the Circle of Compassion project were once again acknowledged—both for our organization and for the wider youth sector in Slovenia. Through the development of compassionate practices, Mladi zmaji (Young Dragons) are setting new standards in youth work in Slovenia and beyond.
Sincere congratulations also to the awardees in other categories, with whom we are jointly creating high-quality, inclusive, and inspiring spaces for young people: Društvo Gledališče Ane Monro, the Association for Circus, Education and Culture, the Municipality of Trzin, the Center for Education, Rehabilitation and Training Kamnik, Socialna akademija (Social Academy), an informal youth group led by Lan Batič, and Zavod Mladinski center Kotlovnica Kamnik.
About the Circle of Compassion Project
The idea for the project grew out of many years of observing how urgently youth workers need tools to support their own well-being and to strengthen (self-)compassion. Only when they know how to take care of themselves can they truly empower young people and build safe, inclusive relationships with them. This is also confirmed by European research conducted within the framework of the project, in which youth organizations highlighted the need for tools for emotional regulation and for the development of approaches based on empathy and compassion. Youth workers can effectively support young people only if they know how to care for themselves and maintain their own well-being.
The project began in November 2023 under the leadership of Mladi zmaji (Young Dragons), with project partners Connect International (Belgium) and Libero (Serbia).