Maribor - Capsule Stories #2
28/11/2018
Mag. Uroš Vidovič
Change driver
What is your connection to the project?
As Change driver of the NewPilgrimAge I am part of the project from its beginnings. I have been participating the Transnational Exchange meetings, organized by project partners, and transfering the gained knowledge into the local environment. My work on this project is symbiotic with my past experiences and activities with Via Sancti Martini; namely I have been part of the project of setting the infrastructure for St Martin's Way – from Hungarian Szhombathely all the way to Logatec in Slovenia.
Together with project partners we create contents, topics and activites, connected to the life and values of St Martin, who was recognised as one of the main characters of European Union: connectivity, solidarity, hospitality ... these values are transformed and implanted into various environments from project partners. At our joint, usually three-day, meetings – we have been to Szhombately and Budapest in Hungary, to Albenga in Italy ... – we had been discussing the possibilities of transformation of set goals into our environments, which we then have been executing in the form of workshops, sessions, hikings etc.
All that has been happening as well in Maribor as well as with other partners. We have prepared a promotional video on Maribor, where we have underlined three things: old vine (the oldest vine in the world), Via Sancti Martini, that leads through the city of Maribor, and formost the young people, as the project's aim is to address the youth as one of the most important stakeholder in the first place.
Why have you decided to participate at the project?
First very important reason is, that after constructing and setting up such a pilgrimage way, in Europe there are 27, only five of them with the title Major European Route – and one of them is Via Sancti Martini – it is of great importance, that this path gets filled with content, joint activities, visitors, foreigners and Slovenes, who bring new energy and new business opportunities.
The second reason is the connection to the vision of St Martin, which speaks of solidarity – and this is what brings people together in bright peaceful future. This project, NewPilgrimAge, is one of those, who gives their best to show people the common joint positive path and co-operation.
About the project I like the most …
… that different representatives of various stakeholders in Europe take part; although we are all part of Central Europe, we all have different cultures and history. I like it very much, that regardless if one comes from Southern part of Italy or from Hungary, we always find common values, common goals and we give effort to establish common future. Even our ancient ancestors, like St Martin, lived and worked the idea of joining Europe. We have forgotten all about that for 2000 years and only now we have been re-inventing and re-interpreting the knowledge and the heritage, let me stress once again, in some way, we have been trying to disseminate among people values, dated 2000 years back!
How does the project effect your life?
Positive. It is nice talking about positive values, it is nice talking to positive people with positive views on the future. All this happening in Europe – it’s just value added. St Martin is central persona of European Union; European Commission has recognised him as the person who connects Europe. A few days ago we celebrated 100 years of signing the peace treaty of the 1st World War and there is no coincidence that it happened on 11.11. – on the St Martin’s Day.
What has changed for you?
I have met many people, who desire and wish for this positive development in the future – representatives of all generations. These people have many superb ideas, what I find just great – and through that process I have been growing as well. I feel marvellous when we organize workshops, meetings, sessions, hikes … numerous people from Maribor and surroundings are not familiar with these paths, wonderful pieces of out municipality … such as Rošpoh, Vinarje, from Radvanje toward Pekrska gorca hill, and Hrenca, Vodole ... Beautiful places, very interesting for tourists and natives – and all of them connected to St Martin. And yes, exactly in this moment, I am hiking on the St Martin’s Way ☺.
mag. UROŠ VIDOVIČ
-Kako si povezan s projektom?
Kot Change Driver na projektu NewPilgrimAge sodelujem že od vsega začetka. Udeležujem se t. i. Transnational Exchange meetings (srečanj mednarodne izmenjave), ki jih organizirajo projektni partnerji, in pridobljeno znanje prenašam na lokalni nivo. Delo na projektu je povezano z mojimi preteklimi izkušnjami in aktivnostmi, povezanimi s potjo sv. Martina. Sodeloval sem pri projektu, ko je pot nastajala kot infrastruktura – od madžarskega Szhombatelyja pa do Logatca.
Skupaj s projektnimi partnerji iz štirih držav oblikujemo vsebine, povezane z življenjem, normami sv. Martina, ki jih je Evropska unija prepoznala kot osrednje: gostljubnost, povezovanje, solidarnost ... te vrednote prenašamo v različna okolja, okolja projektnih partnerjev. Na naših skupnih srečanjih, običajno tridnevnih, bili smo na Madžarskem – Szhombately in Budimpešta, v Italiji – Albenga, ... in to prenašamo v okolja v obliki delavnic, pohodov, srečanj ...
Vse to je doslej že potekalo v Mariboru in poteka tudi pri ostalih partnerjih. Naredili smo promocijski video za mesto Maribor, kjer smo izpostavili tri stvari: staro trto, Martinovo pot, ki poteka skozi MOM, in pa seveda zelo izpostavili mlade, ki so jim projekt oz. projektne vsebine namenjeni.
-Kaj te je k projektu pritegnilo?
Prvi razlog je zagotovo ta, da ko narediš takšno romarsko pot, v Evropi jih je 27, od teh jih samo pet, ki imajo naziv Velika evropska kulturna pot (ena od njih je pot sv. Martina), je to neke vrsta infrastruktura – zgradiš pot, ampak potem je zelo pomembno, da ta pot dobi vsebino, da dobi obiskovalce, tujce, Slovence, ki prinašajo novo energijo, nove poslovne priložnosti.
Drugi razlog pa je ta, da je to povezano z vizijo sv. Martina, ki govori o solidarnosti, kar je tisto, kar nas poveže v svetlo mirno prihodnost. Ta projekt je eden tistih, kjer se trudijo ljudem pokazati skupno pozitivno pot in sodelovanje.
-Najbolj všeč mi je pri projektu ...
Da sodelujejo predstavniki različnih subjektov v Evropi, ki imajo različno zgodovino, čeprav smo vsi del Srednje Evrope – in to mi je všeč, da ne glede ali si z Madžarske, iz južne Italije ... vedno najdemo skupne vrednote, skupne cilje in spoznavamo, da imamo skupno prihodnost. Že naši daljni predniki, kot je bil sv. Martin, so živeli in delali na ideji povezovanja Evrope. Potem smo malce za kakšnih 2000 let to pozabili, sedaj pa ta znanja in dediščino samo re-interpretiramo: ponovno, na nek način, poskušamo med ljjudi prenesti vrednote, ki so bile aktualne že pred dvatisoč leti ...
-Kako to vpliva na tvoje življenje?
Pozitivno. Fajn se je pogovarjati o pozitivnih vrednotah, lepo se je pogovarjati s pozitivnimi ljudmi, ki pozitivno gledajo na prihodnost. Da pa se to dogaja v Evropi, pa je še toliko lepše. Sv. Martin je osrednja persona Evropske unije; Evropska komisija ga je prepoznala kot osebnost povezovanja v Evropi. Pred nekaj dnevi smo praznovali sto let od podpisa mirovne pogodbe konca 1. svetovne vojne in ni naključje, da se je to zgodilo prav na 11. 11. – na dan sv. Martina.
-Kaj se je zate spremenilo?
Srečal sem veliko ljudi, ki želijo ta pozitivni razvoj prihodnosti – od mladih, srednjih generacij, starejših. Ti ljudje imajo veliko dobrih idej, kar mi je super – zato sem tudi jaz zrasel. Odlično se počutim, ko smo organizirali delavnice, srečanja, pohode ... številni Mariborčani, pa tudi okoličani ne poznajo teh poti, krasnih koncev našega mesta ... Rošpoh, Vinarje, iz smeri Radvanja proti Pekrski gorci, pa tudi Hrenca, Vodole ... krasna področja, ki so zanimiva za turiste in domačine – so pa vsi povezani s sv. Martinom. In ja, prav zdaj, ko se pogovarjava, hodim po Martinovi poti.
