The Slovenian Lifelong Learning Week is the most prominent promotional campaign in the field of education and learning in Slovenia. Partners in this complex performance have taken the challenge of raising public awareness of the omnipresence and importance of learning - in all life-periods and for all roles one assumes as an individual or member of a family, workplace or society as a whole. Moreover, they are attempting to surmount the stereotypical notion of learning and education as a narrow process regarding its duration and content. They are keen to put forward a vision of lifelong learning providing the individual and society as a whole with information, knowledge and understanding - all indispensable for survival and development in the present world. In addition to the intellectual dimension of learning, LLW events reflect also opportunities for personal, emotional and spiritual growth. Thus, all partners engaged in the creation of the LLW project - either as LLW providers/coordinators or as visitors to events - contribute to the realisation of the slogan ‘Slovenia, a learning country'. Further more, we support the implementation of strategic documents concerning the development of education and training systems in Europe.

The Slovenian Lifelong Learning Week is a member of the international learning festivals' (IntALW) movement which is being coordinated by the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL) in Hamburg, Germany. Nowadays, the movement embraces around 40 learning festivals throughout the world, whereas in 1996, LLW was among the first five learning festivals and the very first one to promote the culture of lifelong learning (the majority of other festivals carry the name Adult Learners' Week - ALW and primarily, they address the respective target group of adult learners).

LLW indicators for the period 1996-2006 depend on the annual response rate which varies throughout the years. Nevertheless, values are more or less rising, especially in the first six years. On the other hand, a decline or a plateau calls our attention to the importance of assuring sound financing of LLW at the state level. Foundations for this were laid in the National Plan of Adult Education and are being implemented via Annual Programs of Adult Education.

*LLW 2007 data are still being analysed.