Jože Prah from Sevnica

Proposers: Forestry Institute of Slovenia and the Municipality of Radeč

The words ‘diverse' and rich could also be used to describe the life of Jože Prah. Anyone trying to find him in the same place twice in the same day will be out of luck! This is not just because his job takes him around the forest, across the changing landscape along the Sava, but also because he makes use of absolutely every opportunity to do something good for the people he meets. He is convinced that in every person, and also in every environment, no matter how backward it might be, priceless treasure is concealed. It is worth discovering this, and teaching people how to recognise it, preserve it and use it for their own benefit. We do not know whether study circles are Jože Prah's favourite form of informally communicating knowledge, but he makes very frequent and successful use of them. The Svibno circle, in which he was mentor, was very important for local development. The circles also help address local population issues in the area. In this way the entire valley was saved from extinction by the Sopota study circle (of which he was co-mentor). He also promotes learning in study circles through the Forest Service, since he has found that new owners are not familiar with the growing properties of young forests, so they will need to be educated. He has already inspired ten foresters to be trained as mentors, and he is planning for this number to expand to fifty in the coming years. By means of the circles he has opened up, marked and presented to the public a range of forest, interpretive, visitor and ethnographically interesting trails; he has produced and published folders, monographs, brochures and guides (Charcoal Trail, Dole pri Litiji - a place where charcoal-making lives, a guide through visitor-historic-forest interpretive trails, Svibno in pictures and words, Svibno is truly beautiful, Blaž Jurko and more). He has revived ethnographically attractive events and helped initiate events that have become traditional (Rafters on the Sava, Forest Week in Dole, Walking the charcoal makers' trail...). In order to contribute to a better quality of life for people in his own area, he also participates in a project of 13 municipalities (from Kamnik to Radeče) entitled On the heritage trails. He is an exceptional educator and young people's leader in the Radeče Mountain Society, and he edits the publication Young Mountaineer (Mladi planinec) of the Lisca Mountain Society. He is also secretary of the European Footpaths Commission. For projects that he feels are necessary, he is able to obtain both monetary and political support. He is distinguished by self-sacrifice, generosity, perseverance and a sense of dialogue. This is probably also the key that opens doors for him.