Boris Bregant from Jesenice

Proposer: Municipality of Jesenice

You would have a hard time tracking down Boris Bregant once the Lifelong Learning Week events kick off in the municipality of Jesenice. The learning festival is a traditional event in this iron-working community, and the mayor's exceptional personal commitment, active participation in events and frequent presence at numerous locations shows that personal participation is the first step towards promoting lifelong learning. He appointed a special organising committee, which now in its eighth year in succession is seeing to the coordination of events within LLW, and this is a prime example of how a local community can, through active citizenship and strategic planning, work for the balanced development of all sections of the community. Each year the festival events enjoy the participation of around 3,000 local citizens, and at locations throughout the municipality during this week there are presentations from absolutely every school, society and organisation. He performs his office of Mayor of the Municipality of Jesenice in a non-professional capacity, as a retiree. He is spending his third age creatively, actively and full of plans for the future, whereby he has spread the example of commitment as a true source of health and vitality. In his work he still seeks new challenges, so together with his associates he pursues the formulation of numerous innovative projects. Previously, for example, these have included a programme for developing the Jesenice municipality upon accession to the EU, and a plan to rehabilitate the Jesenice Ironworks. As he says himself, he has to plan his time very carefully, so he can still devote some to his family. Among the local residents he is known for his high professionalism, but he is happy to tackle any kind of work, having been willing even as a schoolboy to do all kinds of jobs - from delivering milk and household chores to work in youth brigades. Boris Bregant has received several distinctions and awards for his work. He is especially popular with people for his presence in the everyday life of the municipality. The fact that Jesenice residents truly appreciate his dedication and professionalism was shown in the last mayoral elections, in which he was elected with an extraordinarily high number of votes in the first round. He is convinced that in each person and environment, no matter how neglected, there is immense wealth worth uncovering, illuminating and preserving.