Vice President, Treasurer

I was born in 1963 in Ljubljana and I`ve lived there ever since. With my wife we have two sons. I got involved in school life of our children more intensively when our younger son entered the school, at the middle of the last decade. Since then, I have participated in educational system as a member, vice-president and/or president of parents` council of primary school, high school and music school, as well as of school board of primary school and music school. Look. Listen. Choose. Act.

At the end of the last decade I joined the group of parents who had already conducted the activities of organizing parents councils on the regional and national levels in Slovenia. I was actively involved in establishing the Slovenian national parents` association (now ZASSS, www.zasss.si) in 2011 and I have been voluntarily engaged in ZASSS as its secretary ever since. If I have seen further, it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants.

My first experience with EPA was attending the very fruitful conference in Budapest, in March 2011, followed by the conference and GA in Horný Smokovec. Since then, I have participated in several EPA conferences and GAs and in some conferences on co-organization of EPA, as well. On all occasions I have been impressed by the working atmosphere, dedication of the fellow parents and particularly by a high-level support offered by experienced colleagues to the new members. I am deeply honored to have an opportunity to be a member of the EPA`s Board of Directors. Comming together is a beginning, Keeping together is progress, Working together is success.

Children deserve the best education which, as I strongly believe, can be achieved only through the cooperation of all adults our children are likely to encounter: parents, teachers, headmaster, staff members and experts whom children are probably not even aware of. It takes a village to raise a child.

We, adults, are obliged to bond and to form a network which our children would perceive not to be their prison, but a guard protecting them while making acrobatics on their way to adulthood. According to my experience, parents are the ones who can connect all the stakeholders. A school system without parents at its foundation is just like a bucket with a hole in it.

I am very much interested in service dimension of EPA, in exchanging experiences and good practices between members and those who will join EPA in the future. I am aware of the obstacles newly founded parents organisations are dealing with. I am always willing to share my experience and learn from others. Somewhere in the corner of our hearts we are still students.

Please feel invited to contact me on janko@euparents.eu.