It is talented young individuals whose innovation, perseverance and commitment will undoubtedly take them, along with the rest of the world, to new sports, artistic and scientific achievements in the near future. Both the Vse bo v redu Institute and Zavarovalnica Triglav are well aware of this, and so, already for the ninth time now, they carried out the Young Hopes programme again this year. The expert committee and the general public thus had the task to once again choose 13 talented young people who will be able to realise their sports, scientific or artistic dreams and goals (somewhat) more easily with the help of the funds and additional development support.
The Young Hopes 2021 in sports, para-sports and the arts are:
• Lana Klemen, ballerina,
• Matic Štemberger, jazz pianist,
• Dejan Romih, pianist,
• Pia Novak, opera singer,
• Nik Škorjanc, fine arts and literary creative,
• Leja Glojnarič, para-athlete,
• Jan Šubelj, chess player,
• Sara Čopar, sport climber,
• Lena Repinc, biathlete,
• Vid Botolin, athlete,
• Jan Ločnikar, white-water kayaker,
• Jakob Stojanović, calm-water kayaker, and
• Neja Anderle, saxophonist.
Selecting the best is a challenging task
Every year, more than 50 talented young people who need additional support for further successes despite the remarkable achievements they have accomplished thus far apply for the Young Hopes competition. “Choosing from among young people who apply extreme focus, commitment and meticulousness to their endeavours in order to develop further and achieve clearly defined goals is far from simple. To better assess which of them are in greatest need of the support provided to the winners by the Young Hopes competition, we conduct in-depth interviews with some of them so that we may form a deeper understanding of their talents. At the same time, we help members of the committee in the selection process by entrusting the selection of one Young Hope to the general public through voting. We would therefore like to extend our sincere thanks, on behalf of the entire committee, to everyone who took part in Young Hopes 2021 by voting,“ said Metoda Debeljak, member of this year’s competition committee and Director of Employee Development and Training Department at Zavarovalnica Triglav, upon announcing the competition winners.
Committee of 8 renowned individuals
This year’s Young Hope chosen by the general public is sport climber Sara Čopar. The other 12 recipients of the Young Hope 2021 title were chosen this year by eight renowned individuals from the worlds of the arts, science, education, sports and business. The popular Slovenian singer Jadranka Juras, a long-time member of the committee, described her participation in the selection process thus: “The committee members consider the submitted applications passionately, boldly and empathetically and ultimately decide who is to go on to the next round with heavy hearts. We’d love to be able to help each and every one, but the funds are, sadly, limited. In the field of the arts, we record applications of young people who ardently serve their respective instrument, voice, paintbrush, writing implement, camera or ballet shoes, and I know very well how strenuous, albeit wonderful, the artistic path can be. Unfortunately, we see a trend of declining financial assistance from sponsors, the state and municipalities. It is therefore all the more important that help goes to those who need it the most and who at the same time show through their work that they have a strong focus, discipline, a clear vision and extraordinary achievements under their belt. Since we follow our Young Hopes for several years, we are often in a position to see that we made the right choices. As a member of the committee, I am especially glad that, through financial and moral support, we contribute to the realisation of the dreams of the chosen talented young individuals.“
When talent and commitment take wings
Winning the Young Hopes competition doesn’t only bring financial funds that enable purchasing the (sorely) needed equipment and attending national and international competitions and trainings, but also provides the chance to access additional services that will give an additional boost to the realisation of the Young Hopes’ dreams. For many young people who go on to become a Young Hope, this competition is the first opportunity to present their talent to the general public. In addition, talented individuals become and stay connected with one another and Zavarovalnica Triglav through the Young Hopes Alumni meetings. Zavarovalnica Triglav encourages them to apply to the competition for additional financial funds intended for sponsorship beneficiaries who are successful internationally.
In addition to the Vse bo še v redu Institute and Zavarovalnica Triglav, this year’s Young Hopes programme was supported by POP TV, Europlakat, BTC, Adriamedia and Renault Storitve.
