Vision
‘By connecting and involving to participate in the use of the potential to ensure the vitality of the countryside and raise the quality of life in the area of the Jablaniška valley and the wider area, and to promote its sustainable growth.’
About LAZ
We are individuals connected to a non-profit association that is interested in improving life in the countryside. We are happy to enjoy the privilege of being in the countryside. We share the beauty of our places with excursionists, hikers, tourists, vacationers, who present us with customers for products and services from the complementary activities of homesteads. We eat healthy food that we grew ourselves or bought from a neighbor. We have everything ‘what the big have’. We have a quality social, social and rich cultural life. Our children are calm and satisfied, they socialize in the common areas of the locals, which we have arranged in the villages. We have good neighborly relations.
Our values are therefore a healthy, high-quality life in the countryside, an active contribution of the individual to the development of the local community and openness to cooperation and networking in the wider community and the EU.
The association operates on several levels: at the local level, it connects individuals and associations that are interested in local development and contributes to the development of the countryside through various projects. It cooperates with local self-government (KS, municipalities) to involve civil society in solving local problems.
At the regional level is a partner junctions of NGOs of central Slovenia in the implementation of the supporting environment to associations, institutes and institutions in the Central Slovenia region.
We participate in the development council of the local action group LAS Srce Slovenije, whose co-founder and partner is the LAZ association.
At the national level, it connects related associations for the implementation of joint development projects and cooperates with national associations, e.g. with the Tourist Association of Slovenia, municipalities, for greater involvement of societies in local development. The association is a member of the national network for rural areas at the Ministry of Agriculture and the Environment, which promotes cooperation and mutual assistance between individuals and organizations participating in the development of the countryside, the association is a member of the Tourist Association of Slovenia.
At the transnational level, he participates in the network of European centers for the support of civil society ECRC, within which he has established a Slovenian support center ECCD Slovenia. participates in European partnerships to implement projects to promote active citizenship, advocacy, youth mobility, local development, etc.
The area covered by the association’s local activities are settlements from the former local community Jablaniška Valley: Breg, Bukovica, Cerovica, Dolgo Brdo, Gradišče, Gradiške Laze, Jablaniška Laze, Mamolj, Selšek, Spodnja Jablanica, Tenetiše, Zgornja Jablanica. Part of the settlements belongs to the municipality of Litija, and part to Šmartna pri Litija.
We started our informal operation with the organization of a meeting for locals on Štefanovo – December 26, 2003. The founding assembly was held on January 17, 2004, where we elected the members of the association and adopted the work program for the first year of operation. We were first connected by the organization ‘Walks along the slopes of the Jablaniška Valley’, which we prepare every year on the first Saturday in April. The hike became traditional. As well as the ‘hike after the hike’, Štefan’s meeting and the annual professional excursion, to which in 2010 we added the January night hike to Gradišče pri Litija and the May strawberry and asparagus day event on Breg pri Litija, and in In November, the goodness of the Jablaniška Valley.
In 2012, the association established operations women’s choir, which enriches local events with performances, delights tall jubilants with panes. ŽPZ LAZ is also hosted abroad.
We see our mission in an active contribution to the fulfillment of the European Program for Rural Development and the enforcement of the active role of civil society in local development.
The goals and tasks of the association are activities to improve life in the countryside in all elements of living – from improving the village infrastructure, developing complementary activities in homesteads, to improving neighborly relations and connecting all actors to solve local problems, and advocating civil society rights in influence to Local development and life in the countryside.
The association operates in the public interest in the areas of rural development – the status was granted by the Ministry of Environment and Agriculture and the promotion of tourism development in the municipalities of Litija and Šmartno pri Litija – the status was granted by the Ministry of Economic Development and Technology.
Jelka Babič was the president and legal representative of the association from its founding until 2014, and from 2015, Mojca Hauptman was elected.