Mentorship Program New Beginnings at Center Rog

The New Beginnings mentorship program at Center Rog covers the costs of membership, workspace, and materials. What makes the program unique is its approach: each participant develops a project based on their own interests and prior knowledge.

“We design the New Beginnings program individually, for each person. These are people who often don’t yet have a social network, employment, or other connections that could support their integration. It is valuable that they can create at Center Rog and collaborate with other users of the space,” says Renata Zamida, Director of Center Rog.

The first participants of the program – Daniel Yemane, a seventeen-year-old from Eritrea, and Inna Dniprenko and Marina Kharythosyna from Ukraine – spent the summer months working free of charge in the woodworking and ceramics labs, with the support of mentors. Their creations include a traditional Eritrean instrument, the krar, as well as ceramic bowls, vases, and Christmas ornaments.

At the presentation, Daniel explained:

“The Eritrean traditional instrument called the krar was made together with Matej, because I wanted to play it and in this way preserve Eritrean culture and heritage. It sounds similar to a guitar, but it is played differently.”

The krar was created in collaboration with designer Matej Komel from Studio Mandrak, who is developing a guitar with an innovative string-mounting system in one of Center Rog’s studios. He accompanied Daniel throughout the entire process of making the instrument, contributing his expertise, time, and equipment. As the instrument is still relatively unknown in Europe, the project also carries important cultural and educational value.

The products developed through the mentorship will also be presented to the wider public. The krar will be exhibited at Rog Expo, Center Rog’s annual production showcase (opening November 12), while the ceramic ornaments will decorate one of the Christmas trees in the National Assembly of the Republic of Slovenia this December.

In the coming months, at least five more participants will join the program. Candidates are included either on their own initiative or through collaboration with NGOs and governmental organizations working in the field of support for people with international protection.

Take a look at some highlights from the presentation of the creative work of the first participants in the New Beginnings program.

Photos: Megi Pilko