Lek, a Sandoz company, helps children enjoy their childhood

Since 1954, the first week of October has been dedicated especially to children. In this year’s Children’s Week, between 7 and 11 October, the Slovenian Association of Friends of Youth (SAFY) will underscore the importance of good communication between children, young people and adults. The motto of this year’s campaign is “I have something to tell you”.

The Wink at the Sun initiative, which has been co-created for 17 years now by Lek, a Sandoz company, and SAFY, is certainly contributing to a happy childhood.

This year’s Children’s Week started somewhat differently. The Pogačar Square was hosting SAFY and their associations from Ljubljana in cooperation with the radio station Hitradio Center and the Secondary School for Pharmacy, Cosmetics and Health Care featuring free workshops for children associated with this year’s topic. Deputy Mayor Dejan Crnek and President Borut Pahor held a short speech during the official ceremony.

As noted in the guidelines of this year’s Children’s Week® topic, the communication between children and adults is important and urgent. Communication is always a two-way process in which people perceive and interpret messages they send and receive. However, all too often the communication between children and adults is a one-way process with adults explaining, making orders, commands, warnings, requests, and bans on one hand and children not having the chance to ask or to speak their minds on the other.

Chairman of the Children’s Parliament® Ciril Cerovšek said in his opening speech: “We do not want to argue, fight and live in an environment, where we cannot express ourselves. Instead, children need a safe and loving environment that enables self-discovery. We need an environment for innovative thinking and a good society where children can face their fears and express their thought.

Darja Groznik, SAFY President, urged adults to listen and hear everything children and young people are trying to tell us. Deputy Mayor of the Municipality of Ljubljana Dejan Crnek and President of the Republic of Slovenia Borut Pahor emphasized the importance of organizations such as SAFY, which is making special efforts to spread and recognize the voice of children.

Let the children and young people communicate their needs, wishes, interest, expectations, hopes, fears, anxieties, straits, as well as satisfaction, comfort, happiness and desires without feeling frightened.

About 8,000 children on holidays

SAFY, together with Lek, a Sandoz company, co-creates the Wink at the Sun campaign, which provides free holidays for children from disadvantaged family backgrounds and thereby exercises their right to have a playful and creative childhood. Within the Wink at the Sun campaign, 477 children went on holidays this year. According to information collected so far, a total of more than 8,500 children enjoyed holidays organized by SAFY, of which 2,578 children went on holidays for free. “For children, carefree holidays, packed with new knowledge and experience of making new friends, creating holiday memories is invaluable. They develop habits and values that can grow only in a supportive environment where children and their needs come first. Every child should have this opportunity. Therefore, Lek, a Sandoz company, has been participating with maximum dedication in the Wink at the Sun initiative for 17 years,” said Katarina Klemenc, Head Corporate Communication at Lek, a Sandoz company.

As every year, this year’s Children’s Week® topic is related to the Children’s Parliament® theme The Traps of Youth, which young parliamentarians chose at the 25th National Children’s Parliament® meeting.

A list of events for children across Slovenia organized by various associations during the Children’s Week is available at www.zpms.si.