For several years, the Institute for the Promotion of Youth Entrepreneurship has been offering practical training on entrepreneurial spirit and entrepreneurship in secondary schools under the global JA Company Programme of the Junior Achievement non-profit organisation. Over the school year, the students get a taste of all phases of running a company, from its establishment to product design, marketing, sale and liquidation. Throughout the school year, the students learn about themselves and discover the importance of group participation for achieving common goals. The winners then qualify for the JA Europe Company of the Year Competition, where they compete against their peers from different European countries. 

Within this year's programme, students had the opportunity to also design and develop a product for the promotion of Slovenia. Our goal was to stimulate interest in the I feel Slovenia national brand and the Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the EU, as well as increase the visibility of the national brand among young people.

Sixty-two student companies participated in the programme this year, from which 19 student companies entered their products in the I feel Slovenia category. With an innovative approach, we tried to develop a product with which each individual could "feel" Slovenia through the five senses – smell, taste, hearing, sight or touch.

The winner was a wooden cord winder for headphones by the Slostick company (students of the Škofijska klasična gimnazija upper secondary school), as it best met our criteria – functionality of the product in everyday life, eco-oriented and made from natural, preferably recycled materials.

Second place went to the salty crackers of the Neki domač'ga (Something homemade) company (students of the Biotechnical Educational Centre Ljubljana – School of Food Processing) and the third to a wooden whiteboard wiper by the Woodpecker company (students of the Gimnazija Šentvid upper secondary school).

The collaboration of the Government Communication Office, the Institute for the Promotion of Youth Entrepreneurship and the participating students once again proves that Slovenia does not lack in innovation and creativity.

We congratulate all the student companies that participated this year and look forward to the project in the next school year.