How will the associations survive?
This year, the VNL Cultural Association has made a special effort to find funding to partially cover our operating costs.
 
We have already started planning ways to accelerate our fundraising in 2019, and we estimate that our active members have carried out more than 1500 hours of volunteer work in the last year alone. We cover material and other costs from membership fees, funds raised through workshops and our members' own funds. Last year we were partially supported by the Centre for Culture, Sports and Events (290,85 Eur) - for the activities of the association, and by the Public Fund of the Republic of Slovenia (520 Eur) for 2 projects: the Eko Art Project and Aesop's Fables. A little bit of money, but we were happy about that too.
 
Of course, the enthusiasm of members for volunteering fluctuates, and the supply of our own funds cannot last indefinitely ... On the other hand, it seems a pity to us that the activities of the Society should cease, and with it all the good work we have set up over the years, in our opinion and in the opinion of our readers. We have gained many readers over the years who would have been disappointed, for example, by the closure of Web Time. We would also be disappointing ourselves.
 
That is why this year we have made a special effort to seek sponsorship and funding through tenders.
 
This year we applied to 9 calls for proposals, yes 9! Can you imagine how much work and knowledge went into filling in the forms? Each call for proposals has its own conditions, each call for proposals, its own forms. A lot of work has gone into the conception of the projects (from the idea, to the concretization - setting the content, to the actual implementation), a lot of work in finding the right expertise, a lot of material has already been prepared in advance and on the spot. We are always active members, even now, during the quarantine period. Last but not least, we have spent some money on postage, toner, paper, e-carriers, etc.) For a small association like ours, every penny counts!
 
The negative responses to the calls for proposals are slowly dripping in
The Society is getting negative responses, not because it is a project with poor content, not because we have poorly met the conditions, not because we do not meet the criteria, but because of exceptional circumstances, because many events will be cancelled due to government measures. Some tenders have been cancelled and some have been postponed indefinitely or until life returns to normal.
 
We can understand their decisions, that society is now in greater need of humanitarian aid, but we do not understand the state's response. The government should take better care of culture, not only the biggest, best representatives of the arts, but also the smaller, amateur ones, because we believe that our contribution is also important for the general health of the people.
 
Art and culture feeds people even in times of quarantine.
During the quarantine period, we receive different opinions about the extraordinary situation we are witnessing, some people send us photographs, their works of art, some people just want to chat with us, write to us about their hardships, about their creativity, about how they can relieve the time they are experiencing during their isolation from active social life.
 
The VNL Cultural Association continues its work online
We write articles, edit the Web Time, publish articles, opinions, virtual galleries of artists, publish short stories and many other contents, communicate with individuals, are connected to other associations and cooperate with them. And we say: let's keep going!
 
We want to achieve our goals
Positive and motivational,
promotion of young artists and emerging artists in different artistic genres,
bringing together and creating together different kinds of art,
in-depth articles on contemporary social issues,
enabling a diversity of viewpoints,
blogger, vlogger or diarist orientation using modern technology,
promoting visual arts,
promoting reading and writing culture,
raising awareness of the importance of ecology,
enriching cultural life in the local and wider environment,
visibility,
cooperation with associations, public institutions and businesses,
intergenerational activities,
promoting interculturality.
 
We would like to continue our work!
 
We appeal to the government not to forget the associations in its measures of the Megacorona Law. We are working during an epidemic.
 
Nika Korsič
President of VNL
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