About us

The mission of Zavod Nefiks is to provide appropriate professional support to young people and youth organizations in recording and documenting non-formal education and the effects of youth work with the aim of its recognition in society. Additionally, the organization aims to assist young people in their career development, employment, and active citizenship, as well as provide help and support in the organizational and other development of youth and non-governmental organizations.

The goal of the organization is to include, recognize, and respect youth and voluntary work, among others, in formal education systems, national professional qualifications, scholarship systems, and employment. The organization advocates for the recognition of such work and knowledge acquired as a form of mandatory practice in education, proof of acquired necessary experience, or as a circumstance that brings advantages in public tenders or employment.

To achieve its goals, the organization carries out various promotional activities for non-formal education and organizes various educational events, such as courses, seminars, or workshops, to raise competencies, develop employment literacy, and encourage entrepreneurship among young people. In its work areas, the organization is also involved in publishing activities and media releases.

We also carry out various leisure activities and organize various cultural events, contributing to the cultural involvement of young people.

We act as an advocate with local, national, and international public institutions in arranging, recording, and recognizing informally acquired knowledge.

One of the key services offered by Zavod Nefiks is the Nefiks record book, which serves as an electronic portfolio where individuals can showcase their skills, education, volunteering experiences, work abroad experiences, and other relevant information for potential employers.

Zavod Nefiks runs the website talentiran.si, which provides up-to-date information on important skills and knowledge for employment literacy, thus increasing young adults and youth's chances of employment.

Mladinski center Vič is a youth center located in the west part of Ljubljana (Tržaška 85) and is a common project of Zavod Nefiks and Antonov dom, financed mainly by the youth office of the Municipality of Ljubljana. It offers a safe place for children and young people to hang out and spend their free time creatively. The youth center also organizes different workshops and activities offering young people opportunities to learn and develop their competences. Mladinski center vič is also a Eurodesk information point.
>> https://mc-vic.si/

Since 2019 Zavod Nefiks is also the coordinator of Stičišče Središče, supporting NGOs in the Central Slovenia region.
>> https://sticisce-sredisce.si/

Mreža KROJ is a network of youth organizations working in the field of career development. The network has 10 members from Ljubljana and several regional coordinators from other parts of Slovenia.
>> http://mreza-kroj.si/

A big focus of Zavod Nefiks is career development of young people. For that purpose we organize different programs that support young people on their career path such as:

• "Colleagues" for young women who wish to learn from successful women working in Slovenia's most important enterprises.
• Workshops to assist first-time job seekers and students in determining their most suitable educational and career paths.
• International exchange programs for young people, fostering cross-cultural understanding and enhancing personal and professional development (youth exchanges, Erasmus + internships…).
• An educational escape room about international opportunities for young people (promoting Erasmus + and European Solidarity Corps in a fun way).
• Hosting and sending European Solidarity Corps volunteers.

 Dodaj logotipe ESC, E+, eurodesk

Our team is comprised of both youth leaders who work directly with youth, and experienced senior staff members who serve as mentors and supervisors. The mentors possess expertise in adult education and non-formal education, and boast over 15 years of experience in youth work and international projects. Youth leaders, on the other hand, are students and young graduates who have been trained in career counseling and have practical experience in working with youth.

Alenka Blazinšek Domenis, director of our organization, has over 15 years of experience in non-formal learning theory and practice, outcome recognition in non-formal education, youth work, and adult education. She was a member of the expert group on creativity and innovation in youth work for EC and has authored numerous publications on topics such as evaluation, active participation, and employability.

Jože Gornik, financial “guru” of our organization, has over 20 years of experience in non-formal education, youth work and development of NGOs. Together with Rafo Pinosa, he created Nefiks (the booklet for recognition of non-formal education) and later started the organization itself.

Nives Felić, youth worker, project manager and coordinator of the organization, has over 10 years of experience with youth work and non-formal education, working with youth and volunteers on a daily basis. She is responsible for various youth programs such as the youth center, career workshops, and mentoring volunteers. With her experience in coordinating projects and leading workshops in schools, she empowers young people with different competencies. Nives also takes care of international projects and ESC volunteers. She is responsible for mentoring volunteers that our organization sends abroad.

Karmen Žnidaršič, youth worker at the Youth Center Vič, responsible for coordinating activities and motivating local youth to develop their own projects. With years of experience working with young people, Karmen works closely with our volunteers who also work at the youth center.

Martina Mrakovčić, youth worker, a former director of Zavod Nefiks, is a qualified psychologist who focuses on motivating and supporting young people in their learning and personal development. She has extensive experience in empowering youth and was previously responsible for managing ESC volunteers and Mreža KROJ. Martina is an active member of the Commission for the Recognition of Professional Qualifications for Youth Workers in Slovenia. At present, Martina is involved in the development of training programs for youth workers in addition to assisting with project management and coordinating supervision groups.

Nefiks is the leading system for recording non-formal and informally acquired knowledge in Slovenia, enabling young people to systematically gather all non-formal and organization-validated competencies in one place.

The idea of Nefiks as a tool for recording (and subsequently recognizing) non-formally acquired knowledge originated from Jože Gornik and Rafo Pinosa as a partner project of the youth organization Društvo mladinski ceh and the Office of the Republic of Slovenia for Youth, and is now operated under the auspices of Zavod Nefiks.

As part of the Nefiks employment solutions project, e-NEFIKS was upgraded to a platform for connecting young people and employers. This means that young people can now allow employers to view their competencies in the system, and employers can choose from among them. We invite all interested employers to contact us at nefiks@nefiks.si.

The idea of recording knowledge grew out of the awareness that:

• young people learn in various life situations,
• they acquire valuable life experiences (competencies) in the process,
• these competencies are flexibly transferable (to employment, further education, recognition of experience, etc.).

Therefore, it is essential to:

• record this knowledge (competencies) in a way that is suitable for both further education and employment needs.

Thus, a system was established that:

• systematically, meaningfully, and precisely records and documents a young individual's competencies in one place - it also allows for creating Europass CVs;
• follows trends at the EU level (Europass, Youthpass) and at home (rules for recognizing informally acquired knowledge at universities);
• is respected and valued both domestically (the University of Ljubljana recommended it as a possible tool for recognizing informally acquired knowledge) and internationally (the Flemish Oskar system for recognizing informal knowledge is based on Nefiks' findings);
• and is sensibly upgraded in line with the latest theoretical insights and needs in the labor market and education.

From an individual's perspective, it is:

• easy to use, and the electronic version is freely accessible to all;
• motivating for a young person to learn, engage, and develop new competencies continually;
• provides a comprehensive overview of one's competencies, thus enabling career planning - educational vocational career guidance, personal growth;
• represents a tool that helps a young person describe and assess the value of their knowledge.

The index was created according to the Scandinavian model and was adapted and implemented into the Slovenian youth space based on the analysis and experience of the developers. At the national level, there is still no comparable tool that can present all individual's non-formally acquired knowledge so comprehensively.

The index is divided into six thematic areas:

• Acquiring knowledge through active citizenship and responsible work on projects
• Acquiring knowledge through work (work through student services)
• Acquiring knowledge in organized forms of education (courses and seminars)
• Acquiring knowledge at camps and through voluntary work
• Acquiring knowledge in international activities (youth exchanges, volunteering abroad …)
• Acquiring knowledge through other activities (hobbies and interests)

There are two different versions:

• The Nefiks booklet
• E-Nefiks, which is freely available to all users at www.nefiks.si and includes over 16,000 users.

When we record an activity, it is confirmed by the education provider or employer. In the booklet, this is confirmed with a stamp and signature, while in electronic form it is an electronic confirmation that includes the official email, contact person and the IP address of the device on which the entry was confirmed.

When entering activities, it is particularly important to make an effort to describe the acquired competences appropriately, as this is what employers are most interested in. They are not so interested in what an individual did - although this can also be interesting - but rather what someone can actually do as a result of that experience!

Individuals or organizations can enter information into the electronic version of Nefiks. Both must first register on the website www.nefiks.si. Once the general information is completed, it is necessary to select one of the six categories for entry and complete the form. Individuals send it for approval to their employer or activity provider, while an organization that entered the activity enters the email addresses of all those who attended the activity, and they must accept the entry. Organisations can enter activities for all participants, even if they are not yet registered in E-Nefiks.