Interview #1 JAKA BASSANESE

Interview #1 JAKA BASSANESE | SKIS PRESIDENT

“In a good spirit”

As part of my EVS project, we decided to make some interviews and give you the opportunity to know some new activists in Škis that were elected in the recent elections.
The text that follows it a summary of a couple of hours of my own curiosity and as you may find goes a bit out normal interview structure.

To start, of course, I talked to the new elected president, Jaka Bassanese, the 25 years-old economics student and ice-hockey player.

With a very promising path in the last years, Jaka went from Student Club President to Security Council of Gorenjska Region, Second Member of Presidency at SOS to Skis President. He also does volunteer work as a member of Student Committee at European Universities Student Association.

A couple of months after elections it is possible, now, to make an assessment. “What are your impressions? Are you up to the challenge?” of course, he says promptly, there is a lot to learn, but the fact that he already had been working with Matic Susnik, the prevoius president during last year, made the job a bit easier. But this is the most laborious time and he is surrounded of the best team ever on Skis history, says full of proud once and again!

“What is the typical day at the office for a President like?” The typical day at the office starts early in the morning at home with a filled inbox of e-mails urging for a reply, continues at the office and ends later in the day, across town, on several meetings and even being a part-time job it’s taken as a full-time task, he claims.  

The year is all planned out and no small work here. For 2013, great changes are being made. There are five major strategies that Jaka wants to see implemented until year’s end, he tells me when I asked him about where he intend to make a difference.
First, the learning program, through working weekends and workshops. A way of achieve a higher effectiveness on students clubs and organizations work, preparing a communication line of knowledge and labor, an old idea that has only now been possible.
Second, the “pool of trainers” and create Skis own trainers, a huge task with an immense cost, but great future improvement on education.
Not forgetting a  transversal goal, to have a good environment inside the organization, despite parties.
And then, Škisova tržnica, the biggest event organized by Skis each year that aims to be even greater and with a zero cost.
Last but not least, changing the current office to a bigger place where Skis can grow as much as it’s activists and where they will have enough space to work all together, as we currently have around 60 activists.

In the meanwhile, several projects are taking place; a recent one was related to one major concern – the lack of information and feedback between student clubs and Skis. We dealt with this issue in a very informal way – creating a calendar with all activities for 2013, giving no one the excuse – I forgot or I wasn’t informed…
Information is the operative word, maintaining information that circulates is the key for a successful work, Jaka said promptly.

The year just began, a lot has to be done, but Jaka is fully confident that by next election, there will be a very positive change of the working standards. The team is making every effort to achieve greatness.  

Just to finish our long talk, I just asked him “How do you expect people to remember you and your work at Skis?” to which he said with a smile, “in a good spirit, hopefully”.

 

Daniela Nunes, EVS