Živa Alif, a graduate of the University of Oxford, has won this year’s L’Oréal–UNESCO award For Women in Science. The awards also went to Dana Marinič and Nina Murks.
At the presentation ceremony on 4th March, Slovenian President Nataša Pirc Musar said: »When women advance, science advances. And when science advances, humanity advances.”
Živa, who is a member of the British-Slovene Society, is an agricultural economist and interdisciplinary conservation social scientist at the University of Ljubljana. She was given the award for her research into attitudes of farmers and individuals towards the natural environment and how they can be influenced by public policy.
Živa commented: »I am incredibly honoured. This recognition means a great deal to me, as it highlights the value of my research so far and motivates me to keep pushing forward… I am deeply grateful for the support it will provide for my future scientific development.”
The British-Slovene Society staged their annual Prešeren evening celebration once again with Vlado Kreslin, one of Slovenia’s most famous folk singers and songwriters, and a huge favourite with our members.
After a reception with Slovenian wines – a dozen kindly donated by the Embassy of Slovenia in London – participants sat down to a splendid dinner at the Memoir Club (formerly Ambassadors Hotel).
Then followed the traditional recital of a poem. Since our Society strives to brings our two nations together, for once we did not recite France Prešeren. Instead we chose his English contemporary, William Wordsworth. Trustee James Walker read »Daffodils«, aptly celebrating the outbreak of spring.
The moment Vlado Kreslin strummed up his guitar, half the room stood up, swayed, sang along and danced until late. Vlado you have been with us for more years than we can remember. We will never tire of you!
The British-Slovene Society gratefully acknowledges the financial contribution made by the Government’s Office for Slovenians Abroad.
Photos by Anthony Dawton.
We received the following invitation from VTIS (Slovenians educated abroad):
VABILO NA VTIS KARIERNE DNEVE 2026:
Društvo v tujini izobraženih Slovencev (VTIS) med 16. in 19. marcem 2026 organizira VTIS Karierne dneve, spletni dogodek, namenjen vsem, ki jih zanimajo karierne priložnosti, prehodi in razvojne možnosti na slovenskem trgu dela.
Dogodek je primeren tako za Slovence v tujini, ki razmišljajo o vrnitvi, kot tudi za vse, ki želijo pridobiti vpogled v aktualne priložnosti in neposredno stopiti v stik s predstavniki podjetij in institucij.
Udeleženci bodo imeli priložnost spoznati uspešne slovenske delodajalce (Lek, član skupine Sandoz, Better, Novartis Slovenija, Zavarovalnica Triglav) ter se povezati z Zavodom RS za zaposlovanje, ki bo predstavil aktivnosti in podporne programe za Slovence po svetu. Poseben informativni dogodek bo namenjen tudi administrativnim izzivom ob vračanju v Slovenijo, kjer bodo predstavljene teme, kot so izračunavanje pokojninske dobe (ZPIZ), vrednotenje tujih diplom in nazivov (ENIC-NARIC center) ter vprašanja, povezana s štipendijami Ad futura in obveznostmi štipendistov (Javni štipendijski, razvojni, invalidski in preživninski sklad RS).
Več informacij in prijava: VTIS Karierni dnevi 2026 — VTIS
At the MOPS-9 Slovenian Language School, they are launching a new online lecture series titled Slovenian History 101, The course offers a structured overview of Slovenian history, from the Middle Ages and up to Slovenian independence. It will consist of five chapters, each delving into a period of Slovenian history in an informative, fun and engaging way:
- Chapter 1: From Roaming Tribes to Medieval Drama – The Migration Period & The Middle Ages
- Chapter 2: Reformation, Revolts, Revolutions – The Early Modern Period
- Chapter 3: Wars and Kingdoms: The Interwar Rollercoaster – World War I & The Interwar Period
- Chapter 4: Occupations, Partisans, and Socialist Surprises – World War II & Socialist Yugoslavia
- Chapter 5: “We Made It!” – Independent Slovenia – Independence & The Modern Era
The lectures will be delivered by Professor Aleksander Peklar, a respected history professor and the creator of the Izi zgodovina (Easy History) educational platform.
The lectures will be held online and conducted in English, so knowledge of Slovenian is not required. They will take place once a week, on Tuesdays at 19:00 CET, starting on March 10, 2026. The course consists of five individual lectures, and participants may register per lecture.
Pricing:
- The cost for one lecture is 17 € per person (additional bank fees might apply if not paid from a SEPA region country)
- The fee is paid for each chapter individually
- Attendance of 8 is required for each lecture to go ahead
Those interested can apply here: https://www.mops-9.si/slovenian-history-101
For further information contact Gregor Kladnik, email: mops9.pm1@gmail.com
For members of the British-Slovene Society only:
Notice is hereby given that The Annual General Meeting of the British-Slovene Society will be held at 5:30pm (UK Time) on Thursday 19th March online via Zoom. Any member may join the session.
AGENDA
- To receive and adopt the Report of the Trustees and Accounts for the year ended 31st December 2025
- To re-elect the following as Trustees, who retire by rotation and are offered for re-election: Marcus Ferrar, Evelina Ferrar
- To appoint a Secretary for the forthcoming year. Miha Košak has indicated his willingness to continue in office.
- To appoint a Treasurer for the forthcoming year. Andrej Ogorevc has indicated his willingness to continue in office.
- To appoint a Chairwoman for the forthcoming year. Evelina Ferrar has indicated her willingness to continue in office.
- To approve the Minutes of the AGM held on 27th February 2025.
- Any Other Business.
Please confirm your attendance by email to: miha.kosak@britishslovenesociety.org by close of business on Friday 13th March, 2026. You will then be sent an invitation to join the Zoom session together with instructions. You may also receive BSS Accounts for the year ending 31st December 2025 and the Chairwoman’s Statement.
In case you cannot attend the AGM and wish to vote, please use the Form of Proxy: 2026 BSS-AGM-Form-of-proxy
Evelina Ferrar, Chairwoman
You are kindly invited to take part in the British-Slovene Society’s Annual Prešeren celebration. The Slovene singer and songwriter Vlado Kreslin will once more perform for us.
- Saturday 28th February 2026. Drinks from 5:30, Dinner at 6:30 pm.
- The Memoir Club (previous name Ambassadors Bloomsbury Hotel), 12 Upper Woburn Place, London WC1H 0HX (undergrounds Euston, Euston Square, King’s Cross, Russell Square)
Booking will close on Friday 20th February end of business day. We recommend you book without delay, as the capacity of the venue is limited. It’s first come first served.
Rates:
– Paid up BSS Members £69, non-Members £84, students and under-18s £49.
For that you will enjoy a drinks reception, a three-course dinner with wine, Vlado Kreslin’s concert and a tombola with all sorts of attractive prizes.
Note: if you become a Member now, you benefit from the Member’s lower rate. Membership costs £25 per year, and £40 for families. You can pay for membership and the event together.
Reserve your places now using the online Application form
If you wish to make up your own party, you can indicate this in the Application Form. You can also advise any special dietary requirements.
We look forward to welcoming you!
We are grateful to the Slovenian Government Office for Slovenians Abroad and the Slovenian Embassy in the UK for supporting this event.
From the Slovenian Government Office for Slovenian Abroad we have received the following information about scholarships for courses of Slovene language for descendants of Slovenians
Jutranji in Popoldanski tečaj slovenskega jezika na spletu, pomlad 2026
- rok za prijavo: 1. februar 2026
Poletna šola slovenskega jezika v Ljubljani 2026
- rok za prijavo: 15. maj 2026
Jesenska šola slovenskega jezika v Ljubljani 2026
- rok za prijavo: 15. maj 2026
Jutranji in Popoldanski tečaj slovenskega jezika na spletu, jesen 2026
- rok za prijavo: 31. avgust 2026
Zimska šola slovenskega jezika v Ljubljani 2027
- rok za prijavo: 31. avgust 2026
Spomladanska šola slovenskega jezika v Ljubljani 2027
- rok za prijavo: 31. avgust 2026
For more details see the pages of the Centre for Slovene Language below:
https://centerslo.si/tecaji-za-odrasle/
You are kindly invited to take part in the British-Slovene Society’s Annual Prešeren celebration. The Slovene singer and songwriter Vlado Kreslin will once more perform for us.
- Saturday 28th February 2026. Drinks from 5:30, Dinner at 6:30 pm.
- The Memoir Club (previous name Ambassadors Bloomsbury Hotel), 12 Upper Woburn Place, London WC1H 0HX (undergrounds Euston, Euston Square, King’s Cross, Russell Square)
Booking is now open, and will close on Friday 20th February end of business day. We recommend you book early, as the capacity of the venue is limited. It’s first come first served.
Rates:
– Paid up BSS Members £69, non-Members £84, students and under-18s £49.
For that you will enjoy a drinks reception, a three-course dinner with wine, Vlado Kreslin’s concert and a tombola with all sorts of attractive prizes.
Note: if you become a Member now, you benefit from the Member’s lower rate. Membership costs £25 per year, and £40 for families. You can pay for membership and the event together.
Reserve your places now using the online Application form
If you wish to make up your own party, you can indicate this in the Application Form. You can also advise any special dietary requirements.
The tombola will benefit Barka, the charity for people with special needs that we support in Slovenia.
We look forward to welcoming you!
We are grateful to the Slovenian Government Office for Slovenians Abroad and the Slovenian Embassy in the UK for supporting this event.
Dear British-Slovene Society Members and friends,
I wish you all good fortune for the New Year we have just started.
I politely remind Members that your 2026 Membership is due to be paid now: £25 for an individual, £40 for a family (max. 5 members), and £15 for a full-time student. If you have already paid by Standing Order or bank transfer, many thanks.
If you are not yet a Member, I urge you to consider joining us – see https://britishslovenesociety.org/membership/ . We offer a range of events throughout the year — the next is the Prešeren Evening in London with Vlado Kreslin on 28th February.
Your support is much appreciated. Trustees give their services pro bono, but organising activities always requires some expenditure.
With warmest wishes,
Trustees of the British-Slovene Society