Roots That Carry the Future

Ambassador of Knowledge, intergenerational learning, and the quiet strength of sustainability

Recognising Jakob Slejko for his documentary work — a moment where knowledge is not claimed, but passed on.

When I received the Ambassador of Knowledge recognition, I found myself reflecting on a simple but essential question: What is knowledge, really — and who does it belong to?

Is it something we accumulate and own, or something we are entrusted to carry forward?

The answer became tangible in the moment I had the honour of recognising Jakob Slejko for his work.

Knowledge that does not shout — it takes root

Jakob’s message and the documentary film he created tell a story shaped not by trends or strategies, but by time, land, and responsibility.

The Reference certificate was awarded to Jakob for the exceptionally demanding documentary film he created, in which he gathered historical facts and photographs and travelled to trace the story of his own family across generations. Through the film, Jakob shows how knowledge, responsibility, and care for the land are learned and carried forward over time — from his great-grandfather Anton, who planted the first vines more than a century ago, to the present day.

Rather than presenting sustainability as a concept, the film reveals intergenerational learning as a lived process, where values are transferred through practice, memory, and stewardship.

Three generations, one landscape. Learning that lives in practice, memory, and shared responsibility.

This is where intergenerational learning becomes visible.

Not as a theory, but as a shared presence: older and younger generations standing in the same landscape, carrying different roles, yet bound by the same responsibility. Knowledge here is not taught — it is absorbed, repeated, and gradually inherited.

The beginning of the story: roots planted more than a century ago.

In the film, Jakob reflects on the deep historical layers shaping his family’s journey. He recalls a time when different flags were flying over the region, when centuries of the Habsburg monarchy culminated in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and when his great-grandfather Anton first planted the vines that began the Slejko family story.

That act was not guided by long-term strategies or sustainability frameworks. It was guided by survival, care, and trust in the land — yet it created continuity that still carries meaning today.

Sustainability as a lived choice, not a slogan

Today, the Slejko family cultivates their vineyards without pesticides, respecting natural rhythms and soil life. Indigenous grape varieties such as Zelen and Pinela are preserved not out of nostalgia, but because biological and cultural diversity are foundations of resilience.

This is sustainability that does not need to perform.It is visible in restraint, continuity, and long-term care.

Jakob also presented his documentary film on Agrovizija, an online platform dedicated to promoting agriculture and increasing public understanding of food production and rural livelihoods. By doing so, he extended a deeply personal family story into a shared learning space — making inherited knowledge accessible beyond its place of origin.

Knowledge moves forward through work — not through words alone.

Why I wanted to recognise Jakob

Because his work embodies what Ambassador of Knowledge truly means to me:

• knowledge that does not break

• learning that does not rush

• sustainability that does not seek attention
  

Jakob represents quiet knowledge — knowledge that lives in land, community, and responsibility across generations. Knowledge that cannot be transferred through presentations alone, but through example, presence, and care.

Peace, learning, and sustainability grow the same way

Through my work with Peace Circle, I have witnessed the same truth in many cultural contexts: when children, parents, and grandparents come together around shared action — planting trees, caring for land, telling stories — something emerges that cannot be designed or forced.

A circle is not drawn. It is planted.

Closing reflection

This recognition was not only about one individual. It was a gesture toward roots — the kind that make the future possible.

If we wish to build truly sustainable societies, we must learn to listen to stories that have grown slowly, quietly, and faithfully over time — and that have carried life forward without demanding recognition.

Thank you, Jakob, for reminding us of this. And thank you to all those who carry knowledge forward — patiently, responsibly, and with care. Mika Vanhanen

Founder, Peace Circle®

Ambassador of Knowledge