Dan Poljšak

Born on 14th February 1997
Young captain, inventor, constructor and painter

He lives in Škofja Loka with his family. Being a student of the High School, Electro and Maritime School Piran, orientation navigation technician, he currently resides in the Portorož Student Hall of Residence. He was born into a sailing family so the sea means life to him and he has sea stories to tell every day.

Notable achievements and projects up to now:

sports sailor and multiple-time national champion, member of the Slovenian team in the Optimist class
two solo art exhibitions -models, sketches, plans and oil canvases
design and construction of the sailing boat called Schkrga at 12 years old; the project was documented by a TV crew
maintenance of Schkrga and sailing with the young; teaching young people the basics of maritime skills
1st prize winner at the international art competition Volvo Ocean Race Art Competition for the drawing of the sailing boat of the future
In October 2012 he had the chance to experience an unforgettable training day with the crew of Esimit Europa 2 sailing boat in the Gulf of Trieste.

Japec Jakopin, Seaway

»It is becoming more and more obvious that new posts in Slovenia can only be created by the power of creativity, innovativeness and the achievements of the coming generations. The exceptional excellence of these achievements will amaze the world. They will make us better known to the world and strengthen our national identity. We strongly believe that young Dan, who has already impressed us with his achievements, is one of these opportunities for Slovenia.«

Violeta Bulc, European Commissioner

»Dan possesses extremely strong creative energy, the wit of a child, and the ability to anticipate things beyond the horizons of the known world. What is more, he has some outstanding characteristics which normally develop later in life. These are the ability to focus; the utter devotion to a project or an idea; and organisational skills reflected in his successfully performed projects.

Dan’s creative world attracts many of Dan’s peers who follow his ideas and learn from him. Young people need young role models like Dan and the support of adults at the same time to be able to activate themselves in their environment and contribute to its development. Prosperity of a society depends on its positive attitude towards intra generational networking and the ability to generate ambitious ideas.