About Narava

Narava Farm – A Heartfelt Mission Rooted in Nature and Humanity

Who We Are

Founded in 2003, the Narava Farm is 100% non-profit, family friendly and working on voluntary basis, community-driven initiative dedicated to fostering social care and intercultural exchange through partnerships with host farms and European organizations. Each year, we create inclusive programs in Slovenia that support families, single parents, youth, and individuals with diverse abilities. 

Our work includes:

• Social care support and professional guidance for families, single parents and youth clients.  

• Daytime activities for youth (ages 15+) with pizza or cooking workshops

• Programs for persons with disabilities - outdoor adventures for the visual impaired.

• Women’s shelters and outdoor self-defense classes

• Animal-assisted therapy for children

• Community Food Days and shared meals—all operated on a voluntary and non-profit basis
  
  

We also offer sponsored outdoor holidays or exchange for low-income families and single parents, allowing them to reconnect with nature with their child(ren) and receive social support when needed.

Note:  out of safety and protocols, we cannot allow persons with paranoid disorder, extreme mental illnesses and persons with a serious criminal history to join.  In the event that this does occur and participate in our exchange or social programs without mentioning and any form of undesirable behavior would occurs, we must proceed with immediate removal from the Narava Farm and contact the authorities in case of need. 

For those that wants to join the farm outside our exchange or social program, we offer this for you as individuals, as group or scout organisation and stay with us with your own tent within one of our humble farm pitches around.  This is offered non-profit, Include basic breakfast, dinner, coffee, thea and fruit sirop for only 15 euro per day, per person . Enjoy the community setup and the stunning local area. Children under the age of 12 are exempt from the contribution and sponsored by the foundation.

In 2018, we proudly returned to our roots by launching a new European foundation operating in Slovenia and across the EU, including Croatia, Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands. Each year, we introduce positive new projects, often in collaboration with volunteers and exchange participants who also assist local elderly residents, charities, and schools.

We are a proudly multilingual and inclusive community, offering communication and support in Slovenian, English, German, and Dutch.

How It All Started

Back to the Roots: A Personal Journey with a battle to continue to help others from the heart
By the Founder

Hello! My name is Jack. From a very young age, I dreamed of helping others, protecting nature and animals, exploring the world, and embracing cultures through food, music, martial arts, and kindness. These passions led me to volunteer in intercultural exchange and nature farm programs across Europe and beyond.

My heart has always been with those who cannot defend themselves—those mistreated because of their nationality, culture, religion, or the color of their skin. That deep desire to stand up for others has shaped every step of my journey.

As a child, I fell in love with German Shepherds. My first dog, Max, was rejected from police training—I adopted him when I was young, and we were inseparable for 12 years. Along the way, my passion for animals grew to include exotic and wild species. This love led me into the world of wildlife rescue, where I worked alongside veterinarians and animal experts to help injured, abandoned, or confiscated animals—both in the wild and in captivity. Through this experience, I gained hands-on skills in animal care, emergency response, and social support for families. These abilities later proved vital during my work with international refugee aid programs, where I also received professional-level first aid training.

Over the years, I worked my way through many industries—kitchens, bars, construction, logistics, security, and social services—while building friendships across cultures and shaping my dreams. Thanks to the support of a good friend, I was able to start a successful technical construction and amusement company. Later, I expanded this into a low-budget summer travel organization focused on guided tours in Slovenia and Croatia for youth, families, and people with disabilities, including the visually impaired.

Helping others has always been my purpose. My grandmother taught me from an early age the importance of kindness, sharing food, and asking a simple yet powerful question: “How can I help?”

My journey into cooking began as a teenager—at first, just to earn money for martial arts lessons. I didn’t enjoy it at first, but under the guidance of a strict Japanese chef, I learned discipline, passion, and structure—qualities that still guide me today. That kitchen also introduced me to my Aikido and Kendo teacher, Tsuyoshi, who later became a dear friend and mentor. He taught me Zen Buddhism, meditation, and the path of self-discovery. After he returned to Japan, I continued my martial arts practice with Taekwondo and Kenpo, both of which brought further balance and strength to my life. These lessons, along with the wisdom of my beloved grandmother and my grandfather—a well-respected army sergeant—led me toward a life of peace, service, and resilience.

In 2018, I returned to Slovenia to reconnect with my roots and reinvest in my homeland. I devoted my businesses to supporting 100% non-profit, volunteer-based initiatives, collaborating with people of all abilities and backgrounds. With the help of a visually impaired friend, I finally brought and build a longtime dream to life: the creation of Narava Farm, a social intercultural community space for diverse groups and families.

At Narava Farm, I’m building more than just a farm—I’m creating a cultural sanctuary. A place where families, friends, and neighbors can gather for good food, entertainment, and meaningful exchange. A place where people from all walks of life, including those with disabilities or limited means, can feel welcome and supported.

My next goals are to expand the farm even more in the coming years, unfortunate with some delay.  We had to start certain parts all over again from scratch because of major storms and floods in 2023. It left us for over 60.000 euro of damage that the insurance did not covered. This natural disaster damaged many farms, houses, buildings and infrastructure in the country and some even lost all.

We will now over the years, create additional rooms, another studio for our general target groups on the tap floor, open kitchen with dinning bar in our clubhouse for the community food days in the winter period. Mini cuddle zoo, which is directly connected to a studio with more sleeping places, such as for families and individuals within our exchange or social animal therapy program. The idea is in the near future to build a small exotic educational exhibit featuring rescued animals — creating joy and awareness for visitors while continuing my life’s mission of care and protection.

I’ve given everything I have to make Narava Farm a special family friendly place—for my own children and many other children from the local community and our guests. I am a there for those as confidential contact person and for the social support as the guide within the intercultural exchange.

With expanding each year again and given everything I got to continue the mission of the heart, we had some adventures with it, we had to overcome the storms and floods in 2023, I that became unexpected a full-time single father due to illness.  In the most positive ways, we continue and spending time with many cultures, having such a wonderful and most happy life with loving family and friends around us, I regularly started to commit myself again as temporary guardian of youth clients within Europe and support towards their parent(s).  Every year we support scout associations and groups on a contribution food budget with educational and fun programs at the Narava Farm and its beautiful surroundings, supporting students who want to discover themselves between or after their higher education, families in need with hight support for the community, the elderly and persons with disabilities.

The journey is everyday more amazing,  privileged to continue all the dreams and continue help others. The heart and soul in the Narava Farm is so much alive. In the end and  had given up my companies and second home.  I made sure I gave it all, so that the Narava Farm could becoming more and more of a special place, legacy for my own  children and every year with new creations and efforts by and for many target groups, for our local community, and for everyone who believes in kindness, inclusion, and intercultural connection.       

What We Do More 

From the heart, Narava Farm continues to grow as a place of refuge, healing, and celebration of cultures. We provide:

• Affordable accommodation for low-income families and single parents

• Inclusive cultural exchange programs

• Sponsored retreats during summer holidays, Christmas, and New Year

• Opportunities for youth to gain structure, discipline, and joy

• Outdoor cooking workshops, nature hikes, and community bonding

Our programs are built on resilience, compassion, and genuine care for others.

A Message to You

This page isn’t just about our organization—it’s about believing in yourself. No matter how difficult life gets, your dreams matter. Keep fighting for them and those that you love.

We thank everyone who has supported our mission—with time, donations, building materials, or simply kind words.

Feel welcome. Help us grow. Join our mission to create a better world.
Together, we can build a lasting legacy of kindness, intercultural exchange, and community support.

Visit Us in Slovenia

Located near the green pearl of the Idrijca River and the stunning Soča Valley, Narava Farm is a place for people of all backgrounds to connect, heal, and grow.

Let’s walk this journey together.

Jack (Owner of Farm Narava)