SLOVAKIA In Slovakia we have established a Community Center focusing primarily on after school activities for young people.  The activities include a variety of sports, training in music creation and production, movies followed by discussion, educational seminars, along with an ESL school which will be opening in the fall of 2006.  The goal for the Center is to raise up young leaders who will be trained to reproduce this model in smaller cities and villages throughout Slovakia.  Short term teams and individuals are welcome to join us in this exciting new ministry. The following information is from the CIA World Factbook: Background: In 1918 the Slovaks joined the closely related Czechs to form Czechoslovakia. Following the chaos of World War II, Czechoslovakia became a Communist nation within Soviet-ruled Eastern Europe. Soviet influence collapsed in 1989 and Czechoslovakia once more became free. The Slovaks and the Czechs agreed to separate peacefully on 1 January 1993. Slovakia joined both NATO and the EU in the spring of 2004. Population: 5,439,448 (July 2006 est.) Executive: chief of state: President Ivan GASPAROVIC (since 15 June 2004) head of government: Prime Minister Mikulas DZURINDA (since 30 October 1998); Deputy Prime Ministers Ivan MIKLOS and Pal CSAKY (since 30 October 1998); Deputy Prime Ministers Daniel LIPSIC and Jirko MALCHAREK (since October 2005) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister elections: president elected by direct, popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 3 April and 17 April 2004 (next to be held April 2009); following National Council elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of a majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the president election results: Ivan GASPAROVIC elected president in runoff; percent of vote - Ivan GASPAROVIC 59.9%, Vladimir MECIAR 40.1%; Mikulas DZURINDA reappointed prime minister October 2002 following general elections the previous month note: government coalition - SDKU, SMK, KDH Economy: Slovakia has mastered much of the difficult transition from a centrally planned economy to a modern market economy. The DZURINDA government made excellent progress during 2001-04 in macroeconomic stabilization and structural reform. Major privatizations are nearly complete, the banking sector is almost completely in foreign hands, and the government has helped facilitate a foreign investment boom with business-friendly policies, such as labor market liberalization and a 19% flat tax. Foreign investment in the automotive sector has been strong. Slovakia's economic growth exceeded expectations in 2001-05, despite the general European slowdown. Unemployment, at an unacceptable 15% in 2003-04, dropped to 11.4% in 2005, but remains the economy's Achilles heel. Slovakia joined the EU on 1 May 2004. Religions: Roman Catholic 68.9%, Protestant 10.8%, Greek Catholic 4.1%, other or unspecified 3.2%, none 13% (2001 census) Languages: Slovak (official) 83.9%, Hungarian 10.7%, Roma 1.8%, Ukrainian 1%, other or unspecified 2.6% (2001 census)