Description
The project addresses the need for the young in Smolyan District to be more actively involved in the civil society. The project aims at developing young people’s competences and skills to advocate their ideas through a series of trainings. First, the project will be presented to the young, youth organizations, local decision-makers and community to attract at least 50 participants. Second, the needs of the young will be analyzed through questionnaires. Third, about 82 people will be trained during 4 two-day trainings on civic engagement, the use of ICT in the work of NGOs and the civil society, self-development and active citizenship. Fourth, a demo workshop on improving the urban environment with voluntary labour will be held. Finally, young people will be encouraged to take part in public discussions. The project will benefit young people, the local authorities and communities in Smolyan District. The partner will help with its expertise for the trainings and demo workshop.
Summary of project results
The project addressed the need for the young in Smolyan District to be more actively involved in the civil society. It managed to achieve one of its main goals to develop the competence and skills to improve the quality of representation and argumentation of the ideas of young people before the competent authorities about issues of importance to the community. The project recorded increased interest in public discussions and the work of the municipal council. 121 young people from Smolyan and 27 representatives of NGOs, municipal and state structures joined the training sessions, public discussions, the discussion seminar and the demonstration workshop. The six local campaigns strongly targeted at young people attracted great public interest: the Green Smiles of Our Children, three-day sessions with the children from the kindergarten; Six Million Bulgarians. One Rhodope Mountain. Let’s take care of it, a photo exhibition of the Rhodope Mountain; Our Future is in Our Hands; Let’s Read Together, an initiative of the school children from Vocational Secondary School for Technics and Technology in Smolyan; This is Who We Are, the Young People of Smolyan, an exhibition presenting youth projects and Book Houses. The project partner was the Norwegian Forandre Verden (Change the World) whose speakers helped broaden the outlook of the youth audience and prompted young people to act. The two partners continue to develop together two more joint projects. For more information about the project, please visit
www.active.ngogrants.ecorodopi.eu
Summary of bilateral results
As a result of the project the two partnering organisations (Ecoworld Rhodopes and Change the World Norway) improved their knowledge and understanding of each other and are currently developing two more joint projects under the Erasmus+ Programme. The Norwegian partner participated in the project by sharing its experience in work with youth activists and its experts took part in the training of Bulgarian youths conducted in Smolyan in April 2015. They helped broaden the outlook of the youth audience and prompted young people to act. The partners have many common interests, common understandings, common goals, similar ways of working which made the contacts easy from the very beginning. Especially valuable is the analysis made by the Norwegian experts and their appreciation for the capacity of young people from Smolyan.