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Description
The main objective of the project is to improve the quality of life of young people in Burgas, including those at risk and socially disadvantaged, by establishing an International Youth Center that will meet the high standards of the Council of Europe for youth work and providing quality, diverse and complex services for the youth sector, and also a modern and efficient cultural infrastructure. The Center activities will be aimed at supporting and improving the quality of life of young people aged 15-29 by conducting informal cultural and educational activities, providing quality services to young people in accordance with their needs, promoting activity and creativity of young people and improving international youth cooperation. The services to be provided will be available to all young people, including representatives of low-income families, people with disabilities, youth from ethnic minorities, as well as those living in small and remote settlements around the city of Burgas. Specific objectives: create appropriate conditions for an informal environment, infrastructure and capacity building to provide modern, innovative, cultural and educational activities and to establish an educational partnership between young people and professionals meeting the needs of the youth sector in Burgas region; provide opportunities for non-formal education in the areas of democratic values, human rights, youth participation and social rights of young people, including those from vulnerable groups, by creating a local model of an active and dynamic youth society in the region; provide educational support to young people who are still in the education system, who have dropped out or are at risk of dropping out; promote national and international cooperation and exchange of good practices in the youth sector between youth centers and their stakeholders.
Summary of project results
The need for an attractive youth spade offering various opportunities to young people, meeting their needs, as well as for trained specialists who meet the needs of young people and have the motivation and desire to work for the benefit of young people has been identified. The need for more activities to increase the engagement and inclusion of young people during their free time has also been identified, through the implementation of various activities aimed at overcoming social exclusion, harmful addictions and other challenges facing young people, for the integration and inclusion of vulnerable groups of young people (groups with a higher risk of poverty, ethnic minorities and other young people at risk), increasing the skills and competencies of young people, acquisition of other key knowledge and abilities, activities to involve young people in the processes of their empowerment. The need for building the capacity of the Municipality of Burgas in the implementation of the activities and the implementation of established good practices in the youth sector has also been identified.
As result of the project implementation, the following has been achieved:
1. The Youth Center offers a physical space that is specially designed and equipped for events such as trainings, conferences, seminars and cultural events that stimulate the active participation of young people. The center employs a team of youth workers and educational mediators trained through the project, who organize and conduct events that meet the interests of young people. The International Youth Center is recognized as an attractive place for the development of soft skills in young people, as well as for social inclusion and engagement.
2. The project has created opportunities for inclusion in various youth, meetings and cultural exchange programs. The intensity and diversity of implemented activities contributed to the formation of a youth society that continues to grow.
3. The Center provided opportunities for young people to get involved in volunteer and social initiatives, which not only strengthens their social engagement, but also develops leadership skills and teamwork abilities.
4. The project offered nonformal training, mentoring and workshops to improve the skills of young people in the field of democracy, active citizenship, empowerment, entrepreneurship, innovation and technology.
5. Within the framework of the project, sustainable partnerships were built with the Municipality of Reykjavik, with the International Youth Centers in Dobrich, Vratsa, Montana, Stara Zagora, Plovdiv, Pernik, Gabrovo. A National Network of Youth Centers in Bulgaria was expanded. Successful youth exchanges and trainings were implemented through partnerships.
6. The Youth Center actively included young people from different ethnic groups from socially disadvantaged strata of society in its activities. Its activities also covered small settlements in the region, where young people have limited access to youth activities and culture.
The new building of the International Youth Center - Burgas was built, which was recognized as an attractive place for young people, offering various opportunities that meet the needs of young people. As a result of the implemetation of the activities of the project, the main goal was achieved: improving the quality of life of young people in the territory of Burgas. Over 4,500 young people (aged between 15 and 29) benefitted from the project, of which nearly 800 from vulnerable groups. Variety of activities were implemented - human rights education, rule of law and democracy using non-formal education methods, youth activity, empowerment, improving creative skills, critical thinking, emotional intelligence, digital, information, financial literacy and entrepreneurial skills of all these participants. Educational courses were provided for people whose mother tongue is different from Bulgarian, as well as support for children of Roma origin to continue their education. A good practice for exchanging experience with all youth centers and young people from different regions was established, through the annual social and health campus organized by the Burgas Youth Center. The most remote places and regions in all 12 municipalities of Burgas District were reached through various nonformal activities. Successful partnerships were realized with other youth centers in the country, part of the National Network of Youth Centers in Bulgaria.
The implementation of the project contributed to the creation of sustainable partnership relations with the Municipality of Reykjavik, Iceland, with over 50 participants participating in the exchanges from the donor country and the beneficiary country.
Summary of bilateral results
The implementation of the project contributed to the creation of sustainable partnership relations with the Municipality of Reykjavik, Iceland, with over 50 participants participating in the exchanges from the donor country and the beneficiary country.A total of five exchanges of experience were carried out, two in Reykjavik and three in Burgas. Representatives from the donor country participated in two exchanges in Bulgaria, where young people from Iceland and Bulgaria exchanged experiences in the fields of culture, art, food. In the last exchange in Bulgaria, the partners took part in the opening ceremony of the new Youth Center building on 19.12.2024.26 representatives of the beneficiary (management team, youth workers, Roma educational mediators and young people) participated in two exchanges in Iceland, where they visited different youth centers and got acquainted with the ideology and work practice, group activites and methods used in youth work in youth centres in Reykjavik.