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Description
The project stimulates the direct participation of young Ukrainian refugees in the public life of Bulgaria. The war forced over 15,000 refugees to seek asylum in Burgas region and to start a new life in a new environment. In a state of post-traumatic stress, they have yet to socialize and plan their future. The Virtual Hyde Park "Voice of Youth" will help them by creating a practical program for civic engagement.
Young people spend most of their time in the internet space, that''s where the project will develop. 15 Ukrainian young people will be trained through online mentoring and 1 face-to-face training. They will acquire new knowledge about their rights and opportunities; they will create a podcast that will provoke critical thinking and active citizenship on topics such as human rights, democratic principles, advocacy, etc.; they will also share their knowledge with their peers and will appeal them to the idea of youth civic engagement and participation in the virtual Hyde Park. The project will be held online in six sessions/once a month/ and it will be a digital space for free sharing of problems and ways to solve them. It will be also a way for direct contact with local institutions. The Virtual Hyde Park will be free for the public and young people will be encouraged to seek solutions to problems through dialogue with representatives of the institutions. Кey figures will answer their questions, they will participate as interlocutors and will take part in the podcasts.
Target groups and direct beneficiaries of the project are Ukrainian refugee youth between the ages of 18 and 29. Through its activities, the project will not only help to reduce the negative effects of the war, but will also convince Ukrainian youth that their future life is their responsibility now. It will instill peace and confidence in their strength in a longer term and will stimulate them to actively get involved in the public and social life in Bulgaria.
Summary of project results
The project aimed to identify the problems of the Ukrainian refugees with a temporary residence status in Burgas region and to create opportunities for their integration in the local community. During the implementation of the project, around 20,000 Ukrainian refugees with temporary protection status resided in the Burgas region, and their number varied depending on their choice of place of residence and the course of the war in their country.
The project created a practical programme to stimulate the direct participation of Ukrainian refugees in Bulgarian public life and public policymaking. By holding a Virtual Hyde Park, a digital space was created for the free sharing of problems and the search for ways to solve them, as well as for direct contact with local institutions. 11 Ukrainian refugees were trained in a mentoring programme and became social mediators in support of their compatriots, 9 episodes of a podcast were produced and published in the public space on topical issues related to the problems of refugees in the region /on YouTube and on the project''s Facebook page/, 3 information days were held, information flyers were issued and a handbook in Ukrainian "Guide to the Burgas Region. To help those fleeing the war in Ukraine". The handbook is also present in the digital space through the project''s Facebook page, which is regularly updated with up-to-date information. For the implementation of the activities, the NGO "Horizons" has attracted as supporters various local structures - the Regional Administration, the Municipality of Burgas, the Honorary Consulate of Ukraine in Burgas, community centers, organizations of the Ukrainian diaspora, etc.
By conducting a Virtual Hyde Park "The Voice of the Young" the main problems hindering the cultural adaptation and social integration of Ukrainian refugees in the Burgas region were identified and concrete activities were carried out to suggest ways to solve the problems:
- A 9-episode podcast offering solutions to the most pressing problems.
- Trained 11 social mediators, helping their compatriots to participate in public life.
- Publication of a guidebook "Guide to the Burgas Region. To help those fleeing the war in Ukraine" in Ukrainian. The handbook was distributed among Ukrainian refugees and the growing Ukrainian diaspora in the Burgas region.
- A series of meetings with various state and local organizations, who were informed about the main problems faced by Ukrainian refugees in the region.