“Enter the park. Step onto your game“
Funded by the National Youth Program, № 13/066/ПЗ-036.
“Enter the park. Step onto your game” is a project for improving the environment of the areas between the blocks of Sofia. The idea was provoked by the insufficient physical activity of children and young people and provided an opportunity for joint activities, entertainment, and communication. With the help of many volunteers, between September 2013 and March 2014, we built the first-ever for the country of Bulgaria open-air board games on a large scale. “Don’t be mad, man”, “Lady” and “Snakes and Ladders” came to life with impressive dimensions of the asphalt and the pawns were replaced by the participants themselves. Many people had the opportunity to play and have fun at any time in the following places:
- Bull. “Hristo Botev”, the area between Clokotnitsa Str. and Struga Str.
- Bull. “Hristo Botev” – the garden in front of the Center for Transfusable Hematology;
- the garden next to the CAT, Lachezar Stanchev St.
- the garden on Charles Darwin St., near block 48.
- the garden behind the Japanese Embassy.
The project also included the creation of a booklet of childhood games to promote outdoor activities and interaction between children. The booklet introduces more than 20 almost forgotten games, such as “Dodgeball”, “Field”, “I drop a handkerchief”, “Guards and Apaschi”, etc.
“Youth Academy for Social Change“
Funded by the National Youth Program, № НПМ-127-П2/ 2014.
The project “Youth Academy for Social Change” was focused on increasing the capacity of young people, their civic education, their active participation in social, economic, and cultural life, and the development of their leadership qualities. The main goal was to encourage the civic activity of young people of the Pazardzhik district and to mobilize their participation in democratic processes and social and political decision-making on a local level. In 2015, the Association team implemented field research of the needs and interests of over 250 young people (aged 18-29 years) from the municipalities of Pazardzhik, Batak, Belovo, Bratsigovo, Velingrad, Lesichovo, Panagyurishte, Peshtera, Rakitovo, Septemvri, and Strelcha. Based on the survey results and the prepared analysis, we defined criteria for the selection of 50 young people, who will participate in The Academy for Social Change – young people with strong motivation to develop their leadership qualities and to look for opportunities for improving the environment of the community life.
The first module of the Academy’s program was dedicated to the participants’ personal growth and awareness of their strengths and potential, as well as the increase of their confidence and self-esteem. During the second module, the young people were introduced to the essence of democratic processes, the power of the structured dialogue, human rights, and opportunities for active participation in decision-making processes, etc. At last, divided into three teams, participants launched the planning of initiatives, which are meant to illustrate the youth leadership at improving the environment and quality of life on a local level. The participants united around the absolute realization of a concept – to create an informal youth group, which as a result will be an advisory council of Pazardzhik district, whereas on the premises in the Youth House of Pazardzhik to organize initiatives to support other young people from the local community. With the support of a wide range of interested parties (the local authority, representatives of NGO and business, etc.) and because of the acquired in the Academy skills, the participants successfully actualized their idea.
“Youth career advisers”
Funded by the National Youth Program, № НПМ-021-П2-ТО4/2016.
Between February 2016 and March 2017, has been carried out a project “Youth career advisers“ aimed at building a capacity of young people from the municipality of Pazardzhik to provide career guidance and consultation to their peers. In the town of Velingrad, we conducted tutelage of 25 young participants who were introduced to the elements of the career path, sources of orientation and realization, career guidance models, etc. The main achievement of the training was the creation of an interactive product to assist in their future work with peers. The participants were given a task within two weeks of the end of the training program to develop a concept of interactive cards to support the informing and career guidance. Based on the received knowledge and skills, during the training, and with a view to their own needs and the reality in Pazardzhik Province, they developed the topic-based content and the design of the cards. Then we printed 50 sets of career cards. Every set contains 32 interactive cards with text and visualization, whereas the method of working with them is subject to the principles of non-formal education and experiential learning. The finished cards were given to youth career counselors and other interested parties to work with them during the field consultations with young people.
“Entrepreneurship Guide”
Funded by the National Youth Program, № НПМ-021-П2-ТО4/2019.
The “Entrepreneurship Guide” has been carried out between October 2019 and July 2020 and the goal was to develop proactive entrepreneurial thinking and motivation for the economic activity of young people aged 15-19 years. At the beginning of the project was formed a team of young future entrepreneurs, who were taught to create innovative tools to promote initiative and creative thinking among their peers. The participants took part in practical laboratories and created with the endorsement of the coaches 20 different types of tools that were implemented in the so-called Entrepreneurship Guide. The Guide is an interactive map with an original design and questions that follow a certain logical order so that young entrepreneurs can lay down and achieve their goals. After the guide was printed, volunteers distributed it to 500 young people from the town of Varna, in outdoor meetings, due to the epidemiological situation resulting from COVID-19. The last pursuit of the project was an entrepreneurial marathon, wherein the most active young people and young entrepreneurs from the previous projects took part, who divided into teams and in a competitive format developed entrepreneurial ideas and plans for their realization.
“Life Without Aggression!“
Funded by the National Program for Implementation of Youth Activities under art. 10a of the 2018 gambling law, № НПИМД-041-НЗ/2018.
The project “Life Without Aggression” was directed towards effective prevention of display of aggression and violence among young people, promoting a healthy lifestyle, and building motivation for physical activity and sports. Through education and specialized preparation, we turned 20 young people from Sofia into delegates of socially responsible behavior. With non-formal education and experiential learning methods, the delegates have acquired the knowledge and skills to influence their peers to prevent aggression and create conditions for a healthy life. To multiply the effect of what they learned, the delegates arranged 4 information campaigns on the territory of Lovech district, wherein were included 70 young people. During the period of implementation of the project (May 2018 – October 2018), various information materials (including “Almanac for the work of youth delegates”) were created and disseminated, in which we summarized recommendations for promoting healthy habits among young people and techniques for prevention of risky behavior.
“Together Against Aggression”
Funded by the National Program for Implementation of Youth Activities under art. 10a of the 2018 gambling law, № НПИМД-041-НЗ/2018.
The project “Together Against Aggression” was a peculiar upgrade to the efforts of the Society Compass Association to create conditions for safe and independent living of young people and build skills for recognition of risk factors. The project activities included 4-day interactive training through non-formal educational methods. The training was attended by 20 young people from the town of Sofia aged 24–29, who acquired lasting knowledge, skills, and orientation through trial and experience to create conditions for building socially responsible behavior and preventing aggression among their peers. The training was focused on the promotion of behavior in a tolerant manner in all its forms, including online, and building motivation to accept differences. The trained young people became ambassadors of the project and pursued specialized forums for the creation of volunteer teams in the cities of Lovech, Troyan, Velingrad, and Bansko, who multiplied the messages of the campaign and spread the informative materials created for this purpose. The so-called established network of young people thus influenced nearly 5,000 of their peers by introducing them to the consequences of aggressive behavior, prevention methods, and the benefits of practicing outdoor sports.
