“The Youth Policy in the Hands of Adolescents”  

Funded by the European Commission’s Youth in Action Program. 

The goal of the project was to improve the environment for personal and professional development of young people from the North Central Region – in terms of their awareness of the possibilities of youth programs, as well as in terms of youth proactivity, social entrepreneurship, and youth participation in the implementation of policies at a local level. 

The realization of the project is divided into several phases lasting 4 months. 

• The first phase included a discussion about youth engagement and activity with those responsible for creating and implementing these policies in places, work meetings with representatives of educational institutions, youth political organizations, and discussions with representatives of local and national authorities – on one hand. On the other hand– by surveying the local youth to identify their current needs, acquaintance with the national and European youth programs, the structure of local government, strategies of the local authority, and establishing their motivation to participate in policy creation and implementation. 
• The second phase included activities to improve the information culture of young people in terms of current opportunities, encouraging partnerships with the local authority, and youth participation in solving community problems. During this phase was held a 5-day national meeting, which included 50 young people (16-29 years old) from small municipalities in the North Central Region/ Ruse Province (Byala, Dve Mogili, Vetovo, Tsenovo, etc.), representatives of the local authority, those responsible for the youth policy, youth workers, business representatives, national youth organizations, etc. The structural dialogue was illustrated, and debates about future youth’s participation in improving existing programs and strategic documents took place between those responsible for youth policies and local government representatives.

The third phase of the project was dedicated to creating conditions for youth proactivity. The young people themselves realized their ideas for improving the social environment in cooperation with the local authority.