The Bulgarian Safer Internet Center took part in the second edition of the International Youth Festival “Act and Impact”, organised by the Municipal Enterprise “Youth Center Plovdiv”, which took place on 2-5 June 2023.
During the festival, Dr Emanuil Georgiev, expert of the Bulgarian SIC (at the Applied Research and Communications Fund) conducted a workshop on “Young people as active digital citizens” for the participants (young people, youth workers and other professionals working with young people, etc.). During the interactive session, various aspects of online safety and digital media literacy were discussed. The SIC’s expert also presented successful models and useful tools for working with teenagers and young people to develop their digital media skills and competencies and to prepare them for active digital citizenship (as the Cyberscout programme and the activities of the Bulgarian SIC’s Youth panel including You Are the Hero campaign countering Cyber bullying).
Other workshops on career guidance, scout trials, mental health, creative writing and more were also held within the youth festival. These were conducted by representatives of the Municipal Council on Narcotic Substances of the town of Kardzhali, the National Youth Forum, the Portuguese Sport and Youth Institute (IPDJ), “School of Life” Foundation, “Together” Studio (with Elena Stoycheva), Leader Academy, the National Scout Organization of Bulgaria, “Young People Talk” Youth Association, the International Youth Center of Burgas, the Youth Center Plovdiv, and the International Youth Center of Stara Zagora.
World and European Champion Canoest Staniliya Stamenova was a special guest to the event and talked to the young people about her path as a professional athlete and successes and challenges in her life.
The Bulgarian Safer Internet Center also maintained its own booth at an exhibition, where visitors to the Rowing Base in Plovdiv had the opportunity to learn about the activities of over 25 youth and volunteer organizations at the national and international level.
The festival was a celebration for young people, as well as for those who work for and with them. The event was opened with the welcome of Georgi Tityukov – Deputy Mayor in sharge of Sport, Youth Activities and Social Policy of the city of Plovdiv and with performances by the young people from the ART CREW vocal group and the folklore group formed under the youth initiative “Month of Folk Dances”.
Representatives of other Bulgarian organisations as Europe Direct Plovdiv, Paleontological Museum of Asenovgrad, the Center for Educational Integration of Children and Students, the Bulgarian Youth Red Cross, Association “Professional Forum for Education” and the Bulgarian-French artist Christian Bakalov also took part in the festival. Representatives of the National Network of Youth Centers also participated in the festival – in addition to the youth centers of Burgas and Stara Zagora, also the Youth Center of Gabrovo and the Youth Center of Montana.
International participants as Piispala Youth Center (Finland), Brezice Youth Center (Slovenia), Afeve (France), Lisbon Youth Center (Portugal), and Braga Youth Center (Portugal) also took part in the festival.
The International Youth Festival in Plovdiv was held for the second year in a row within the project “Youth Center Plovdiv – a powerful factor for local development” under the program “Local Development, Poverty Reduction and Improved Inclusion of Vulnerable Groups”, financed by the Financial Mechanism of the European Economic Area 2014 – 2021.
