International Youth Center – Stara Zagora is the first in the country with a photovoltaic plant

The Municipality of Stara Zagora held a final press conference to present the results of the implementation of the BGLD project – 1.003-0003 “International Youth Center – Think Locally, Act Globally”. The municipality is a beneficiary of this project, implemented under the “Local Development, Poverty Reduction and Improved Inclusion of Vulnerable Groups” program.

The program is financed by the Financial Mechanism of the European Economic Area in Bulgaria.

The project “International Youth Center – Think Local, Act Global” started in April 2020 and effectively achieved its results, part of which was expanding the scope of work of the International Youth Center at the district level. The center team organized and conducted numerous training and leisure activities for young people in the municipality of Stara Zagora and in the district. Young people from Kazanlak, Chirpan, Nikolaevo, Zimnitsa, Chirpan, Muglizh and other settlements were also involved in the activities.

“The International Youth Center in Stara Zagora identifies itself as an incubator and catalyst for the development of ideas and initiatives promoting young people, their personal development and their supportive environment. The center actively participates in the decision-making process in the field of youth and is an advocate for their implementation at the local level” – said Nadezhda Chakarova, deputy mayor responsible for education and youth activities in Stara Zagora municipality and head of the project “International Youth Center – think locally, act globally”. She added that she is happy that in her work she has the opportunity to step on a structure that is already well developed.

During the closing press conference, the head of the International Youth Center Monika Todorova-Stoyanova made a full report of the project’s activities through a presentation, emphasizing the sustainability of the results.

Three were held within the project international meetings with the exchange of ideas and experience with young people from Stara Zagora, two of whom were in Norway and one in Serbia. In Bulgaria, the International Youth Center hosted two groups of like-minded young people from Norway. 4 youth camps were also organized in the country, in the form of outsourced training with over 80 participants in them.

With the active participation of youth workers and the support of the Municipality of Stara Zagora, young people from Stara Zagora and the district have been 50 youth initiatives with a diverse character, through which they showed youthful daring and civic activity. The youth created events to celebrate local holidays, sports and art initiatives, published magazines, carried out activities to improve urban spaces and others.

Through its purposeful and diverse work, the International Youth Center – Stara Zagora reached over 3,600 youth and over 2,260 people in the non-youth age, and in this way the fulfillment of these indicators set in the project was achieved.

The extension of the project until April 2024 enabled the implementation of additional activities and the delivery of new equipment. The center acquired new multifunctional, interactive hall, music rehearsal room, studio for applied artsas well as photovoltaic system for green energy.

“Creating a photovoltaic plant is part of our desire to implement the European Union’s policies to combat climate change and mitigate the impact on the environment. We called our activity “Green energy for the International Youth Center – a better future for the young people of Stara Zagora” – said the project coordinator Georgi Simeonov. He specified that the center in Stara Zagora is the first in Bulgaria to have its own photovoltaic plant and this is a good model that can be followed, but at the same time it educates young people to have an active attitude towards the protection of nature and the environment.

The new production will lead to a saving of 40-50% of electricity on an annual basis and will save about BGN 10,000 from the municipal budget. The built photovoltaic power plant will produce electricity for its own consumption. It is equipped with batteries for energy storage and smart management for its optimal use. The reduction of harmful emissions will be about 451 tons in 25 years.

Within the extension of the project, from April 8 to 11, 2024, in Stara Zagora was held national conference, which brought together all interested parties on the topics aimed at the institutionalization and sustainable development of youth centers. The fact is that the state administration realized its responsibility and provided support to the network of youth centers in Bulgaria in the amount of BGN 4 million or BGN 500 thousand per center for 2024. The National Conference on Youth Policies held in Stara Zagora, which was widely attended by interested parties, including representatives from relevant ministries, also contributed in this regard. People’s representatives, representatives of the Ministry of Youth and Sports, deputy mayors from the cities with established youth centers, representatives of the program operator, the National Network of Youth Centers, as well as representatives of the youth centers took part in the conference.

Last but not least, in 2021 the International Youth Center – Stara Zagora defended once again Council of Europe Quality Mark for Youth Centres. The main focus of the center’s work is non-formal education of young people in support of the formal one, and the specific emphasis is on working with vulnerable young people and those from minority groups and in isolation. In the context of the values ​​of the Council of Europe on human rights, this unique specificity of the International Youth Center received unanimous support. The evaluation missions of the Council of Europe awarded for the first time in Bulgaria the Quality Mark of the Council of Europe for youth work to the International Youth Center – Stara Zagora, and subsequently twice reaffirmed this most prestigious European award.

Building on what has been achieved so far and turning the International Youth Center – Stara Zagora into a leading institution for youth work in Bulgaria is a logical result of the work well done over the years.

For pmore information:

The project BGLD – 1.003-0003 “International Youth Center Stara Zagora – think locally, act globally” is implemented with financial support in the amount of 956,635 euros provided by Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway under the Financial Mechanism of the European Economic Area. The main goal of the project is to expand the territorial scope of the Youth Center and increase the variety of activities aimed at supporting the personal development of young people.

The program operator of the “Local Development, Poverty Reduction and Enhanced Inclusion of Vulnerable Groups” Program is not responsible for the content of the publication and the way in which information may be used.

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