Updated: Mar 28, 2021
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PR, MARKETING & MEDIA DEPARTMENT
NEWSROOM DESK
Updated: Feb 18, 2021
„Ecomission 21th century“ is an NGO in Lovech that focuses on working with young people to improve their environment. Over the years, short-term and long-term activities are carried out involving young people from the city and the surrounding area. During my years of volunteering, projects have been implemented in Greece, Romania and Bulgaria, but the organization's key activity is at a local level, where it is a unique place gathering youngsters with a spirit and desire for change. From working with kindergartens, through home care and cleaning parks and alleys, the volunteers of Ecomission and the European Voluntary Service make Lovech a better place to live. Some of their activities are:
Summer activities organized outdoors and in the organization‘s building.
Every summer, children's camps and workshops are organized in which all children learn new things and have fun with their peers.
Save the kids on the road!
Every year, campaigns are conducted with local law enforcement to reduce student accidents. Flyers are distributed to drivers passing by schools on 15.09. and are advised on safer driving. The youngsters talk to police officers and discuss possible improvements in driving conditions together.
The volunteers of Ecomission 21th century are given the opportunity to ask their questions and voice their opinions to the local government, thus giving publicity to the needs of their peers. Thanks to such meetings, as well as the Mayor for a Day campaign, the youth of the city are immersed in the work of the governors and better understand their daily obstacles.
EVS volunteers actively participate with the help of the Bulgarian volunteers of Ecomission. Each EVS volunteer can come up with ideas and take initiatives with students, children in kindergartens, children in orphanages and etc. Depending on the experience of each volunteer, workshops and discussions are organized for the children, mainly concerned with the protection and improvement of the environment, informing them of problems and solutions.
Meetings are held with students from all high schools in the city, including debates on a variety of topics that are important to them - career guidance, emigration and many more. In addition to the young people, these conversations also allow volunteers to practice their public speaking and improve their reasoning skills.
Meetings are also held with children from at-risk backgrounds to support their integration and improve their learning opportunities. The problems that children face and the differences in cultural and social aspects are discussed, as well as many common features of all people.
For their contribution, the Ecomission volunteers receive honors from the Knight of Goodwill (NARD), Volunteer of the Year, and more. Thanks to their work with children and other risk groups, part of the volunteers are professionally starting work as social workers, psychologists and coordinators of their own organizations.
In addition to young people, the Ecomission works with local orphanages, turning holidays into memorable experience for the residents. Volunteers prepare food, cards and gifts to please people and spend time with them to diversify their daily lives.
by Pepa Garkova
Participant in
TC Y.W.4.H.R. in Tropea, Italy
Updated: Mar 29, 2021
My name is Antonina Mitkova, I’m from Bulgaria and I participated in the project YE "Youth Ecopreneurship Sprint (YES)", which took place in the heart of Croatia - Zagreb. This was my second Erasmus+ project, which ran from June 23 to July 30. I was the leader of the coolest group - the Bulgarian one.
With our departure from Sofia to Zagreb, we took our best moods, our heavy luggage, also the only task we had set - to have fun at every possible moment. During the project, we visited various sights in Zagreb - Lake Jarun, St. Mary's Cathedral, Botanical Garden, St. Mark's Church, Croatian National Theater.
Every day we were learning something new - we've learned about the different green campaigns and companies in Croatia, Greece, Cyprus, Turkey and Romania, we've figured out how to create our own business and how we need to have a perfect team behind us to be successful. Through a survey, on a sunny day, we understood how many people are not interested in ways to protect and save our planet. Divided into five teams, each team has developed a green business project that presented the last day through a presentation. We presented a presentation that showed the lives and success of Bulgarian farmers who, with a lot of work, achieved great results while protecting the environment by not using substances harmful to the soil and nature.
Despite the short stay in Zagreb and the 12-hour journey in one direction, we returned happily because we presented our country in the best way and met a lot of new people.
By Antonina Mitkova
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