“College for Growth” – a training program under the Swiss-Bulgarian Cooperation Mechanism

On May 18–19 and May 20–21, 2026, the Bulgarian Center for Not-for-Profit Law (BCNL) conducted two training sessions on advocacy, civic engagement, and expanding the supporter base. These were the final seminars of the “College for Growth”, led by BCNL and offering a comprehensive and varied range of training modules for civil society organizations, supported by the Swiss-Bulgarian Mechanism for Civic Engagement and Transparency (SWISSCETF) 2024–2029. The training sessions were organized at Shtrak—a community center in Sofia that provides shared spaces for events and supports various social enterprises.

The advocacy training sessions were attended by 33 participants holding leadership positions in the 32 organizations they represent from various parts of Bulgaria, with projects approved for funding in the areas of anti-corruption, healthcare, education, youth policy, civic participation, support for people with disabilities, culture, nature, and others. The training seminars aimed to improve the teams’ capacity to advocate for their causes more confidently, persuasively, and effectively. The program placed special emphasis on training in writing persuasive statements, organizing public consultations and referendums, planning and implementing advocacy campaigns, and many other important elements of the advocacy process for defending civic causes.

Certificates for completing the “College for Growth” course were presented by His Excellency Pierre Hagmann, Ambassador of the Swiss Confederation to Bulgaria, and Mr. Thomas Stauffer, Head of the Swiss Contribution Office. The official representatives of the Swiss Embassy congratulated the participants on their efforts to improve the sectors in which they work and on their socially significant projects within the framework of the Mechanism.

The College’s sessions, organized into nine training modules, were designed to build the capacity of civic activists with the aim of strengthening their organizational, managerial, communication, and advocacy skills so that they can carry out their projects and fulfill their role in society even more effectively and sustainably.

Our goal at BCNL was to use the training program to help organizations become even more vocal in expressing their civic positions, more impactful and influential in implementing their projects and gaining public recognition for their results, more effective in managing people and resources, and more sustainable in securing funding for their initiatives.