The Summer School in Arcoutino taught young people how to make a working non-governmental organization.
In the archeological
reserve “Yailata” nearby Kavarna begins a construction, alarm the local media.
Local media alarm: It begins a construction in
the archeological reserve “Yailata” nearby Kavarna. The
activists of an environmental organization immediately react: the construction
has to be stopped by activating public opinion in the region, organizing
meetings with experts who could explain what kind of breaches have been made,
interceding with local and central government under whoso authority is
resolving the issue. Inspections by responsible institutions have been caused
after series of actions of environmentalists and they prove series of infringements
of the Law on Spatial Planning and Biodiversity Law and also impose sanctions
on the offenders. Ultimately the concrete construction was declared illegal
and
ordered its removal.
“Yailata” was saved but now there is a
long-term goal – it needs to be developed up to 12 mounts a conceptual
framework of the Law on Black Sea coast to intercept any
possibility to harm to the nature of the Bulgarian coast.
This is not a press release. This is the solution of practical task to the
problem of a group of participants in the Summer School for NGOs in Arcoutino
who received the award for the most thorough solution to the case study.
Luben Panov – Program Director of
Bulgarian center for not-for-profit law, bestows the prize which is a box of
chocolates. The winners accept it with
a big joy, because during a few nights they have been debating “how to rescue
Yailata”.
The Summer School is
organized for the second consecutive year by Bulgarian center for-not-for
profit law in partnership with the PACEL Foundation within the project
“Effective approaches to sustainability of NGOs”, sponsored by “America for
Bulgaria”. The initiative is aimed at those who are looking to develop in the non-profit
sector. From 10`th to 14`th of June this year 24 representatives of various
organizations had the opportunity to listen to a series of lectures and to be
engaged in solving practical tasks related to the activities of NGOs.
The topics were exceptionally varied – from the
formation of the idea to the creation of a working organization, through
planning of activities and opportunities for fundraising and their reporting,
until the necessity to work with media in order to attain the causes of the
organization to interested citizens. It`s said by Simona from Foundation “Elizabeth Kostova” working to
popularize young Bulgarian writers and translators in English speaking
countries. The Foundation assists in translating and publishing the works of
our authors in the U.S. and UK, organizes courses in creative writing, has an
idea to start a project meeting of Bulgarian writers with students from
Bulgarian schools.
Among the participants
are young people associated with solving social problems – helping victims of
domestic violence, families who have difficulties in raising their children or
children who need help in the educational process. Other participants have
committed to cultural causes. For example Martin from Kazanlak who is organizing
courses in folk dancing and in Bulgarian folklore in the local community
center; Mariana from Plovdiv – she believes that art helps and she is entrained
in strengthening private theater , or Teodora whose cause is repairing an old
house to become a true center of art for young people from Stara Zagora.
Speakers were very valuable, we learned a lot
of things, could ask questions, get interesting answers and check our knowledge
by solving practical tasks. In
this way Daniela from Lovetch summarizes her impressions. She is a participant
of a non-governmental organization dedicated to assisting people with
disabilities. She estimates as especially valuable her meeting with Jitka Nesrastova
– representative of Greenpeace Czech Republic. The other participants are also
highly enthusiastic about the stories and advices of Mrs. Nesrastova on
Fundamental Principles and strategies for fundraising and ways to reach new
donors.
To gain ground with people and to receive their
respond to your cause is a real art, it is a hard work but worth it, says a participant in the Summer School after
the two-day training, leaded by Jitka Nesrastova. Unusual
campaign of the civil sector to fight corruption in the Czech Republic, flecked
with multiple examples, different ways of raising funds – over the network ,
through events and face to face contact, and the obligatory “Thank you!” to
everyone who has paid any attention to you – whether he was listening to you,
gave you a small amount or wrote a big check for you.
We can listen to him all day, say in chorus boys and girls from the Summer
School.It is all about the social
anthropologist and researcher Harlan Alexandrov, who is giving to them a
lecture on “Is it possible the “learning organization”? Some of the
participants are ready with questions, others are in a hurry to take pictures
of slides of his presentation and then perhaps to share it with colleagues from
their organizations. Actually they are from all over Bulgaria – Kresna,
Lovetch, Sofia, Stara Zagora, Gotse delchev, Dobritch, Plovdiv, Kazanlak.
Participants will disseminate everything that they had learnt about carrying
out economic activities and taxation of NGOs, about citizen participation in
legislative process, planning activities.For giving all this knowledge the organizers of the Summer School were
engaged:the leader Luben Panov, Georgi Genchev
of PACEL, Nadya Shabani, Ralitza Velitchkova, Pavleta Alexieva and Ivan
Georgiev from BCNL.
During the Summer
School was also broadcasted online the second webinar of the Information Portal
for NGOs in Bulgaria on www.ngobg.info. Lecturers of the training Ralitza Velitchkova
and Pavleta Alexieva from BCNL introduced the audience with opportunities for
NGOs to carry out economic activities.
“What is missing
non-government organizations to connect with their communities” was the theme
of the talk show, which was also broadcasted online on NGOBG Live and
OffNews.bg on 13`th June this year. Nadya Shabani and Georgi Genchev discussed
with guests-speakers Haralan Alekstrandrov and Vladimir Yonchev, editor of the
website www.OffNews.bg and the forum www.OffRoad-Bulgaria.com, as well as with the
presented representatives of NGOs and other viewers.
We learnt a lot, especially useful were the
practical tasks, but we needed one more day to talk more about fundraising,
social entrepreneurship, media relations, says Juliana at the end of the training. She is the informal leader of
the group which solved the case “Yailata”. The other participants agreed with
her and it seemed that they are not in a hurry to separate. From the other side
the organizers are declaring – if there are so many young people who have
recently joined NGOs and they still have such a big interest, then the goal is
achieved. They will continue to be part of the NGO sector. And maybe it will be
worthy to organize the Summer School in Arcoutino more times throughout the
year.
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