Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Final Evaluation

Analyzing the answers to the Final Evaluation Questionnaire can be made the following conclusions:
Participants in the exchange set a high evaluation of content and methodology of conducted workshops. Some of them appreciated the content of the workshops but found it a little bit difficult. The majority of participants evaluated the project theme as interesting and giving them new knowledge and experience about this important social problem - poverty and social inclusion.
Participants in the exchange set a high assessment of the conditions / food, hotel facilities / where the exchange took place.
Participants placed a high assessment of the organization of exchanges, received high praise in the project planned meetings with local community-peers from the Vocational School and the local administration. These meetings have helped them as much in-depth knowledge of project theme. Everyone enjoyed the planned and carried out visits to cultural and historical places in Plovdiv, Haskovo, Mineralni Bani, which helped them to come close to the local culture and specificity.
Extremely positive evaluation received implemented activities for team building and cooperation, and activities undertaken in their free time. Predominantly was noticed the emotional comfort and positivism, created during the exchange, so that everyone got an opportunity to create friendships.

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

“Supporting deaf people”

This is the project that was nominated for to be developed next year as Youth Initiative.
*Problems
∙Communication barriers
∙Social exclusion/Discrimination
∙Lack of people who know the sign language

*The project includes
∙Deaf people of all ages and nationalities
∙People who know the sign language or are willing to learn it
∙All young people who are active and are part of some kind of nonprofit organization.

*The main goal
The main goal of our project is for deaf people to feel part of society and to receive the help they need.
*What we will do to help
∙Help advertise
∙Inform young people and get them involved
∙Volunteer translators (sign language)
∙Sponsors and fundraising days
∙Social gatherings
∙Organize activities (i.e. Camping, parties, traveling, etc.)
∙Arrange meeting with deaf people to see if there are other ideas they can put forward
∙Propose exchanges with deaf and non deaf people
*Results
∙Improved social life of deaf people
∙The number of volunteers have multiplied over 6 months by 40%

*Place & Time
∙In any country part of the EU, in a youth center
∙Any weekend/week

If you want to be included write to: club_unesco@abv.bg

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Working hard!

These days have being wonderfull! We are having a great time with our partners, we spend a lot of time together, we are getting to know each other and improve our teamwork.
Yesterday, we had a great experience in the school, and it made us think how lucky we are, and what a great job they are doing with these young people.
We are happy with the work we are doing, we are working very hard. Sometimes it's difficult to understand and make the others understand us, but we keep on communicating!
See you tomorrow!!
Besos! :)

The Funny Tuesday

On Tuesday it was really cool. We visited the professional high school of iconomic in Mineralni Bani. We talked with the students and saw how they live, it was interesting for us. Later we made a walk in the local park and saw the church. Unfortunatly it is open only on Sunday. After lunch we started with workshop 4 - " Active citizenship for social inclusion" Open Space Technology. Other volunteers from the bulgarian club joined the workshop. It was really good. In the evening we had Disco party. Everyone was dancing and having fun. The music was great:)

Monday, October 18, 2010

Knowledge & Friendship in Bulgaria

Last night we spent hours talking to the people from the other groups. We can't believe how easy is for all of us to make friends. The Spanish are passionate and know how to have fun. We like the English a lot, they are very sociable and cool:)

Today we made a simulation of the European Parliament. It was amazing because it made us think about important things connected to the young people and how the European Parliament can improve our social well-being. We met the local authorities of Mineralni Bani who talked about the social activities of the youngsters in the area. Well, not everything was work and no play. We had a really fun walk in the rain which made us feel fresh. In the afternoon we presented the projects we made during our simulation and decided to send them to the responsible persons.

Now our stomachs are grumbling so we are going to have dinner and then play international games.

Let's see what will come tomorrow.

ADVENTURE IN BULGARIA

It is being a very good experience. The days are being really funny. We learn more and more.
We are connecting very well with the rest of participants,and it is just the second day!
The workshops are very interesting, a little bit difficult because of the specific vocabulary.
We love the energizers, they are useful to wake us up.
We want to learn more!

COOL BEANS!

On Sunday 17th October we did many workshops during the day about social exclusion, participated in team building games - very fun :L - and enjoyed a great welcome party! before entering the party we were given notes (a secret mission to complete for the night) many people completed theirs and we will find out how they did on monday night. We enjoyed the welcome party very much and would like more!

On Monday 18th October we took part in more workshops and the subject was "The voice of young people in the European Union." the tasks were difficult but we managed to complete it. Communication with young people from other countries had its barriers as some people did not understand and needed it translated. We enjoyed our lunch and took a walk to meet the local authorities in mineralni bani and discussed with them about social acivities of the young people in the area. We deffinitely enjoyed our walk back to the hotel in the rain - very wet. - Back at the hotel we presented the work we completed before lunch and we will be forwarding our work to the members of the European commission to enform them of the work we have done and for ideas to be heard. Later we will have dinner and take part in international games. COOL BEANS!

Sunday, October 17, 2010

bulgaria exchange from england

1st day we travelled from england to bulgaria the trip was long and tiring,we got to sofia early hours .we enjoyed site seeing we passed the presidents house, and saw many unigue buildings and statues,encluding the old monument of the soviet union army during the world war 2. we visited sofia's local shopping mall which was fascinating for the group,its ashame about the weather we brought along with us "dull and rainy" the mac donalds was good,we saw plenty of stray dogs that roam the streets of bulgaria,we met the bulgarians and the espanials for the rest of the exchange,the bulgarians has explained more about the stray dogs. the country is a high risk of poverty which means the people come first the dogs roam nd feed from whatever they find, the few bulgarians we've met are very well spoken and it is easy to understand english,the spanish are fun loving people and high spirited but there english isnt very good because of the strong accent,but are willing to learn. we communicate mostly through body launguage which is lots of fun. we are adapting to the bulgarian food it is a different taste altogether.

Spanish people in Bulgaria

The travel was very long and tiring, but it was very funny. When we arrived, our first impression was very good but it was so cold and it was dark night. We meet the other exchange people and we soon conected.
We're trying to speak with them and it is so difficulty but we understand each other(more or less).
Nos lo estamos pasando muy bien, aunque aun nos estamos acostumbrando a la Bulgarian food!

I(L) SIESTAAA!!! :D

YOUTH EXCHANGE DAY 1

FIRST IN THE MORNING WE HAD  A GREAT MEETING ENERGISER.WE HAD A LOT OF FUN DOING THE  TASKS WRITTEN ON PAPERS ON OURS BACK.THEN WE HAD SOME WORKSHOP ABOUT POVERTY AND SOCIAL EXCLUSION.

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Risk groups young people

Youth Employment

1. The number of young people (15-19 years) will have decreased dramatically by 2010.
2. The number of the young people who want to migrate increases.
3. Each year about two percent from young people in Bulgaria drop out of school, before even passing the compulsory education.
4. Young people usually don’t read books
5. High percentage of young people, who drop out of school at some point.
6. People without full education have difficulties succeeding in the working sphere.
7. Young people with elementary or secondary education and low qualification are highly affected by the economic conditions.
8. The youth suffers the lack of useful information when applying for a work.
9. Usually young people with primary and secondary education only, have problems finding a job, thus they accept the first job offered.
10. A lot of minority young people are unemployed.
11. The mass of young people in Bulgaria want to work in the sphere of the private business;
12. Young people prefer participating in informal meetings/gatherings rather than being part of the serious social life
13. The authorities haven’t adopted any effective measures, so that young people’s voice can be taken into consideration.


Young people with special needs

Misappropriation of funds used to help people with disabilities to find a job;
Poor control over the investment process, which leads to malformations;
Insufficient funding, financially embarrassing the providing of medicine and personal assistants;
Social isolation;
Disabled people’s requirements are not satisfied; (lack of personal assistants due to low salaries, the buildings are not adjusted for one’s specific needs, etc.)
Personal assistants should be paid not by the ‘user’, but by projects supporting people with special needs;
High percentage of unemployment among people with disabilities,(about ~ 90%) due to the prejudices against them, including their ability to do the job properly;
People with disabilities usually receive minimum wage and their working places are not adapted.

Problems of Roma young people

- High morbidity
-high percentage death
-low life expectancy
-mass poverty
-inferiority feeding
-constant stress
-unhygienic living conditions
-early and frequent births
-without health insurance
-they can't buy medicaments
-they apply self-healing
-52% of them have no hot water
-74% of them have no bathrooms
-only 14% of them have hot water
- uck of electicity
-rude, hostile, discriminatory attitude towards roma's population in hospitals

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Work in progress...

The Bulgarian group started working on the preparations for the project.  The volunteers separated into two groups.
The 1st one made a research on problmes, commonly spread among people with special needs. A meeting with the head of the organization, that helps deaf people in various ways, occured on the 8th of September and here is presented the gathered information about the basic problems, as following:
Communication barriers causing distance and misunderstanding between society and people with special needs;
Lack of personal assistants, due to low salaries;
Insufficient social subsidy, sometimes not satisfying simple needs, e.g. food and clothes;
Having difficulties reaching administration and cultural buildings, for the lack of adjusted facilities;
Troubled/poor communication, caused by the lack of enough places adjusted for one's specific needs.
Isolation because of the disability itself;
Low activity of the organizations, responsible for easing the socialization process of disabled people;
Need of active movements, programs and projects trend to people with special needs;
Lack of knowledge on one's human rights and duties.
Employers avoid hiring people with special needs

The leader of the organization, specified to work with deaf people, pointed out the lack of people, who know the sign language, as their main problem.

The 2nd group went to the labour service and interviewed some people there. They collected information about problems related to the unemployement of young people, as following:
The numbers of job seekers exceeds the numbers of vacancies;
Low salaries;
Lack of courses for qualification and retraining of young people;
Most of minority young people complete only compulsory education or less;
Some young people work illegally (without labour agreement);
Bad working conditions;
Lack of transport services connecting villages of  low population with towns;
Employers avoid hiring people with special needs;
Employment policy don't stimulate employers to hire yuong specialists; e.g. teachers;
Lack of programs and appropriate trainings for young people willing to develop entrepreneurship and own small business.
Dear partners, we have started our work, what about you?:)
Youth Exchange “Partners Today, Partners Tomorrow”
Haskovo, Mineralni Bani, Bulgaria /16.10 – 23.10.2010/
Day programme
16.10.2010 /Saturday/
International groups arrive. / Accommodation. Evening meal/
The international groups will be picked up from Sofia airport by bus and taken to the hotel in Mineralni Bani
21:00 Opening the Exchange, Get to know games, Discuss the exchange programme, Confirm Safety and common rules for the Exchange
Day 1
17.10.2010 /Sunday /
8:30 - 9:30 Breakfast
9:30 – 9:45 Energizer - Bulgaria
9:45 -10:30 Workshop 1. „Poverty and social exclusion”- clarification of the concepts - common session
10.30 - 12.30 Making Social snapshot of youth at risk communities, using methods of art - work in international groups.
12:30 – 13:30 Lunch
13:30 – 14:30 Free time. Publishing comments in the Blog
14:30 -16:00 Workshop 1- „Poverty and social exclusion” Presentation of the output of working groups
16:00 – 18:00 Team building activities, interactive team games
18:00 – 19:00 Prepare for «Welcome» party
19: 00 – 20:00 Evening meal
20:00 Day evaluation
20:30 Leaders meeting
21:00 «Welcome» party
Day 2
18.10.2010/Monday /
8:30 – 9:30 Breakfast
9:30 – 9:45 Energizer - England
9:45 – 12:30 Workshop 2: „The voice of young people in the European Union”-simulation
Working in mixed groups. Each group / EU Parliament committee / will discuss and propose measures trends in the various policies to combat social exclusion.
12:30 – 13:30 Lunch
13:30 – 14:00 Free time. Publishing comments in the Blog
14:00 – 15:00 Workshop 2: „The voice of young people in the European Union”- continuation. Common session- groups’ presentation of the trends, parliamentary debate, decision making.
15:00 – 15:30 Workshop 3. – Common session, multimedia presentation of official EU documents.
15:30 -16:30 Team work activities; sports games
17:00 Meeting local authorities from Mineralni Bani
18:00 Sightseeing of local cultural and historical places, Mineralni Bani
19:30 – 20:30 Evening meal
20:30 – Day evaluation
21:30 – Leaders meeting
21:30 – 23:00 Cultural activities - entertaining games, presented by each partner’s group
Day 3
19.10.2010 /Tuesday/
8:30 – 9:30 Breakfast
9:30 – 9:45 Energizer – Spain
10:30 – 12:00 Meeting youngsters from local risk communities, studying at School in Mineralni Bani
12:30 – 13:30 Lunch
13:30 – 14:00 Free time, comments in Blog
14:00 – 18:00 Workshop 4. „Active citizenship for Social Inclusion „Open Space technology”
19:30 – 20:30 Evening meal
20:30 Day evaluation
21:00 Leaders Meeting
21:30 Disco
Day 4
20.10.2010 /Wednesday/
8:30 - 9:30 Breakfast
9:30- 9:45 Energizer Bulgaria
9:45 – 12:30 Workshop 4 „Active citizenship for Social Inclusion 2 ” – work in mixed groups
12:30 – 13:30 Lunch
13:30 – 14:30 Free time, comments in Blog
14:30 – 17:00 Team work activities – interactive games; making sculptures out of natural materials
17:00 – 19:00 Sports games; Prepare for intercultural evening
19:00 – 20:00 Evening meal
20:00 Day evaluation
20:30 Leaders meeting – prepare for the trip to Plovdiv
21:00 Intercultural evening
Day 5
21.10.2010 /Thursday/
8:00 – 9:00 Breakfast
9:30 – 12:30 Trip to Plovdiv; Sightseeing of local cultural and historical places
12:30 – 13:30 Packed lunch
14:00 – 19:30 Plovdiv – Old City & Antique Theatre
20:30 – 21:30 Evening meal
21:30 Free time
Day 6
22.10.2010 /Friday/
8:30 9:30 Breakfast
9:30 – 9:45 Energizer
9:45 – 12:30 Workshop 5. „Partners Today, Partners Tomorrow”- common session discussing future partnership
12:30 – 13:30 Lunch
13:30 – 14:00 Posting comments in Blog
14:00 – 19:00 Sightseeing in the town of Haskovo; Visit historical museum; Shopping
19:30 – 20:30 Evening meal
20:30 Final evaluation; End of exchange; Youth Pass certificates
21:30 <> party
23.10.2010/Saturday/
International groups depart. Promises for new meetings, hugs and maybe tears…

Friday, September 10, 2010

Ready to work!!!

Dear partners and friends,
Our project starts today!!! I wish you creativity and good time working on the preparatory tasks...
1. Each partner group should identify the main groups of young people at risk in their countries and their specific problems.Then the participants should gather some examples of poverty and social exclusion of these risk groups: photos, articles from written and electronic media, personal stories... video-clips. The materials you should bring with you when coming to the exchange because they will be used in Workshop I where a Social snapshot of youth at risk communities will be done.For preparing the Social snapshot there will be used different methods of art: Forum-theatre, Newspaper- theatre,Live sculptures,Role-play,etudes, collages from photos and articles and some other suggested by you...it depends on the materials and your creativity.
2. The participants should find and prepare for the Cultural activities of Day 2 evening entertaning games- traditional or typical for the young people in their coutries
The Bulgarian group is waiting for your comments and questions.

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Project Summary

“Partners Today, Partners Tomorrow” is a trilateral youth exchange involving 18 young people aged 16-19 years old from Bulgaria, Spain and Great Britain, which will take place from 16.10.2010 to 23.10.2010 at Municipality Haskovo, Municipality Mineralni Bani - Bulgaria.
The theme of the project corresponds with the European Year for Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion 2010.
The programme activities include: Workshops on active citizenship, where youngsters will improve their awareness, develop critical thinking, sensitivity and commitment on the challenges and problems in the social policy of European Union; activities for mutual understanding, solidarity and team interaction; activities for Intercultural Understanding and Cooperation.
The exchange will end with the initiation of project ideas for social inclusion of disadvantaged youth, which will be implemented by the partners in 2011.
Activities are carried out with application of methods of informal education: work in small groups, discussions, simulation, open space technology, cooperative learning, presentations, and methods of art.

‘This project has been funded with support from the European Commission under the Programme Youth in Action administrated in Bulgaria by National Centre “European Youth Programmes and Initiatives”
All publications in this blog reflect the views only of the author, and the Commission as well as the Programme “Youth in Action” or Bulgarian National Centre cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.’

“Този проект се реализира с финансовата подкрепа на програма “Младежта в действие” на Европейската комисия, администрирана в България от Национален център
„Европейски младежки програми и инициативи”.
Съдържанието на настоящия блог не отразява позицията на Европейската общност, програма “Младежта в действие” или НЦЕМПИ.