Author: Kiril Ninov
Disasters, murders, locales, violence - these are the words that have been appearing in the news stream lately when talking about young people in Bulgaria. Or in two words: nothing good. But why? The long conversation that could bring an answer to this question, like a scratched CD, is going, but not quite. The processes in youth policy are going slowly and piecemeal, with small flashes. Such a flash is the belated adoption of the National Youth Strategy in 2023.
One side of this conversation is young people who are fighting for attention, different from that in the crime chronicle. United in organizations, they are trying hard to build the necessary conditions for the development of communities. "The question is to create an environment where young people want to belong and be part of their local communities", says Atanas Radev from the National Youth Forum (NMF), the largest organization in the field.
On the other side are the institutions, which also need to attract attention, but with their statements they often provoke mainly ridicule on social networks. In the fight for "popular love" youth policy is pushed to the periphery, which delays the taking of measures and the resolution of important problems.
Where are the problems?
The main problems on which there is consensus are several. Among them is the lack of spaces where young people can gather. Now these are the streets, malls and parks. They become a scene in which the main roles are played by the lack of established values and the desire to imitate, directed by social networks. The play shows a room with soft walls, from which it is difficult to get out - unless someone helps from the outside.
On the other hand, it is difficult for organizations to reach people, they lack administrative skills and financial resources. Unfortunately, the bureaucracy associated with applying for projects often proves to be overwhelming for young people. If there are no projects, there is no money, and subsequently there are no people. Because a strong desire does not always manage to compensate for the lack of funds. Thus, often good ideas are broken on the shores of the heavy administration, which has its loopholes, but only for the initiated.
What are the solutions?
The key to solving these challenges are youth centers. Institutions are working on building them. "Bulgaria can boast of creating new youth spaces, and these are youth centers. "Over the last decade, this is an investment of over 50 million euros for the creation of 27 youth centers," says Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports Petar Mladenov. "They create at the local level the platform and space where young people can be engaged so that they do not engage in risky behavior." The upbringing of values is also on the agenda. Therefore, the hope is that the youth centers will be the place where they can be built, offering "meaningful free time," Mladenov adds. The expectation is that they will open their doors next year.
Active young people can also engage in the work in these centers. Thus, their organizations will receive tools, a booklet with explanations for use, as well as a place to work. This will ensure greater sustainability and security for the organizations, so that they do not give up and continue their activities.
Where are the differences?
At the national level, the EU Youth Dialogue operates. The purpose of this mechanism is "for young people to meet with local authorities and for local authorities to say what is happening, what policies they are implementing for young people, or to build a bridge for communication between them," explains Atanas Radev. As part of this process, working groups and advisory councils have been created at the national and local levels. Institutions are opening their doors, but according to representatives of organizations, they take criticism too personally. This does not put the dialogue on hold, but it creates obstacles. According to Martin Atanasov, creator of the "Black Track" project , young activists like him, who are not affiliated with a specific organization, could mediate this dialogue, providing "a more non-standard vision and solution to the problems."
The National Youth Strategy also states that "improving existing forms of inter-institutional coordination", "increasing administrative capacity", and that ambiguities in documents and lack of reporting and monitoring mechanisms need to be corrected.
With regard to the Strategy, assessments are currently being prepared for its progress, the data from which should be ready soon. This assessment, along with the NMF analysis of the development of youth policy since 2012, will also provide a final answer to the question of whether youth are represented equally in the Ministry of Youth and Sports. According to Deputy Minister Mladenov, sport can actually contribute a lot: "Sport should not be an enemy. It is a great tool for youth work, especially when it comes to prevention. And we must assess the role of sport in risky behavior."
Against the backdrop of the increasingly frequent presence of young people in the chronicle of accidents, murders and beatings, the "illusion of communication" between young people, as Atanas Radev calls it, is becoming more and more tangible. By turning the illusion into reality, a major step can be taken in moving youth policy from the periphery towards improving the environment in which young people do not run away, but stay. In Bulgaria.