site.btaYouth Participation Academy Teaches Young People Value of Democracy

A Youth Participation Academy trained young people from across Bulgaria in political skills. As part of the initiative, a simulation of the work of the National Assembly was conducted, Daniel Djinsov, chair of the Youth Society for Peace and Development of the Balkans, said at a press conference at the BTA National Press Club in Plovdiv on Tuesday.

The main goal of the project was to raise the civic awareness of 74 young people aged 15 to 25 from across the country, with a special focus on young people from small towns and villages. The project aims to support active participation of young people in the local municipalities' democratic life, Djinsov pointed out. The participants acquired the skills to argue and defend their positions, increased their digital skills and competence, and learned to be more critical of the news, he noted.

"Despite dozens of years of work, young people and youth policies are a top priority in words only," Djinsov said. He stressed that the lack of focus on youth policies is a problem that must be addressed, citing data from a 2019 annual youth report, which showed that only 3% of young people in Bulgaria are interested in politics. "Young people are the resource in which the country should be investing the most", he emphasised.

The project included trainings teaching participants their value in a democracy, as well as simulation games of the work of the National Assembly, in which more than 50 young people took on the role of people's representatives, formed political parties, held plenary sessions and participated in parliamentary committees, developing 15 draft laws in the process. At the end of the project, the participants presented their recommendations to national representatives at a round table in the National Assembly. 

The Youth Participation Academy is financed by the Erasmus+ Programme.