English
Brief information about the leading organization (approved project)
YOUTH INFORMATIONAL VOLUNTEER CENTRE
The Centre is a nongovernmental public benefit organisation.
Here is the address of the Youth Consultancy and Information Centre:
Region Varna
Municipality Varna
City Varna
Address 12 A Bratya Bakston
Postal Code 9000
Phone and Mobile +359 (0)52 918461 +359 (0)899850560
Fax +359 (0)52 780966
Email: mikc.varna2@gmail.com
Key Objectives
• We strengthen civic initiative and create opportunities for the participation of young people in decision making at the local level
• We launch and support volunteering activities
• We publish training materials, articles and research on issues related to volunteer work
• We recruit and trains youth volunteers
• We provide administrative and logistic support and consulting services to youth volunteer organizations
• We promote activities for the protection and preservation of the environment
• We undertake joint activities with other NGOs and institutions in Bulgaria and abroad, including sharing good practices and networking
Our team consists of young people with varied experience in organizing youth activities. Our five coordinators have participated in seminars and trainings in Slovakia, Germany, Hungary, Spain and Italy, focusing on youth policy and action. Three of the members have volunteered on projects under the European YOUTH programme in Italy, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, thus acquiring extensive experience in areas such as youth policy, youth information, the media, communications and environmental issues, working with individuals from vulnerable groups and minority communities.
A special unit within our team are particularly interested in the collection, exchange and dissemination of youth information, the media and communications. Two of their members coordinate the daily activities on the youth radio programme aired online and in several high-schools in the city. They consult and provide technical support to some twenty young people from these schools who prepare and present the radio shows. In developing their skills in journalism, the young people receive professional advice from our partners in the local media.
Currently we coordinate 42 volunteers who have undergone special training and participated in various youth projects worldwide.
The Youth Centre is an accredited receiving and sending institution in volunteer exchange under the Youth in Action programme of the European Union. We hold a licence to provide the full range of social services to the community as issued by the Bulgarian Ministry of Labour and Social Policy.
Goals and Objectives of the Youth Consultancy and Information Centre
The Centre is located in Narodno Chitalishte “Otets Paisiy”, a cultural centre open to young people interested in all sorts of extracurricular and free-time activities. Hence, it is already a familiar meeting place to both children and young people. Public transport to and from all city zones is easily accessible. The building of the cultural centre, chitalishte, hosts a number of course and trainings, including dance, singing, music, painting, foreign languages, the fine arts, theatre and martial arts. The fitness equipment in the building are daily used by many young people. There is free access to all premises within the working hours of the cultural centre seven days a week from 7:30h to 21:30h. Thus we can guarantee access to information and materials during each working day. The second floor hosts the largest library in this part of the city. Opposite the premises of the youth centre and radio is a large concert hall of 350 seats welcoming numerous initiatives and celebrations.
The Centre has the following key objectives:
- to develop and affirm a sustainable mechanism to provide easily accessible quality services to young people from Varna and the region
- to provide accurate, objective and comprehensible information in all spheres of interests for young people
- to consult and provide support to target groups, with a focus on young people from vulnerable groups
- to enhance civic participation and volunteer initiatives
- to enhance and facilitate self-management, motivation and organization of youth groups
- to establish efficient partnerships on various levels
- to raise the community’s awareness of issues related to young people
- to disseminate information and promote initiatives by young people in the arts, civic participation, mental and physical development
- to raise awareness of European values