Over 200 educational mediators participated in regional meetings for better education and advocacy, rights and combating discrimination

From February 24 to March 14, 2025, regional meetings of educational mediators were held in six regions of the country – Veliko Tarnovo, Shumen, Sofia, Sliven, Pleven and Plovdiv – organized by the Center for Interethnic Dialogue and Tolerance “Amalipe”.

The regional meetings were dedicated to key topics related to the role of the educational mediator in modern society, advocacy for the rights of children and students, as well as ways to address discrimination and inequality in the education system. The main emphasis was placed on the challenges that mediators face in their daily work, as well as on effective strategies for overcoming them.

Educational mediators play a crucial role in supporting students from vulnerable communities, preventing school dropout and building trust between parents, educational institutions and local authorities. Over 200 mediators from different localities took part in the trainings, where they had the opportunity to share experiences, good practices and working approaches for more effective interaction with children and families.

The meetings were led by Atanas Atanasov and Valeri Angelov – representatives of the Amalipe Center, who visited all six districts and held in-depth discussions with the participants. The meetings discussed various cases that mediators encounter in the field, such as cases of early marriages, lack of identity documents for children, which makes it difficult for them to enroll in school, and discriminatory attitudes towards certain groups of students.

One of the important topics that sparked active debate was the need for institutional support for educational mediators, as well as sustainable policies to ensure the expansion of their role in schools. During the meetings, concrete measures were proposed for better interaction between mediators and local institutions, as well as for increasing public understanding of the importance of their work.

The regional meetings reaffirmed the commitment of educational mediators to equal access to quality education, as well as to the fight against discrimination and social exclusion of vulnerable groups. Participants expressed their readiness to put what they learned into practice and to continue to work actively for the educational integration of children and young people.

This initiative has proven that the educational mediator is not just a mediator between the school and parents, but a true advocate for students’ rights and a driver of change in the education system. Amalipe Center will continue to support mediators in their mission to build a more accessible, inclusive and equitable educational environment for all.

The events took place within the framework of the “Rights and Values” project, which is implemented with the financial support of the European Union and the Open Society Foundation – Sofia.