Implementation of national project to support civic education begins

On 22 October the Swiss Ambassador in Bulgaria, H.E. Pierre Hagmann together with Deputy Prime Minister Atanas Zafirov officially opened the Swiss-Bulgarian ” Civic Engagement and Transparency Facility” (CETF). With a budget of CHF 10 million the Facility will support civic engagement and democratic participation by the end of 2029. #CETF will focus on less developed regions in Bulgaria and will encourage citizens to engage and participate in constructive dialogue for innovation and resilience within the communities.  Part of the Mechanism is a key national project to support civic education, in which the Amalipe Center will also participate.

The event “Acting Together” brought together representatives of public institutions, non-governmental organizations, and the private sector, as well as international and Swiss partners. The Swiss Ambassador to Bulgaria, H.E. Pierre Hagmann, emphasized the importance of the Mechanism: “Civil society plays a vital role in creating and rejuvenating the democratic structure of every nation, serving as an intermediary between citizens and the political process by promoting transparency, accountability, and social cohesion. Through this cooperation, we aim to encourage citizens to engage and participate in constructive dialogue with public institutions and the private sector, but also to be more active among themselves.”

Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Council for the Development of Civil Society Atanas Zafirov emphasized that Switzerland’s support is extremely important and fully in line with the Bulgarian government’s efforts to encourage the participation of citizens and civil society, as well as civil society organizations, in decision-making on important policies.

The panel participants shared their views on effective civic participation, which includes smooth dialogue and joint action to achieve meaningful results. Ambassador Hagman also emphasized that “this program is a multi-stakeholder effort and would be successful thanks to the common. 

The panel also presented the three key national projects that the Mechanism will finance – on biodiversity, support for civic participation, and support for civic education. Deyan Kolev presented the project “Civic Leadership and Active Cooperation GLAS.” He emphasized that civic and intercultural education are key foundations for the modernization of the education system and for the active participation of students and parents. It is necessary to empower the Public Councils and Student Parliaments/Councils. Although the Public Education Act and Standard 13 for Civic… and Intercultural Education provide for important powers for these bodies, in practice, almost everywhere in the country, they remain on paper. Parents (including those from the Roma community) and students have the capacity to turn these bodies into truly functioning councils, and the project will work precisely in this direction. Kolev also emphasized that for civil society organizations to function successfully, they must operate in a peaceful social environment. Unfortunately, the practice is rather the opposite: in August 2024, the National Assembly adopted the so-called “anti-LGBT amendment” to the education law, accompanied by strong anti-NGO rhetoric. Currently, one of the anti-European parties is proposing to ban NGOs from working in schools, while another party is insisting on a parliamentary commission to investigate organizations funded by Soros, etc. This is a very unfavorable environment for the activities of organizations in the field of image.

The GLAS project will be implemented by a consortium consisting of the Together in Time Foundation, the Sofia Platform Foundation, the Amalipe Center, the BeCause in Support of Charity Foundation, and Verein voty.ch.

The project includes:

  • Training and resources for teachers to bring the topics of active citizenship to life in and outside the classroom;
  • An interactive online platform open to anyone who wants to learn, take action, and share experiences;
  • Youth academies and training for mediators who develop local leaders and encourage dialogue in vulnerable communities;
  • Support for small NGOs through training, mentoring, and a competition to fund local civic initiatives;
  • Over 180 school-level initiatives to support civic education.