The Prime Minister, Ministers and MPs met with the newly elected school ombudsmen at the initiative of Amalipe Center

With high political and diplomatic participation, as well as with sincere words and advices, the newly elected student ombudspersons in 30 schools of the Amalipe Center network will remember the ceremony that marked the beginning of their mandate. It took place on 23.02 in the Granite Hall of the Council of Ministers. The Prime Minister Academician Nikolay Denkov, the Minister of Labor and Social Policy Dr. Ivanka Shalapatova, The Minister of Education and Science Prof. Galin Tsokov, Deputy Ombudsman Elena Cherneva-Markova, as well as H.P. Martina Feeney, Ambassador of Ireland, H.E. Raymond Fuhrer, Ambassador of the Swiss Confederation to Bulgaria and Andria Brulet-Rodriguez, Deputy Ambassador of the USA to Bulgaria congratulated the newly elected student ombudsmen and gave them advice for their successful work. The event was held at the initiative of Amalipe Center.

“With your desire to do something useful for others around you, you create the atmosphere we all need – to live together, to understand each other, to do the things that each of us individually could not do, but together we can do a lot “. This was stated by the Prime Minister Academician Nikolay Denkov in his welcoming words. He especially thanked the organizers of the initiative and all the inquisitive children who participated in it.

“Dialogue between institutions and children is not just necessary. It is a key factor for the effective implementation of children’s rights and the creation of conditions for the protection of their best interests,” said the Minister of Labor and Social Policy, Dr. Ivanka Shalapatova. “The School Ombudsman initiative is fully in sync with the priority of the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy to hear the voice of the children, their opinions, concerns and proposals on the issues that are important to them and their future”, added Dr. Shalapatova. She congratulated the organizers for their role in creating a mechanism for interaction and dialogue between the various participants in the educational process and assured them that in the person of the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy they have a partner in this mission.

“From your classmates, you received not only trust, but also an opportunity to fight for their rights and yours. This is extremely important, because our common goal is to make such changes that guarantee better quality education – not only in terms of results measured in grades, but also in terms of personal development”, emphasized the Minister of Education Prof. Galin Tsokov. According to him, one of the most important things is the active participation of students in this process, and this initiative encourages them to do just that. “You are leaders and as such you must defend student rights and responsibilities, sometimes in dispute with teachers, principals and even with the Ministry of Education and Science. In these discussions, new leaders are born, with critical thinking and a vision for change – both of the educational system of Bulgaria and of the entire country”, said the Minister of Education and Science. The deputy ombudsman of the Republic of Bulgaria, Dr. Elena Cherneva-Markova, also expressed her support for the initiative. She emphasized that the institution has always worked very successfully with the Amalipe Center and the schools, and that is why the National Ombudsman Prof. Diana Kovacheva has agreed to put the initiative under her patronage and will provide constant assistance to the school ombudsmen.

Their unequivocal support was expressed by H.E. Martina Feeney, Ambassador of Ireland, H.E. Raymond Führer, Ambassador of the Swiss Confederation to Bulgaria: the two co-chair the Ambassador Group on Roma issues.

“In recent months, I have attended several events with active youth organized by Amalipe and I have seen their rapid growth,” shared Andria Brulet-Rodriguez, Deputy Ambassador of the US Embassy. The State Department and the Embassy fund the Amalipe Center’s Intercultural Academy for Civic Participation and Tolerance project, through which they support youth initiatives, including the election of the school ombudsman. Ms. Broulet-Rodriguez did not hide her satisfaction at the confidence and self-confidence with which the young leaders defend their causes and activities in support of human rights and non-discrimination.

The Chairman of the Amalipe Center, Deyan Kolev, explained that the idea for the School Ombudsman campaign aims to involve students in a simulation of a real election – with an election campaign, debates, integral ballot, Commission and vote counting. He congratulated the youth who responded to the call for the organization of school ombudsman elections. Through this campaign, the organizers and participants wanted to show:

1. Student participation and civic engagement are an integral part of any democratic system. It is important that schools form active citizens. In this regard, changes are needed in Ordinance 13 on civic… and intercultural education, which would stimulate student self-governance in a non-formal way;
2. Education takes place not only in the capital and in schools from the central parts of regional cities, but also in small settlements, schools with Roma students and vulnerable groups. In many of these schools great efforts are being made and real successes are being achieved. It is necessary for the MES to introduce a system for evaluating the added value, which takes into account the development in the specific school and the children it educates. It is the added value, and not the mechanical comparison of the results of higher education institutions and secondary schools in incommensurable schools, that should be leading in the evaluation of the quality of education;
3. Recent years have marked a serious development in the education of the Roma community. It is necessary to continue investing in the better education of the Roma, because this is an investment in the future of Bulgaria.

After the greetings and opening words, the newly elected ombudsmen told how the process went in their schools. Atanas Atanasov from PG “Dobri Zhelyazkov” – Sliven described the disputed campaign in the school. Over 68% of the students voted, with only 3 invalid ballots. After the counting of the ballots, there was a completely equal result and a runoff in which the students participating in dual education also took part. Voter turnout exceeded 90%, and young people were convinced that every vote counts.

You can view Atanas’ presentation here.

It turned out that the average voter turnout in the schools was about 80% and in 3 of them there was a completely tied result and a runoff. Participants commented that it was necessary to present this example to their parents.

Teodora Todorova, ombudsman at Secondary school “St. St. Cyril and Methodius” – Smyadovo shared that she has been a volunteer for years and thus earned the trust of her classmates.  Todor Todorov from PGSS “St. Georgi Pobedonoset” – Suvorovo talked about how the young people organized the elections, and some of them played the role of policemen guarding the pre-election section. In the school, the voter turnout was also around 90%.

Moments from the elections in many of the schools that held them can be seen in the video:

At the end of the ceremony, Minister Shalapatova, Deputy Ombudsman Elena Cherneva, H.E. Feeney, H.E. Fuhrer and Deputy. US Ambassador Andrea Broulet-Rodriguez distributed the certificates to the selected ombudsmen. They wished them success in the important mission of protecting the rights of their classmates, helping them participate effectively in school life and be active citizens.

Within three exciting days, in addition to the ceremony for the school ombudsmen, Amalipe Center organized a visit to the Ombudsman of Bulgaria and training for the students in order to be maximally prepared for their future tasks. Eva Zhecheva, director of the Children’s Rights Directorate at the Ombudsman of Bulgaria, presented in detail what the ombudsmen’s duties and powers are. And during the training, we all realized what a good choice the voters in the schools made. Young ombudsmen are extremely active, wise and willing to help their peers. They did not stop asking questions, exchanging ideas and building plans on how they would improve the environment of the children in their places.

Velichka Stefanova, PGHHT Pazardzhik: “Thank you again for the wonderful moments I experienced during these days! Thanks to you, I have made friends, new acquaintances and many other things! I learned a lot about ombudsmen and their duty, also about children’s rights and that everyone has the right to choose!”

Teodora Ivanova, ombudsman of SU “Vasil Levski”, Valchi dol: “The whole event went perfectly, it was extremely useful and they were done in a very interesting way. The people I met would certainly remain my friends for life and I hope we have occasions to meet again! It was an extremely nice and intriguing experience!

“It was a very exciting and meaningful trip for me! This training helped me to realize a lot about my position in school, I gained a lot of experience and new ideas and I was interested to see how ombudsmen in other schools are doing. I certainly saw friends I had already met and made new acquaintances, it was extremely pleasant and energizing for me, and I thank the “Amalipe” center for the wonderful opportunities given to me recently!”, this is what Eliza Stilyanova, ombudsman of SU “Lyuben Karavelov”, shared with us. city ​​of Varna.

And what did the adults who were close to the young ombudsmen from the beginning of the campaign feel, summarizes Kremena Georgieva, representative of PGTO “Dobri Zhelyazkov”, Sliven: “The training provided additional information about the position of student ombudsmen in schools, about their rights and obligations, as well as what their powers are. On a personal level, the student ombudsmen had the opportunity to get to know the institution and the function of the Ombudsman of the Republic of Bulgaria, as well as what his function is in the country. At the official ceremony in the Council of Ministers, the young men and women had the unique opportunity to be personally congratulated by high-ranking politicians and international representatives, as well as to receive the Certificate for assuming office as student ombudsmen. This is an invaluable experience and a real lesson in Civics! Everything that the Amalipe Center does for young men and women is priceless. The students of the 21st century, there is nowhere else to gain a complete understanding of the institutions in Bulgaria and Europe, as well as to participate in Leadership Academies and grow as informal leaders among their classmates.”

We are extremely impressed by these young people who are of the same age, but with huge hearts, dreams and enthusiasm, and we are proud to be a part of their journey! Don’t stop making the world a better place and fight for your rights and those of the rest of the children! Thank you for being a part of the initiative of Center Amalipe and for being the new school ombudsman! And after you, we are sure that many more schools will continue the initiative, because it makes sense, and young people like those who participated in the ceremony in Sofia prove it!

Become a part of the emotions of the youth during the past days through this short video.

The initiative is implemented within the framework of the project “Intercultural Academy for Civil Participation and Tolerance”, which is implemented with the support of the U.S. State Department through the US Embassy in Bulgaria.