📌 Context & Background

The GLAS (Civic Leadership and Active Cooperation) Project is a national, three-year program that transforms civic education from abstract lessons into hands-on experiences connected to real-life challenges in students’ communities.

Funded by the Swiss-Bulgarian Civic Engagement and Transparency Mechanism and supported by the Bulgarian government, including the Ministry of Education and Science, GLAS empowers students to:

✅ Explore topics that matter to them

✅ Analyze challenges in their communities

✅ Collaborate with teachers, trainers, and local partners for solutions

Civic education moves beyond the classroom, becoming personal, engaging, and confidence-building, preparing youth for active participation in public life.

Lead Organization: “Teach for Bulgaria” Foundation

Partners: Sofia Platform Foundation, Amalipe Center for Interethnic Dialogue and Tolerance, BCause Foundation, Verein voty.ch

🎯 Project Goals

Overall Objective

Boost civic engagement through integrated educational and social activities, building knowledge, skills, and attitudes for active local participation.

Specific Objectives

  • Strengthen competencies of students, teachers, parents, and mediators in civic participation
  • Support local NGOs with funding and capacity-building for sustainable initiatives
  • Establish long-term partnerships between schools, NGOs, and communities
  • Promote good practices to drive systemic change and enhance public engagement

 Territorial Scope

The project operates nationwide, covering all six NUTS 2 regions, with priority for:

  • Municipalities outside Sofia, Plovdiv, and Varna
  • Areas with low civic activity
  • Hard-to-reach, vulnerable, and marginalized groups

👥 Target Groups

Direct Beneficiaries:

  • Students
  • Teachers
  • Educational mediators
  • Active parents
  • Local NGOs, community centers, school boards, informal groups

Indirect Beneficiaries:

  • Students via trained teachers and initiatives
  • Local communities via NGO activities
  • Public institutions & the wider public through campaigns

🛠 Activities & Approach

GLAS combines formal and non-formal civic education through:

  • Leadership academies for students with trainings for parents & mediators
  • In-person and online teacher trainings
  • Nationwide digital platform with educational resources
  • Financial support for NGO-led local initiatives
  • National communication campaigns and a final showcase event

💡 Innovations

  • Interdisciplinary & cross-sector formats linking civic education to real-life cases
  • Flexible, interactive methods, including digital tools for all ages
  • Culturally sensitive approaches for Roma and other vulnerable groups
  • Long-term sustainability via resources and lasting school–NGO partnerships

📈 Expected Results

  • Increased confidence and skills in moderating discussions
  • Teachers applying training materials in classrooms
  • More student participation from underrepresented areas in competitions & initiatives
  • Local & national networks of parents and mediators
  • Broad public outreach via communication campaigns
  • Support for NGO-led local initiatives involving students and parents

🌍 Long-Term Impact

  • Higher civic engagement among students, teachers, parents, and communities
  • Sustainable school–NGO collaboration models
  • Strengthened local communities through real initiatives
  • Systemic improvements in civic education and access to resources for teachers and youth

 

Prepared with the support of the Swiss-Bulgarian Cooperation Program, Civic Engagement and Transparency Mechanism (CET) 2024-2029. The views and opinions expressed are entirely those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of the governments of Switzerland and Bulgaria.