Bulgaria joined My Europe Project

published on 5/2/12 11:16 AM

Evgenia Genadieva, coordinator of My Europe - Sofia

Photo: Архив

My Europe project is a two-day seminar that meets young people with political figures, business leaders and media. Language of the seminar is English and it is already a traditional event in other European countries. My Europe was presented in Brussels in 2011 and it is now under the auspices of Viviane Reding, Vice-President of the European Commission. She is also the chairwoman of the Board of Patrons for European Youth that support the initiative. Recently Sofia became the host of the Bulgarian edition of the forum. Here is more from Evgenia Genadieva, coordinator of the project.

“My Europe project started in Germany at the initiative of two non-governmental organisations – the Institute for Corporate Culture Affairs and the Future Think Tank. We started with a small workshop including 20 students, who discussed European issues with politicians and experts. The results were good and the project continued developing. The project was presented in Brussels in 2011 and we found good partners in Romania, Italy and Sofia. The goal is to give the young people the opportunity to voice their opinions. They also write articles, which compete on an international level. These articles are published in an online platform, which also makes communication easier.”

Evgenia Genadieva was amazed by the knowledge of Bulgarian students selected to participate in the project. The students come from the First English Language School, The German Language School, and the School of Mathematics in Sofia. Professor Dr. Manfred Pohl, chairman of ICCA took part in the forum, as well as Atlantic Club Chairman and former minister Solomon Passi. Topics were EU mobility, integration, stable development and migration. Renowned journalists helped students write their articles.

Here is what students who took part in the event said.

“I do not plan to become a journalist but the work with journalists at the forum was very useful and I think would help me throughout my life. It was interesting to know what is happening in Europe. It was the first time I heard offers for actual solutions to grave problems,” Georgi Kirkov, student in the School of Mathematics said.

He is interested in solving environmental issues and wants to study abroad. He would participate in the writing competition with an article related to the water resources of Europe.

“I think such events stimulate us,” Georgi says. “I communicate with people from England and the UK and I want to prove them that we have a lot to show to the world. The problem is that our country is lagging behind in its economic development,” the high-school student concludes.

English: Alexander Markov

По публикацията работи: Iliana Raicheva

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