Another European Solidarity Corps project came to an end, as we waived goodbye to Kirill and Oksana. Within the past two years we hosted 5 volunteers from various countries: Selim from Turkey, and Francesco from Italy in 2020, and Kirill/Oksana from Russia, and Toby from the UK in 2021. Within the Spot Bulgaria program, our volunteers organized clean-up events, placemaking interventions, got involved in the organization of waste-free cultural events and supported the organizers.
Spot Bulgaria, as a long-term program, aims to prompt a behaviour change in relation to urban spaces through clean-up actions, placemaking interventions and educational campaigns. We work with various partners from the NGO sector, with municipalities and businesses, in order to draw attention to problems of littering, recycling, and sustainability. The program aims to change public spaces to make them spaces for people through placemaking interventions, community meetings and tactical initiatives. Since its inception in 2017, the program has managed to involve more than 1,000 volunteers in 40 locations throughout Bulgaria, reach a million Bulgarians and build long-term partnerships between the NGO sector, business and municipalities.
Within the framework of the Spot Bulgaria program, volunteers participated in the improvement of 3 public spaces in Plovdiv and Smolyan, thus inspiring people from the local communities to be more active citizens. In addition, they got involved in 20 Plovdiv clean-up events and cultural events to help them be organized without waste and clean. The fact that the volunteers were foreigners encouraged local volunteers to get involved in more activities. Participating in placemaking interventions, waste prevention and recycling campaigns, volunteers gave a personal example to children, youth and older people of the importance of the role of each person in such initiatives.
Through the association’s „I want to be useful, recycle me“ and „City Living Room“ campaigns, volunteers engaged and motivated citizens on the ground, giving them guidance and advice on proper waste management and separate collection.
We hope the volunteers will continue promoting sustainable lifestyles in the future.
The Youth Spot Bulgaria is funded by the European Solidarity Corps programme of the European Union. The European Commission’s support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents, which reflect the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
