ESC: ROOTS AWAKENING Team Volunteering

Association "Hope for us - 2008" was established in 2008 by young people growing up at a public institution (Home for children, deprived of parental care "A. Zlatarov"- town of Vratsa) and their supporters, who were of various background. All got united by the mission to support the development of children and young people with fewer opportunities - primarily those, raised at institutions. At the beginning the organization projects mainly addressed that target group - at several institutions for children and youngsters without parental care: HCDPC in Vratsa, SUPC "Knyaz Boris I" - Sofia and HCDPC "Olga Skobeleva "- Plovdiv. For the purposes of those projects were developed and applied methodologies and programs: for overcoming psycho-emotional deficiencies; for organized volunteer assistance at the institutions; for conducting educational camps in nature. Gradually with evolving of the organization and adapting its focus to the needs of it's growing target group, the activities shifted into direction of providing trainings for practical knowledge and skills, life management, developing self and social awareness and for adaptation to the labour market - based on learning-by-doing approach. Now-a-days that approach appeared to be extremely necessary for Bulgarian youth, which is with highest level of dropping from school and undereducated and NEETs among the EU countries. It has become more and more evident that the Bulgarian education system and society, in general, cannot respond adequately to those recent negative trends. Moreover, the tendency to increasing of marginalized and exposed to muslimisation young people in Bulgaria, at one hand and, at another, the emigration of higher educated youngsters to the countries of Western EU countries indicate that socially innovative forms and approaches have to be applied in order to integrate young people from vulnerable groups and prevent future loss of nations human resources. In response to those societal needs, since 2014 the NGO has started developing a concept for a youth training centre and various other alternative educational activities, based on 'learning-by-doing' approach. The organization's experts were exploring various models for youth practical education worldwide and taking ideas primarily from the Norway Summer Folks Schools, elaborated a concept for Youth Centres for Practical Trainings and proposed it to the Ministry of Education and Science for mass implementation. Such centres would aim to promote a practically oriented non-formal and informal education and more socially conscious and self sustainable living. "Hope for us -2008" made several attempts to demonstrate such model of alternative education addressing needs of practically oriented trainings and life long learning. The association even consigned a frame contract with one of the scientific institutes of Bulgarian Academy of Science for developing such centre using the base and facilities of the Institute of Physiology of the Plants. However, those attempts remained unrecognized and unsupported by the previous government, that is why the organization went on pursuing the realisation of its ideas for promoting learning by doing approach on smaller scale into two directions: - through developing social entrepreneurship: it established a social enterprise for bio-cosmetics in the city of Plovdiv, which provided supporting first-job work environment for youngsters from institutions. Its start in 2016 was financially supported by two NGOs - The old beech from Netherlans and FICE Bulgaria and later in 2018 by the project for establishing a social enterprise - by establishing co-operation with already existing 4 groups of eco-activists, who acquire and share their practical skills for living a sustainable life in the nature and for the environment recreation. One of those groups - in Bunovo village joined our organisation and turned into an eco-hub for realisation of our practically oriented trainings. The main activities that we carry out in Bunovo valley in order to promote alternative education and sustainable, environmentally friendly lifestyle are: - developing life and work skills and abilities - developing of practical skills in the fields of regenerative environmental practices; organic horticulture; sustainable construction with natural materials; - acquiring self-awareness and self-development skills applying various techniques including artistic expression -Team and community building; -Trainings about social entrepreneurship and social innovations. Our main target groups are: young people aged 18-30, wiling to become prepared for a sustainable lifestyle; NGOs and informal groups with similar interests and goals; local communities and local authorities (at Bunovo village, as well as at other locations where other eco-hubs promote alternative learning and living)