Enhancing citizens' participation – LCM in Sofia

Citizens of different background, profession and age groups gathered at Balkan Assist for the first I AM EUROPE meeting in Sofia, on 16th February 2013. Talking about their local involvements and the first time they all realised that they wanted to get really engaged in their local community brought them closer together.  It was a perfect start for further discussion.

The host organisation – Balkan Assist-  is well known in Bulgaria for its efforts in enhancing citizens' participation and bringing together different stakeholders  in order to collaborate more effectively. 

Participants in the meeting agreed that enhancing civic participation, supporting  direct democracy, combating citizens' passive attitude... still remain the main areas where further action needs to be taken.  "What needs to be changed in the educational system, how to encourage youth to get involved in their communities  and how to stimulate the Roma minority to play an active part in the society?..." These questions will be discussed during the next local meetings. The delegates to the Joint Sessions will coordinate the process of taking specific actions which  will hopefully lead to a real change.

Deciding on only one particular area for taking action throughout the whole project was not an easy task, as there were many other burning issues:  participation, rights and protection of Bulgarian migrants in Europe, hardly any identification with Europe of the citizens, urbanisation processes in the country... and many others. We hope these issues will be tackled in the next meetings, both local and international. An exchange of good practices in other countries may introduce possible improvements and new ideas in Bulgaria.

The participants are eager to present their good practices and methodologies at the first Joint Session in Antwerp:  Future Search Conference, community councils in villages and urban  neighbourhoods, leadership approach in local initiative groups work and Community Forum Programme which developed to an institution at municipalities... all will be presented to the other countries.

           

Big thanks  to the organisers of the meeting – Slaveya and Vladimira from Balkan Assist and to the participants – for their inspiring thoughts and genuine engagement!

Marta Gawinek - Dagargulia

Project facilitator