PROJECTS 2025

We finalized our project "Local Leaders Today = National and European Leaders Tomorrow", funded by the European Youth Foundation, with a presentation of the project and the book with information on the participation of young people in local, national and European governments at the Representation of the European Commission in Bulgaria.

In 2025, we continued our project "Mission Possible", supported by the Bulgarian Fund for Women under their project "Birds in BG", co-financed by the European Union. In 2025, we implemented the following activities:

*For Saint Valentine we organized the initiative "Give Love, Not Violence" in support of the "No More" campaign combating violence against women. Together with the "Rose Valley" Women's Club, we distributed sweet Valentine's cards with messages of love and understanding, not violence.

*This year we organized the Women's Forum for International Women's Day under the moto "Women in Local Government Around the World and in Bulgaria" with a presentation of the situation of women in local government. Over 50 women representatives of local government and administration from the Municipalities of Karlovo and Sopot participated in the forum.

*In March we organized a meeting-conversation "Women in Levski's Life" at the Vasil Levski National Museum with presentations by the museum director and curators, the director of the Historical Museum of Karlovo, and a representative of the community center in the village of Voynyagovo, where Levski was a teacher in 1864-1866.

*In April, we organised the campaign "Is it too early for me?"  educating Roma girls and boys with the aim to prevent early marriages and school dropouts.

*In August, we organised the training "M&Ms=girls and boys with equal chances for development"  educating 20 girls and boys in the principles of gender equality.

*In September together with the 'Rose Valley"Women's Club we organized the art event "Women in Art" with a discussion about stereotypes and challenges for women in art, followed by group painting at a glass of wine in the "Old Karlovo" complex.

*For the European Week of Sport we organized a friendly match for girls and boys, showing that sport is for everyone and there should be no stereotypical division into male and female sports.

In 2025 we continued our Erasmus+ partnership project "Green Youth Change Makers" with the following activities:

*In the period 24-28 January 2025 we hosted our Romanian partners organizing a youth eco-exchange for 20 young people - 10 local and 10 from Romania with eco-workshops, an eco-action to clean up the "Waterfall" park, a visit to the compost landfill in Karlovo and the office of the "Central Balkan" National Park in Kalofer.

For Forest Week we organized two actions of planting trees, cleaning up areas and installing birdhouses, together with the "Green Balkans" Association in the village of Kliment at the "Center for the Protection of the White-throated Kestrel" and in the yard of the Youth Centre as well as an eco-trip along the "Momini Gardi"ecopath near the village of Beguntsi where we also planted some trees.

For Europe Day we made an eco-art installation of bottle caps in the yard of the Youth Center. We also organized two workshops to promote the protection of bees and medicinal herbs, with the distribution of flowery grass mixtures for participants to plant so that there would be flowers for the bees.

In the period 12-15 June 2025, together with 10 young people and the head of the Ecology Department of the Karlovo Municipality, we went to a working visit in Brussels, where we presented the project at a meeting with the Deputy President of the European Parliament - Mr. Nicolae Stefanuta and the MEP Iliya Lazarov.

After the meeting in Brussels, we held a meeting with the Ecology Department in Karlovo, where we presented the project and expressed our willingness to participate in joint eco-actions with the Municipality of Karlovo.

We continued with the local activities under the "Erasmus+" COSTAS project, putting into practice what we learned from the exchange visits to Krakow-Poland and Gradara-Italy. We organized a workshop for making mandalas with representatives of local social institutions and organizations working with youth and adults, as well as during the annual meeting of the Bulgarian "Anna Lindh" network, where we shared good practices from projects throughout the year. Thus, we shared this method, which we saw from our Polish colleagues, and encouraged other organizations to use it with their target groups.

We continued with the lessons under the "Young Entrepreneurs" program under the project of the "Champions Factors" Association training the students from 9 A grade of "Vasil Levski" High School. The culmination was the Business Challenge, in which, divided into 6 teams, the young people tested their business ideas at bazaars in front of the school and the hall of the Municipal Council - Karlovo and finally presented their results in front of a jury. The three teams with biggest profit and best promoted products were awarded. The Deputy Mayor of Karlovo Municipality gave certificates to all participants and announced the big award from Karlovo Municipality for all the participants - a trip to Greece with a visit to the eco-trail of Mount Olympus.

In 2025 as a Eurodesk point for the region we continued providing useful information about European educational programs for young people.

For the "Time to Move"2025 Campaign, we organized information meetings in the three largest high schools in Karlovo and Sopot ("Vasil Levski", "Hristo Prodanov", "Hristo Smirnenski" and "General Vladimir Zaimov"), as well as the event "Night at the Youth Center" where young people who participated in Erasmus+ projects during the year shared their experience and emotions. This year we also had guests from our Polish partner organization "Athena", who presented their experience with youth work as well as the Polish culture.

Under the Erasmus+ project "STEFA2", we welcomed partners from the Polish organization "Athena", who stayed with us at a job shadowing in the period 20-25 October 2025. They took part in the information campaigns in local high schools during the "Time to Move" campaign to promote together European programs and values,  learning also from our experience and youth work with local young people, cultural and social organizations. During the event "Night at the Youth Center" they presented the activities of their organization and the projects they implement in the cities of Krakow and Kielce, as well as the Polish culture and traditional foods.

They also joined the eco-hike under the Youth Program of the Municipality of Karlovo to the "Rai" hut and the "Raiskoto Praskalo" waterfall, getting to know our beautiful nature.

We also launched the new edition of the "Young Entrepreneurs" program for the 2025/2026 academic year with the new 9 A class of "Vasil Levski" high school. We are once again among the approved partners for the program of the "Champions Factory" Association and we look forward to the business ideas of the new young entrepreneurs we will train this academic year.

As one of the most active members of the Anna Lindh network, this year we were among the chosen hosts to organize an event for the Mediterranean Day. 

So, on 28 November 28 2025 we organized a great music and dance cultural event with the participation of the "Boryana Dance" group who presented traditional Arabic, oriental and spanish dances. The children from the "Karlovoice" Music Group sang Bulgarian, Italian, French and Spanish songs.

Students from the "Intellect" Educational Center had also prepared 45 posters representing all the 22 countries from both shores of the Mediterranean Sea.

We organized a great, merry and bright Christmas celebration "From the young people for the children of Karlovo" under the Youth Program of the Municipality of Karlovo.

With our youth volunteers we had prepared many games, presents and surprises for the children who came to the square of Karlovo on December 20, 2025.