News

Amalipe Center joined the Bulgaria Cleanup Day 2019 campaign, that took place on September 14th (Saturday). The organisation motivated local communities to participate in the initiative through its network of Community Development Centers, established in 15 municipalities across the country. The campaign covered the settlements in the following municipalities: Pavlikeni, Veliko Turnovo, Byala Slatina, Novi pazar, Etropole, Strazhitsa, Novo selo, Gulyantsi, Kaspichan, Nikola Kozlevo, Antonovo, Borovan, Shabla, Sredets and Smyadovo.

In the municipality of Byala Slatina the campaign took place in the "Lesopark" area. The initiative started on September 14 at 11:00 a.m. Volunteers to the Community development center cleaned the park and the Forestry, as well as the stadium of the town in cooperation with the municipal authority. For the purpose, the volunteers were provided with gloves and waste bags by the municipality. 

The campaign in Novi Pazar was launched at 2 p.m. Members of the women's and youth clubs at the Community Development Center joined the initiative, cleaning up the Druzhba neighborhood. 

Activists from Etropole cleaned up the Roma neighborhood, and the Malki Iskar river band. The initiative was held on Saturday at 10 a.m.

More about the campaign, held in other municipalities see here.

Ambassadors, representatives of CEICSEM, the State Child Protection Agency, the Bulgarian-Swiss Chamber of Commerce, the Trust for Social Achievement, mayors, deputy mayors and many more wished quality education for every child during the celebrations for the start of the new 2019/2020 school year at the partner schools of the Amalipe Center, included in the Every Student Will Be a Winner-2 program.

All information about local events can be found here.

Amalipe Center sincerely wishes a successful, rewarding and inspiring academic year to all students, teachers and principals! Keep going and be aware that you are not alone along the path to knowledge and development. We will be next to you, because we know that every child can succeed. Any child can be a winner!

Schools involved in integrated municipal projects under the Socio-economic Integration of Marginalized Groups. Integrated Measures to Improve Access to Education procedure will now be able to participate in the Support to Success project. The same applies to kindergartens - partners in the same integrated projects, which will be able to participate in the Active inclusion in the system of pre-school education project. That became clear after the OPSESG Executive Agency published a specific guidance in this regard.

All schools partnering to 48 municipalities within the Integrated Procedure Socio-Economic Integration of Marginalized Groups. Integrated measures to improve access to education, were excluded at the launch of the Support to Success project, since the distinction between the two operations was made at school level. In other words, schools and kindergartens participating in integrated municipal projects were not eligible to participate in large projects of the Ministry of education, such as Support to Success and Active Inclusion projects. The Amalipe Center immediately informed about this unfair requirement and asked the Ministry to make a distinction at student or specific activity level, thus allowing the participation of schools and kindergartens in more than one procedure in order to achieve a real impact on the better literacy of pupils and children. Heads of schools from Every Student Will Be A Winner Network discussed the issue with Minister Valchev during a round table, following the official opening of Open Heart Roma Children Festival in Veliko Tarnovo. The Minister of Education supported their arguments and committed to removing the restriction.

The guidelines published by the OPSESG Executive Agency require demarcation at a student or child level for activities related to further training in Bulgarian language. This means that one and the same child cannot participate in additional Bulgarian language trainings on both integrated municipal projects and Support to Success or Active Inclusion within the same school year. However, schools can participate in both projects by including different students in additional Bulgarian language training. The only restriction on this activity is related to parental involvement. Those parents who are the target of integrated municipal projects cannot be targetted within Success to Support or Active Inclusion. The latter does not mean that mediators cannot be hired under programs of the Ministry. Mediators could be hired on all three operations, and they will work with different parents.

For all other activities, the demarcation between the two programs is on activity level. That means, the same child can participate in different activities under the different programs. For example, there is no problem for a student to participate in a summer camp within integrated municipal projects and in additional training within the Support to Success project.

Amalipe Center congratulates the Ministry of Education and Science and the OPSESG Executive Agency for the change, that will enable participation and sustainable impact for tens of thousands of children and students!

Amalipe Center organizes roundtables in seven district towns with the motto NO-HATE-BG: Together for the Protection of Minorities and the Prevention of Hate Crimes. 

The events will be held as follows:

05.07.2019 - Pleven;

09.07.2019 - Veliko Tarnovo;

16.07.2019 - Vidin;

17.07.2019 - Vratsa;

04.09.2019 - Shumen;

18.09.2019 - Varna;

19.09.2019 - Razgrad.

The issue of prejudice crimes against 5 minority groups (Roma, Muslims, Jews, LGBT people, migrants) will raise discussion during the round tables. A report on the problem will be presented by the Bulgarian Helsinki Committee.

The events in Gabrovo - both the April protests and distruction, as well as the process of ongoing educational desegregation will also be discussed. First-person stories will be presented.

Up-to-date competitions and opportunities to support activities at combating hate crime will also be presented.

Representatives of the 5 minority groups, as well as representatives of the local institutions - municipality, Ministry of Interior, NGOs, prosecutors, and religious communities will attend the round tables. The events set the goal to identify the problems in the respective areas and to help overcoming them in relation to these vulnerable groups.

Regional advocacy meetings with representatives of key institutions will also be held to discuss specific action plan proposals aimed at overcoming hate speech, hate crimes and prejudice crimes.

Click here to see the presentation of Krasimir Kanev about hate crimes and prejudice crimes.

Click here to see the presentation of Deyan Kolev and Ivan Todorov about the events in Gabrovo.

Click here to see the presentation about current opportunities to support activities and projects aimed at building tolerance.