Young Leaders Assisting the Social Integration of Children from Institutions

The Bulgarian School of Politics and The Bonita Trust have today announced a new initiative - “Young Leaders Assisting the Social Integration of Children from Institutions”. The two-year project will be funded by the Gibraltar-based independent philanthropic trust and matched funding raised through a series of charity events organized by the BSP.

This new initiative in Bulgaria will support children in three social institutions in the towns of Velingrad, Stara Zagora and Vidrare and the money will be used to create a series of programmes that will enable the children to learn work skills and gain qualifications.

Workshops and art studios will be created and maintained where children can learn work habits and develop skills useful for their future career. Most importantly the project will establish close contacts between the children and the young political and civic leaders who will act as mentors and will coach and help children with their social and professional integration.

Speaking on behalf of the Bonita Trust’s International Advisory Board, founding member Ruth Parasol DeLeon says “ We are delighted to partner with the School of Politics in this ground-breaking new project which breaks away from the traditional closed-campaign initiatives supporting children in institutions, by collaborating on a civic and political level to provide important life skills. Our aim is to introduce a systematic approach for their social adaptation.”

“For nine years now we have been training young Bulgarian political and civic leaders in active citizenship”, says Irina Alexieva, the Executive Director of the Bulgarian School of Politics. “Our school promotes charity and seeks solutions to one of the most serious problems of Bulgaria – abandoned children.” She adds that the School’s alumni in the last three years have chosen for their cause to take care for children in the social institutions.

The joint project of the Bulgarian School of Politics and the Bonita Trust will last until October 2012 and during this time vocational trainings for children, based on their needs and a series of charity exhibitions and auctions with their handmade items will be organized, as well as political debates with young politicians and NGOs’ representatives for the future of the social institutions for abandoned children.

Note to editors

The Bulgarian School of Politics, established in 2002, is a non-profit organization with the mission to foster a modern civic and political culture based on shared values of pluralism, tolerance, open dialogue as so as to encourage the emergence of a community of young civic and political leaders.

The Bonita Trust was established in Gibraltar in 2004. The majority of Bonita’s grant-making is focused in the United Kingdom, India, Afghanistan, Israel, and Gibraltar and has since inception, donated over £7.5 million pounds to charities leveraging technology to deliver programmes in the areas of education, health and entrepreneurship.