Youth Center Vratza

About Us

Desislava Petrova – Director of Youth Center Vratsa

My name is Desislava Petrova. I am the director of Youth Center – Vratsa. I have a Bachelor’s degree in Social Pedagogy and a Master’s degree in Management of Social Work Institutions. I received my secondary education at the Ioan Ekzarh Language High School in Vratsa, and I completed my higher education at Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski.

I have worked in the Youth Center as a Roma mediator and youth worker here, in the Youth Center – Vratsa. I also worked as a social worker in the Social Assistance Directorate – Vratsa for five years.

My education and previous experience in the social field have played a significant role in tackling the challenges I face in my current profession every day. The truth is that nothing can compare to the real contact with young people and children, with the energy that flows from them, with their innate curiosity and their unquenchable thirst for knowledge and research, and most of all with the very feeling of satisfaction from successful realized communication with them.

I firmly believe that art, sports, music, connection with nature, and open communication are how we reach young people today and manage to model in them adequate behaviour and thinking, striving for a meaningful lifestyle and active citizenship.

Youth Center Vratsa is a wonderful youth place, with a team of wonderful professionals who have taken the work with the youth as a mission and an investment in the future.

Albena Nencheva – youth worker

I have a bachelor degree in Social Pedagogy and a Master degree in Social Activities from Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”. Currently, I am studying at the D. A. Tsenov Academy of Economics a second Master degree in “Financial Management”.

I started working at the Youth Center – Vratsa as a social worker in 2015, where I gained experience in the field of social work and work with young people. I acquired skills in researching and analyzing the social needs of children and young people and their families.

Currently, I am working as a youth worker. Thanks to the methods of non-formal learning we manage to build in young people competences of self-respect, tolerance, empathy, as well as the motivation for participation in the civil life in the region!

Kalin Angelov – youth worker

I am from Vratsa. I have a bachelor degree in Primary School Pedagogy and a Master degree in Social Pedagogy from “St. Cyril and St. Methodius” the University of Veliko Tarnovo, branch Vratsa.

From four years I am working as a youth worker in the Youth centre – Vratsa. Our focus is to promote, show and implement good practices from the field of non-formal education. For me working with young people is a mission that brings me joy and a lot of responses. I love to travel, and speed time with my nephew, to go fishing and watch football.

Mihaela Miceva – youth worker 

I have different interests as you can see from my diplomas and they do not have anything in common with my work now. I am working as a youth worker in the Youth centre Vratsa from July 2017.

As you can see, I am eccentric, wild and love to try new things. I accepted this challenge because of my child. I chose this profession with a mission of trying to show young people that it is essential to keep the child in them as long as possible. That there is no need to grow up fast and prematurely, that the things that should excite them are lessons, parties, friends and happy moments with loved ones, not drugs, prostitution, absenteeism, low grades and unwritten homework. My mission has become to reach as many young people as possible and start the fire in them. To teach them and prevented them from making my mistakes.

Rosen Dekov – Social and Roma mediator

Tihomir Mashov – youth worker

Hello! My name is Tihomir I am from Vratsa. I graduated bachelor degree in History from Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski” and Master’s in Crises, Conflicts and Diplomacy in World Politics. From mid-2006 I am working as a museum curator in Vratsa History Museum. At first, I was in the New History Sector and in time, I moved to Educational Programs and Technology Sector. From 2015 I am working as a youth worker in the Youth centre Vratsa. It is an honour and a pleasure for me to work with a team of young and creative people. I think that working with children and young people is extremely important because they are the future. To work as a youth worker is difficult and responsible. It requires approach, creativity and preparation. We are mediators of values, non-formal learning, civic participation, tolerance and kindness. My interests are in the field of culture, art, journalism and working with people. My personal goal is to make young people more creative and to take more responsibilities.

Galin Snezankov – youth worker

I am Galin from Vratsa. I have a bachelor degree in Primary School Pedagogy and a Master degree in Politology, Diplomacy and National Security from “St. Cyril and St. Methodius” the University of Veliko Tarnovo, branch Vratsa. Two different disciplines give me knowledge and experience in other fields, which I think is useful in my work as a youth worker in the Youth centre Vratsa. To be one of the few youth workers in Bulgaria is a mission for me. Mission to pass on the values, the understanding of working with young people, their inclusion and activation in social life with an active civil role, expressed in words and twice as many deeds.

The training and knowledge passed on to me by experts in the youth field in the two-year course organized by the Council of Europe changed my perception of the way of working and communicating with young people.

The idea of ​​my profession or as I call it mission is to make young people familiar with our mission but also we as youth workers to understand better their world. To make so-called youth policy more accessible to young people.

Nikoleta Ivanova – psychologist

Hello! My name is Nikoleta I am from Vratsa. I graduated from Hristo Botev High School. I have a bachelor degree in Psychology from the South-West University “Neofit Rilski”. A year later, I finished my master degree in Criminal Psychology from the same university.

In the personal plan, I have two little children – a boy and a girl, age 3 and 5. In the rear occasions that I have free time, I love to be in nature and read books.

I am a new member of the Youth centre Vratsa team. I hope that our future project and work together to be in benefit of all young people that want to develop themselves and help the society, we are all living.

Desislava Petrova – educational mediator

My name is Desislava Petrova. I am an educational mediator in Youth Center – Vratsa. I have a Bachelor degree in Social Pedagogy and a Master degree in Management of Social Work Institutions. I received my secondary education at the Ioan Ekzarh Language High School in Vratsa, and I completed my higher education at Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski. Before I started working as an educational mediator, I worked for a year as a youth worker here, in the Youth Center – Vratsa. I also worked as a social worker in the Social Assistance Directorate – Vratsa for five years.

My education and previous experience in the social field have played a significant role in tackling the challenges I face on in my current profession every day. The truth is that nothing can compare to the real contact with young people and children, with the energy that flows from them, with their innate curiosity and their unquenchable thirst for knowledge and research, and most of all with the very feeling of satisfaction from successful realized communication with them.

I firmly believe that art, sports, music, connection with nature, open communication are how we reach young people today and manage to model in them an adequate behaviour and thinking, striving for a meaningful lifestyle and active citizenship.

Marieta Zhivkova- event organizer

Hello! My name is Marieta Zhivkova and I live in Zgorigrad. I have a Master degree in law. I am currently a PhD student in Political Science. In the last few years, my work has also been connected to youth work in the non-governmental sector.
In the Youth Center – Vratsa I work as an event organizer. I find it very exciting and enjoyable. I have the opportunity to communicate with many active young people with their opinions and positions on various social questions. In their free time, they get involved in various projects and initiatives for our city. This showed me that the better future of Vratsa is a cause not only for us from the Youth Center – Vratsa, but also for its young people and it is worth all the effort!

Nikola Zhivkov – youth worker 

I am Nikola and live in Zgorigrad. I have a Master degree in law, but for the past seven years, my life is connected to youth work and the NGO sector. In the last three years, I’m developing my training skills. I work as a trainer on different projects using non-formal methods. I am part of the pool of trainers for our National agency responsible for all Erasmus+ projects. And also I am a PhD student in Political science. 

I am the newest member of the Youth centre Vratsa. For me, this is a dream come true. The youth work form me is not a profession but a mission and an inspiration that makes my day meaningful. I love to help and work with young people. It brings me great pleasure to start a fire in their eyes and make them curious about something. I firmly believe that the change begins from every one of us and our desire to improve the environment we live in.

In my free time, I love to read scientific, historical, fantasy literature also to play board games and of course, going out for walks in the mountains. 

Emilia Metodieva – educational mediator

My name is Emilia and I live in the city of Vratsa. I graduated from “D.A. Tsenov” Academy of Economics, town of Svishtov. I started working at the Youth Center – Vratsa as an educational mediator. In my work with young people from socially vulnerable groups and from other groups, I see a need on their part to be supported and motivated to develop in the professional direction they desire. Thanks to the methods of non-formal education, feelings of responsibility, teamwork, tolerance and empathy are built in these young people.

In my free time, I like to walk in nature or play with my beautiful daughter.