Youth Center Vratza

Youth Center – Vratsa participated in a kick-off meeting

On 9-10 May a kick-off meeting on the topic of “Developing a strategic framework and roadmap for piloting the UPSHIFT programme in Bulgaria” was held. UPSHIFT is a social innovation accelerator targeting young people aged 10-24 that unlocks their potential to create tangible change in their communities.

The meeting, organized by UNICEF Bulgaria in cooperation with the Ministry of Education and Science and the Ministry of Youth and Sports, brought together representatives of youth centers from different cities, as well as government and NGO representatives.

Mr Ramiz Behbudov, Deputy Representative of UNICEF Bulgaria, opened the meeting together with the Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports, Mr Petar Mladenov, and the Deputy Minister of Education and Science, Ms Natalia Miteva.

UPSHIFT is a skill-building experience combining workshops, teamwork, mentoring and entrepreneurial challenges. Participants create teams to solve problems that are important to their communities, with the support of a detailed curriculum.