Quality civic education, a strong civic culture, and active participation are the foundation of a vibrant civil society. In the context of social, educational, and economic inequalities between large cities and smaller towns, it is essential that young people have real opportunities to engage and participate.

Building civic culture through engaging education, strengthening the connection between schools and local communities, and creating opportunities for participation are key to developing civic skills. Teachers, civil society organizations, and educational mediators also play an important role in this process.

The project “Civic Leadership and Active Cooperation (VOICE)” is a three-year initiative that connects civic education with practice and local communities, and encourages youth participation at the local level. It is implemented in municipalities outside Sofia, Plovdiv, and Varna, in regions with lower levels of civic engagement.

The Sofia Platform Foundation implements the project as part of a consortium with Teach For Bulgaria, the Amalipe Center, the BCause Foundation, and the Swiss organization voty.ch.

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Goals

• Make civic education more accessible, engaging, and impactful

• Increase civic participation and engagement among students, teachers, and communities

• Support sustainable models of collaboration and civic participation at the local level

• Promote cross-sector cooperation to strengthen civic engagement and involve local communities, especially in regions outside major cities

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Activities

• Teacher trainings 
  
  Organization of 14 trainings on teaching civic topics within history classes, extended day school programs (grades 5–7), and homeroom/class periods

• Development of materials for the Civic Education Olympiad
  
  Creation of materials and guidelines to support teachers preparing students (grades 1–12) for participation in the Civic Education Olympiad.

• Sociological research in six locations

  In partnership with a sociological agency, conducting a series of focus groups with key stakeholders in the civic participation ecosystem to identify barriers and enabling factors for active civic engagement. The research will involve teachers, young people, local authorities, NGOs, media, and others

• Final event 

  In partnership with a sociological agency, conducting a series of focus groups with key stakeholders in the civic participation ecosystem to identify barriers and enabling factors for active civic engagement. The research will involve teachers, young people, local authorities, NGOs, media, and others

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Partners

Sofia Platform Foundation implements the project as part of a consortium with Teach For Bulgaria, the Amalipe Center, the BCause Foundation, and the Swiss organization voty.ch.

Funding organizations

The Civic Leadership and Active Cooperation (VOICE) project is supported under the Swiss-Bulgarian Cooperation Programme as a Strategic Project in the field of civic education.

The materials have been developed with the support of the Swiss-Bulgarian Cooperation Programme through the Civic Engagement and Transparency Facility (CETF) 2024-2029. The views expressed are those of the author/authors and do not necessarily reflect the official positions of the governments of Switzerland and Bulgaria.