The main goal of the project is: improving the awareness of citizens about the role of non-governmental organizations in society.
The project started on November 27, 2019 and lasts until August 27, 2022. It is funded under the first competition for strategic projects of the Active Citizens Fund and the EEA Financial Mechanism 2014-2021. The project is under thematic priority No. 6: “Improving the capacity and sustainability of the civil sector, including civil society organizations.”
A challenge
Varna is a community of about half a million people. Many Varna residents view distrust and even hostility towards civil society organizations. In local schools and universities, you can very rarely come across learning forms that look at civil society. Provoked by various opponents (economic, political), citizens begin to look at non-governmental organizations (NGOs) as bearers of foreign ideas, factors that hinder the development of the state, municipality, business, their own understanding of life. The media rarely and filteredly covered the work of NGOs. All this leads to distance of citizens and low levels of participation in the non-governmental sector.
Actions
With the help of the project we are expected to realize:
System of online information tools for promoting the work of civil society organizations;
Establishment of a center for sharing and supporting working civic practices;
Organizing thematic civic campaigns to improve citizens’ awareness of the role of NGOs;
Conducting annual forums to present completed or ongoing civic activities.
Results
For 33 months we will catalyze the dynamics of the civil society in Varna.
We expect the authority of civil society organizations in the city to increase. Informal groups should more often turn to existing civil society organizations for cooperation and assistance on various issues.
Ultimately, we at the Public Environmental Center for Sustainable Development are convinced that as a result of the project, we will help improve the capacity and sustainability of the civil sector in Varna.
Partners:
The project “Improving public knowledge about the role of Civil Society Organizations” shall be implemented with the financial support of Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway under the EEA Financial Mechanism. The main goal of the project is to improve citizens’ awareness of the role of non-governmental organizations in society.
This material is established with the financial support of the Active Citizens Fund of Bulgaria under the Financial Mechanism of the European Economic Area. The whole responsibility for the content of the document is held by the Public Environmental Center for Sustainable Development and under no circumstances can this material be considered to reflect the official opinion of the Financial Mechanism of the European Economic Area and the Active Citizens Fund of Bulgaria.