|
|
|
|
Hello and Welcome to the Website of YES Bulgaria!Young Europeans for Security - Bulgaria (YES Bulgaria) is the national organization in Bulgaria of the European youth non-governmental network Young Europeans for Security. YES Bulgaria started as an initiative group back in February 1998, gathering young people sharing a common interest in the fields of international security and European integration. YES Bulgaria was formally recognized by YES Europe as an initiative group in June 1998 and as a national organization in February 1999.
Promotion of the youth civil participation; Creation and maintenance of a forum for the discussion and the promotion of the European and Euro-Atlantic integration; Fostering a debate on the various issues related to security, perceived as a multidimensional concept; Dissemination of information for the youth; Networking with other democratic youth NGOs all over Europe.
YES Bulgaria managed in a relatively short period of time to build on the existing personal experience of its founders and leadership and to establish connections and firm cooperation with governmental, parliamentary, academic, diplomatic, NGO and business circles in Bulgaria. Some prominent figures are involved with YES Bulgaria, being members of its Council of the Friends, for instance the Deputy Chairman of the Parliament and former Chairman of the Parliamentary Foreign Affairs Committee Mr. Assen Agov, the former Foreign Minister and currently President of the European Policy Forum and Deputy Chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Policy, National Secuity and Defense Ms. Irina Bokova, the former Defense Minister Mr. Georgi Ananiev, the Member of Parliament and former Chairman of the Parliamentary Foreign Affairs Committee Mr. Nikolay Kamov, the former Rector of the Sofia University and Education Minister Prof. Dr. Ivan Lalov and the former Deputy Chairman of the Parliamentary National Security Committee Prof. Dr. Nansen Behar.
YES Bulgaria’s official presentation in Sofia (October 1998) focused the attention of the media and the Corps Diplomatique, besides the expected interest of the youth and of the prominent figures and the institutions cooperating with us. In December 1998 YES Bulgaria co-founded the Youth Club for Discussions on Foreign Policy together with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Since 1999 we regularly organize meetings with interesting public figures for the student community in Sofia, seminars, discussions and internships. YES Bulgaria currently comprises seven YES clubs and has over a hundred members, thus being one of the biggest, but also one of the most active YES organizations. The scope of our activities is national, but also regional and European. YES Bulgaria works on the regional cooperation with the other organizations of YES in South Eastern Europe. YES Bulgaria is actively involved in the YES network on the European level, too. Representatives of YES Bulgaria have participated as speakers at various conferences organized by other national YES organizations. YES Europe had a Bulgarian President from 2000 to 2002 (Ruslan Konstantinov) and now it has a Bulgarian Treasurer (Gergana Aneva). YES Bulgaria has established efficient working partnerships with other youth NGOs and networks as well. In November 1999 YES Bulgaria organized its own First International Conference: "Ten Years after the Changes in Eastern Europe: Security Challenges and Prospects". Participants from a total of thirteen countries were present. In February 2000 YES Bulgaria opened a YES Information Center in Sofia located at the Sofia University and supported with an initial grant from the Royal Netherlands Embassy. The events organized by the Center are very well attended by the student community in Sofia. Among the activities of the Center have also been the issuing of the electronic Newsletter of YES Bulgaria (2000-2002) and the organizing of internships for the students. YES Bulgaria is also focusing on local activities, for instance the "Interest in Europe" project in Smolian (2000), aiming at the dissemination of practical information on the European issues in the district and supported by the Delegation of the European Commission in Sofia. Among a lot of other activities, we have started a weekly radio show and a weekly newspaper column on the European issues there. In October 2000 YES Bulgaria organized its Second International Conference: "South Eastern Europe and the Stability Pact: Looking for the Pragmatic Approach". More than one hundred participants were present including more than thirty international ones. In the second half of 2000 and especially in 2001 and 2002 YES Bulgaria focused on organizing a series of simulation games and interactive debates, which aim at directly involving more youngsters in our initiatives not only as a target group but also as active participants in the preparations and in the implementation. Our sponsoring partners in organizing these events feature the Friedrich Ebert Foundation and the Delegation of the European Commission in Sofia. Next to working on its own projects, YES Bulgaria is currently intensively expanding its network of international cooperation, which features a growing number of organizations and active young people formally unaffiliated with YES in their home countries. Further information on YES Bulgaria and its activities is always available on our website at www.yesbg.welcome.to.
January 2003
|
|
Our website has enjoyed
|
