NEW CAREER OPPORTUNITIES FOR PEOPLE AGED 50+ IN THE JOB MARKET

The initiative to facilitate easier access to the job market is implemented by the Sofia Development Association and the Young Talents Bulgaria platform.

On October 25, 2024, the opening event of the new initiative "Career Opportunities for People 50+" by the Sofia Development Association and Young Talents Bulgaria took place at SofiaLab. The initiative aims to provide people in this age group with access to targeted skill acquisition training, as well as career and psychological counseling.

At the opening event, key speakers outlined the development plan for the initiative. Ekaterina Yordanova, Chair of the Sofia Development Association Board, emphasized the importance of supporting pre-retirement age individuals, stating that "there needs to be a link between institutions, people, and employers to fully utilize the potential of this group. Two key steps are necessary to achieve these goals—education and targeted thematic training."

Following this, Snezhina Gabova from the Sofia Development Association and Georgi Parvanov from Young Talents Bulgaria presented the main goals and phases of the "Career Opportunities for People 50+" initiative. “The world is changing, and so is Bulgaria. Fifty is the new thirty. Our goal is to make age irrelevant in the job market by 2030,” Parvanov shared.

Over the course of one year, the training program will support at least 50 people through courses focused on digital and green skills, personal development, and professional support.

Smilen Valov, Executive Director of the Employment Agency, noted that the agency offers numerous tools to support the employment of people aged 50+. "People over 50 are the future of the labor market. This group has discipline and experience, making them highly desirable to employers," he said.

During the business collaboration panel, Plamen Vasilev, Director of Human Resources at Holcim Bulgaria, reinforced the importance of including older employees in the modern workforce. He added that this group has tremendous potential, as people over 50 are disciplined, goal-oriented, and loyal to their employers.

Those interested in the program can learn more on the Synclusive Project website: [https://synclusiveproject.eu/?p=4222](https://synclusiveproject.eu/?p=4222).

The campaign is part of the broader framework of the Synclusive project, which aims to promote the inclusion of vulnerable groups in the labor market. The project is funded by the Horizon Europe research and innovation program of the European Union.

   
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101094526

SOFIA DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION TEAM PARTICIPATES IN INTERNATIONAL TRAINING ON ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY AND INCLUSION IN CULTURAL EVENTS

From October 17-20, 2024, the SDA team actively participated in the “Environmental Sustainability in Cultural Events” workshop in Jerez de la Frontera, Spain. Organized by ACAJ in the framework of the Kultinclusion project co-financed by EC, the event focused on key topics like environmental sustainability, cultural inclusion, and the role of European regulations in shaping eco-friendly, inclusive events.

Day 1 covered sustainability in cultural events, highlighting water usage, recycling, and building regulations. Expert speaker Antonio Figueroa Abrio led the discussion on environmental challenges, while presentations by architects Nicolás Maldonado Fernández and Rocío González de Lara Gámiz explored sustainability in cultural buildings.

Day 2 emphasized inclusion, particularly for people with disabilities, with contributions from speakers like Lola Vallespi and Concepción Pérez Puyana. The discussion centered on accessibility and government responsibilities for creating inclusive cultural spaces.

Day 3 concluded with networking and an exchange of best practices among local associations. This event fostered cross-border collaboration and innovation in creating sustainable and inclusive cultural events.

The Sofia Development team gained valuable insights into best practices for environmentally sustainable and inclusive event management, strengthening their capacity to implement these strategies in future projects.

The KULTInclusion project is funded by the Erasmus+ program, priority area KA220-ADU - Cooperation partnerships in adult education.

THE "RISK ASSESSMENT AND VULNERABILITY TO URBAN HEAT ISLANDS IN SOFIA" LOCAL WORKSHOP UNDER THE BE READY PROJECT WAS HELD TODAY AT SOFIALAB

On October 4, 2024, the "Risk Assessment and Vulnerability to Urban Heat Islands in Sofia" workshop took place at SofiaLab. The event brought together experts, representatives from local and national authorities, the Ministry of Environment and Water, research institutions, and civic organizations to discuss the challenges related to climate change, specifically focusing on the issue of urban heat islands in the capital. The seminar was organized by the Sofia Development Association and Sofia Municipality as part of the Be Ready project, aiming to raise awareness and develop strategies to tackle heat effects in urban areas.

The official opening was made by Mrs. Ekaterina Yordanova, Chairperson of the Board of the Sofia Development Association and a City Councilor. "We have just experienced the warmest summer in the last 130 years since temperature measurements and data collection began," Yordanova emphasized.

She shared that Sofia has long been among the leading cities in striving to adapt to changes in a timely manner through appropriate municipal policies and practices. "Measures to counteract urban heat islands include smart urban planning, efficient buildings, alternative mobility, green energy, more greenery and urban water bodies, and data analysis."

Sevdalina Voynova from the Sofia Development Association presented the Be Ready project and its main goals – to assist partner cities in the framework agreement in developing and adopting action plans, to create, test, and validate jointly developed solutions to mitigate the effects of heat islands in cities, and to provide local and regional authorities with scientific research and assessment tools.

Mrs. Tsvetelina Simeonova-Zarkin, Chair of the Program Council of the "Europe" Program and member of the European Committee of Regions, shared that addressing urban heat islands in Sofia is no longer just a matter of long-term planning, but also about protecting the health and well-being of citizens.

"This challenge requires coordinated efforts at the local, national, and European levels. Through a combination of immediate measures and long-term strategies based on the latest scientific data and technological innovations, we can build a more resilient and adaptive city. Let us use this moment of crisis as a catalyst for change. With collective efforts, we can turn Sofia into a model of sustainable urban development in the era of climate change, ensuring a healthier and more comfortable environment for future generations."

Tsonka Harizanova from Sofia Municipality provided more insights on what Sofia is doing in the area of heat islands. Prof. Bernhard Pucher, from the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU), delivered a presentation on the risk assessment methodology and its four self-assessment tools. He highlighted the aim of the assessment, explained the criteria and indicators to be applied, and provided a detailed guide on tool application. Additionally, he emphasized the significance of data collection in the process.

The next panel focused on the available data and organizing risk assessments for heat islands in Sofia, with contributions from Zornitsa Spasova from the National Center for Public Health and Analyses under the Ministry of Health, Lidia Vitanova from the GATE Institute, and Desislava Todorova from the "100KTrees" project.

The event concluded with a discussion panel featuring Mr. Voysav Todorov, a City Councilor from Sofia Municipality and member of the Board of SDA, Mrs. Ekaterina Yordanova, and Mrs. Tsvetelina Simeonova-Zarkin. They answered participants' questions and presented the tasks that Sofia Municipality has set to address the issue of urban heat islands and mitigate the negative impacts on the city's residents.

The Be Ready project continues its progress with workshops in all partner cities.

Be Ready is an INTERREG Danube Region project co-financed by the European Union.

EMPOWERING CHANGE: GENDERED CIVIC HACKATHON TACKLED GENDER DISINFORMATION ACROSS EUROPE

The GenderED Civic Hackathon took place from September 25th to 27th in Perugia, Italy, bringing together 40 participants from across Europe to tackle the issues of gender disinformation and misogyny through public campaigns. Participants were divided into eight teams, each tasked with addressing one of three challenges focused on combating gender disinformation.

The event was organized by FORMA.Azione Giove In Formatica, the lead partner in the GenderED Coalition Project, alongside the DAISSy Research Group of Hellenic Open University, Savoir Devenir, the Sofia Development Association, and the Bureau for Integration and Social Innovation (BISI).

Over the course of two days, teams worked closely with seven mentors, all experts in their respective fields, to develop their ideas into practical communication projects. These mentors included:

• Boyana Voynova,  a designer and visual artist, engaged in community-based and collaborative social design,
• Tsvetelina Hristova, a media literacy advocate and coordinator of sCOOLMedia.com,
• Jennifer Guerra, a feminist journalist and author,
• Karen Ricci, a DEI advisor with over two decades of experience,
• Pauline Bouty, creator of "La Mal Biaisée,"
• Willy Lafran, a festival organizer, and
• Vasileios Thanopoulos, editor-in-chief of Greece's leading LGBTQI+ press.

Teams 1, 5, and 8 worked on Challenge 1: “Monitoring gendered disinformation on social media platforms.” Teams 2, 3, and 7 addressed Challenge 2: “Challenging gendered disinformation on social media platforms,” while Teams 4 and 6 took on Challenge 3: “Cancelling the impact of misleading and offensive visual and textual representation of women and girls online.”

The final day saw teams, mentors, and jury members gather for project presentations. The jury was comprised of:

• Panayiotis Chaldaios, a political science graduate and trained family psychotherapist,
• Marianna Stefanitsi, a researcher with an MA in Cultural Management,
• Laurence Allard, a communication sciences lecturer,
• Pascale Garreau, co-founder of Savoir Devenir,
• Jovana Martic, GenderED Coalition’s visual designer, and
• Denitsa Lozanova, Executive Director of BISI and a strategic leader with a background in European Studies.

For Challenge 1, Team 1 presented the "Gender Disinformation Observatory," an educational platform featuring a reporting tool for tracking the spread of gender disinformation and flagging hateful speech on social media. Team 5, the overall winner of this category and recipient of the Intersectionality Award, introduced "Gender Desinfo House," a website tackling gender stereotypes across different countries through video, audio, and text-based reports. Team 8’s project, "Rocks," proposed the creation of an NGO aimed at monitoring social media and language, with the motto “We can move mountains, one rock at a time.”

In Challenge 2, Team 2 presented "Tabubu," a mobile game where players repair a broken Earth—symbolizing society and gender discrimination—by answering quiz questions. Team 7, winners of the “Media, Information, and Literacy” award, developed "GenderWhat?," a website designed to create new narratives on gender bias, including an online toolkit with visual templates. Team 3, who won Challenge 2, developed an online platform using humor to highlight double standards in gender disinformation, along with a "Media Fair Play Badge" to recognize journalists who challenge gender biases and promote truthful reporting.

For Challenge 3, Team 4, the challenge winner, presented "We Are All Sexist, Bro," an online platform paired with a guerrilla marketing campaign for public restrooms. The platform included a feature where users could assess their own sexist narratives and see how widespread they are. Team 6 introduced "#ShameOffMe," an educational toolkit website offering resources, personal stories from women who overcame public shaming, a support network, and accessibility features for individuals with disabilities and neurodiverse users.

All projects will be reimagined and integrated into a public campaign by the GenderED Coalition Project team to combat gender disinformation and misogyny.

The GenderED Coalition project is funded by the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) under the Creative Europe Program (CREA), in response to the call CREA-CROSS-2023-MEDIALITERACY. 

THIS YEAR, THE AEROSOLFD PROJECT WAS PART OF THE EUROPEAN MOBILITY WEEK CAMPAIGN

Sofia actively participated in the "European Mobility Week" (16-22 September) by showcasing innovative solutions for cleaner air. One of the focuses was the AeroSolfd project, which aims to transform enclosed spaces such as metro stations into healthier zones. In the autumn of 2023, testing of special air purifiers that filter harmful particles from brake systems began in the Sofia Metro. The results of this pilot study will help develop effective and affordable solutions to improve air quality in the city.

The project is funded under HORIZON Innovation Actions.