SOFIA DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION was founded as non-profit organization with the decision 348
of the Sofia Municipal Council to work for the sustainable development of the capital.
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Integration in favor of the city
The activities of the Bureau for information and services for third country nationals are of interest not only to the users of the Bureau but also to all citizens of the capital. However, one of them, namely “Awards for responsible employers of refugees and migrants” was the occasion for the visit of representatives of the organizers and the awarded in BNR radio Sofia.
The reason is the significance of the event, as it awards the employers for their contribution to the successful integration of refugees and migrants, as well as to the economic growth of Sofia.
“Our goal is to promote the good example, because the employers of migrants and refugees do not simply give a job and a salary, they lend a hand, encourage the diversity and make the integration complete,” shared Sanya Raeva from Sofia Development Association.
The listeners learned more about the process of setting up the Bureau and the wide range of services it offers in 5 languages in the field of labor market access, healthcare, legal aid, housing support, education, as well as psychological and social assistance. SDA also shared the background of the Awards initiative and the upcoming activities related to the integration of third-country nationals.
Moreover, the audience got acquainted with the experience of the company Orthotech Ltd., which has been working with boys from Afghanistan for 4 months now and it was awarded in the category “combining work and study” because it provides employees with the opportunity to combine work with Bulgarian language courses.
“There is positive attitude from both the side of the newcomers and the other colleagues. They are decent boys and everything is going very smoothly,” told Georgi Gyurov from Orthotech.
In addition to the recognition for the promotion of good practices for professional development of everyone, the five awarded companies received souvenirs made by disadvantaged women and youth at the social enterprise Caritas Sofia, as well as cards for plays at the Theatre “Vazrazhdane”.
The idea of the organizers of the Awards Sofia Development Association, Sofia Municipality, Caritas – Sofia and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees is to hold the initiative annually in the future and to expand it more and more.
You may here the full conversation HERE.
The Bureau is established in the framework of #CONNECTION project. It is the result of the combined efforts, resources and expertise of Sofia Municipality, Sofia Development Association, the Bulgarian Red Cross, “Vazrazhdane” Markets, UNHCR and over 13 NGOs.
CONNECTION project: CONNEcting Cities Towards Integration action, and UMN project are co-funded by the European Union’s Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund.
FEBRUARY CALENDAR WITH ACTIVITIES IN THE BUREAU FOR INFORMATION AND SERVICES FOR THIRD COUNTRY NATIONALS
The Bureau for Information and Services for third country nationals in Sofia presents to your attention the Program with activities for the month of February.
The bureau is the result of the combined efforts, resources and expertise of the Sofia Municipality, the Sofia Development Association, the Bulgarian Red Cross and Vazrazhdane Markets, UNHCR and over 13 NGOs. It gives foreigners and migrants access to information on specialized services, as well as guidance for providers of protection, health and legal issues.
The program and the services provided by the Bureau are in several languages.
You can find the program for February in Bulgarian HERE.
You can find the program for February in English HERE.
You can find the program for February in French HERE.
You can find the program for February in Arabic HERE.
You can find the program for February in Farsi HERE.
https://infobureau.bcrm-bg.org/en
The Bureau for Information and Services for third country national is established under the #CONNECTION project and is funded by a European grant.
CONNECTION project: CONNECTING Cities Towards Integration action, is co-funded by the European Union’s Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund.
STUDENTS AND ACADEMICS COME UP WITH GREEN SOLUTIONS FOR THEIR CITY TOGETHER
The youngest audience at the Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences (FESS) at the University of Plovdiv "Paisii Hilendarski", namely the first-year students, discussed the environment in which they live, gave interesting innovative proposals for solving environmental and transport problems and presented their views about the INNOAIR project.
During seminar classes in Geoeconomics, first-year students from the faculty discussed the challenges of the urban environment in which they live. On the one hand, they presented their views on the INNOAIR project through their own work, and on the other, they discussed the environmental and, in particular, transport problems in the city of Plovdiv, but of course, the young people's view also covered the topic on a global scale. The students also had the opportunity to present best practices and their ideas on innovative and environmentally friendly methods and technologies for urban mobility. The students' curiosity about new technological solutions ranged from electric scooters to bullet trains. Also, SMART solutions in urban mobility such as smart park-n-nodes and the need for a more sustainable transport industry did not escape their eyes.
INNOAIR was presented as the first Bulgarian project focused on providing innovative and creative solutions to urban challenges to improve air quality and stimulate green transport. The students showed interest in the on demand green public transport and green corridors. The overall thrust of the participants was in highlighting the need for change in urban mobility due to pollution and air quality. Plovdiv is among the cities with a growing need for measures and solutions in this direction.
Specifically, in their paper titled "Innovative and Environmentally Friendly Methods for Urban Mobility", the students' interest was focused on on-demand transport and smart busses. The fast connection and easy access via the internet as well as the possibility of arranging the location of the on-demand transport were put forward as conveniences. The smart bus received special attention because it eliminates the waiting at bus stops and its’ ease of adapting routes and schedules.
Initiatives that reduce the need to use a private car have not escaped the minds of the creative young audience. The students presented the idea of Car Next Door as an alternative to rental cars. The aim is to rent cars directly between users registered in the system. Based on the example of an Australian company, a flexible alternative system is proposed, a hybrid of several already popular options for the use of other peoples’ cars, including both the possibility of daily or hourly rental between users and a choice between car, SUV and van, and a feedback system with evaluation of the vehicle after it has been used; GPS technology to track the location and provide insurance for both parties, and payment processing.
Young people's fascination with mobile apps is reflected in their interest in Sofia Coin, a mobile app that encourages citizens to adopt eco-friendly ways of getting around. Good practices from Western Australia, such as the Department for Transport's on-demand transport project, were discussed, as well as the advantages and status of ridesharing in the US, Western Europe and Bulgaria as an innovative mode of transport.
INNOAIR project is co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund through the Urban Innovative Actions Initiative.
Social Innovation Plus – Competence Centres (SI PLUS)
Social Innovation Plus – Competence Centres (SI PLUS)
SI PLUS is building up national competence centres for social innovation in Austria, Bulgaria, Hungary and Slovakia. It boosts social innovation, notably with a focus on employment and the labour market. It organises mutual learning and breaks down research results into practical approaches and tools for practitioners implementing ESF+ programmes. SI PLUS also mobilises the expertise of partners from Germany, Slovenia, Croatia and the European Network of Social Integration Enterprises (ENSIE).
SI PLUS is one of the six projects supported by the European Commission in order to establish national competence centres for social innovation across the EU. During two years (May 2021-May 2023) social innovation organisations, research centres, ESF managing authorities and other partners design and develop competence centres, which can help their countries to promote social innovation, including with funding from ESF+ and other EU programmes.
The project is funded by the EUROPEAN COMMISSION, European Social Fund and European Programme for Employment and Social Innovation.
RRI Leaders brochure
We are happy to present the RRI Leaders brochure with more information about the project methodology, activities and expected results. Please follow the project website https://www.rri-leaders.eu/ and social media, https://www.facebook.com/rrileaders/, as well as SDA’s website to receive updates and to learn how to get involved.
"DIY VERTICAL URBAN FARMING GARDEN" MANUAL - THE FUTURE OF URBAN AGRICULTURE
Only those who have literally plucked the fruits of their labor know what satisfaction farming brings. However, with the increasing trend towards urbanization, the number of people engaged in agriculture is decreasing at the expense of the need for more and more resources. Fortunately, we are increasingly finding more opportunities and ideas on how to grow our own crops in the city. It is easy when we have at our disposal a large outdoor area, but there is a solution for small, enclosed spaces as well - vertical gardens. The even better news is that everyone can make a vertical garden on their own now by simply using the manual developed by Sofia Development Association!
At the end of last year, Sofia Development Association, Sofia Green and Applied Research and Communication Fund launched the “Do-it-yourself vertical garden” initiative under the CityZen project. It was attended by students from UACEG, entrepreneurs, gardening and agriculture experts, designers, agri-environmentalists and marketing specialists. Together they developed a concept and models of vertical gardens, and after some hard work, real prototypes as well. Thus, 6 different locations in Sofia obtained vertical gardens designed and made by the citizens! Their "foster families" happily took on the important tasks of planting and caring for plants, as well as the most enjoyable - picking fresh spices, herbs, vegetables and fruits such as parsley, dill, oregano, chives, lemon balm, mint, radish, baby spinach, strawberries.
For 3 months, the vertical gardens were tested by their owners on how sustainable and functional they are, how they affect the working environment and the people. Through the design seminars and this project feedback, Sofia Development Association developed a manual "Do-it-yourself Vertical Urban Farming Garden". With it, anyone can easily and quickly make their own vertical garden from easily available materials on the market, as well as inform themselves about what is suitable to grow in it depending on the season. Each prototype takes several hours to make, costs no more than BGN 200 and requires basic skills with tools, desire and imagination. And growing crops is a skill that everyone is worth developing.
Check out the Handbook HERE, get inspired and create a garden in your home or office!
The CityZen project is funded by the INTERREG EUROPE programme, cofunded by EU’s ERDF.
