SDA, UNHCR AND SOFIA MUNICIPALITY ARE ORGANIZING AN EVENT IN HONOR OF TEACHERS WORKING WITH REFUGEE CHILDREN

In honor of the Day of the Bulgarian National Revival Leaders, the Sofia Development Association, the UN Refugee Agency and Sofia Municipality are organizing an event in honor of teachers who are working with children from refugee families.

The event will be held on November 2nd at 6:30 PM at Municipal Cultural Institute – Krasno Selo. A thematic art exhibition will be a big part of the event. Only guests who have registered ahead of time can take part in the event: https://forms.gle/X4xJAZPx3FKbEq8y9

The Bureau for Information and Services for Third Country Nationals in Sofia is the result of the same team of organizations. According to data from UNHCR, around 90 million people in the world are have forcefully been displaced, 41% of them being children without much or any access to education.

CONNECTION project: CONNEcting Cities Towards Integration action, is co-funded by the European Union’s Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund.

SOFIA DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION WAS A PART OF THE FIFTH SI PLUS PROJECT MEETING IN BRATISLAVA

On October 12, 2022, the fifth SI PLUS project meeting was held in Bratislava, which aimed to outline the next steps in the creation of national centers for competences and social innovations in Austria, Bulgaria, Hungary and Slovakia. The event was held together with another event on the subject of the role of social innovations in public administration and more specifically in the context of the ESF+.

Sofia Development Association is a partner in the project, which aims to provide professional support services to social innovation in public policy on employment and the labour market.

The project is funded by the European Commission, the European Social Fund and the European Programme for Employment and Social Innovation.

The project is funded by the EUROPEAN COMMISSION, European Social Fund and European Programme for Employment and Social Innovation.

HACKATHON “INNOAIRCHALLENGE: JUST GREEN TRANSITION AND URBAN MOBILITY”

Sofia Development Association (SDA), Sofia Municipality and DXC Technology launch a hackathon “InnoAirChallenge: Just Green transition and Urban Mobility”, the grand finale of which will be held live on November 11, 2022. The hackathon challenges participants to look for bold technological solutions that guide the vision for a next generation transport services and connectivity in Sofia.

If you are interested in sustainability technology and innovation, and if you have ideas that can improve our urban environment, take part in the hackathon with a team of 2 to 5 persons in order to propose solutions for cleaner mobility and environment. The team of SDA and DXC Technology will guide you and mentor you throughout the process – from the registration to the submission of the final project and the presentation before the jury. The three ideas with the highest scores will be awarded total financing of 15,000 BNG (7,500 Euro) provided by DXC Technology, to further develop and implement the solutions.

The hackathon finale will be held live on November 11 and will include events open to all – students, start-ups, professionals, and citizens. For teams, based outside of Sofia, an online presentation of projects will be arranged. A special award selected by the audience will be given, provided by SDA.

The hackathon is not a one-time event, it is part of a series in the framework of the INNOAIR project, co-funded by the ERDF through the initiative Urban Innovative Actions. Sofia is the first Bulgarian city selected to join the community of innovative European cities.

The hackathon is also part of the programme of EIT Climate - KIC Hub Bulgaria.

What are the challenges?

          • Mobility as a service

          • Next generation urban public transport stops and routes

          • Easier and smart parking

          • Engaging citizens with transport decision-making

How to make sure the transport solutions meet the needs and expectations of the citizens? What efficient ways for feedback can we use to regulate and further develop Sofia urban mobility?

What are the awards for the winners?

 8 000 BGN for first prize

5 000 BGN for second prize

2 000 BGN for third prize

The awards are provided by DXC Technology, the biggest IT company in Bulgaria. The company works in different business spheres with diverse and innovative technologies – Cloud computing, Security, Applications, Analytics and Big Data, Digital Transformation and others.

The mission of the company is to assist its clients on their road to IT innovations and to accompany their transformation in the digital future.

There is an additional audience award, provided by Sofia Development Association.

For more information on the program, the challenges, the jury and how you can register, visit Innoair’s website: https://innoair-sofia.eu/  

A SUCCESSFUL SOFIA URBAN REGENERATION EXAMPLE FOR AND THROUGH ART

One abandoned open-air stage in St. Troitsa Park is already renovated! A group of young people – participants in the Academy for Visionaries – gave it a new life with the support of Sofia Development Association, Ilinden Regional Administration and Sofia Municipality. The stage is completely refurbished and decorated by visual artists with Bulgarian embroidery motifs. But in order to start a new life, the stage must become a venue of cultural offering. That is why on October 15 the renovated stage offered a day-long programme with live music by Nomad band and the singer DIA, while Taratantsi folk dance studio organized workshops and sports activities with the citizens.

In 2021 in the framework of AGORA project many worn-out and abandoned open-air stages in Sofia were mapped and identified for regeneration since they do not meet the expectations of artists and audience. At the same time, citizens’ expectations, and interest in cultural events in the open are growing. AGORA project provided an opportunity for two pilot transformations – one of which this stage – as well as for the development of Sofia Agenda for urban regeneration for and through art.

The AGORA project is implemented under the INTERREG Danube program and is co-financed by the European Union funds (ERDF, IPA II).

AGORA PROJECT MEETING IN PRAGUE

Hosted by the Prague9 district, AGORA partners met in person on October 12-13, 2022, to update each other on their Flagship projects, learn together from common challenges, identify lessons learned. A special focus was put on thinking about the sustainaility of their pilot interventions and urban regeneration strategies for and through culture.

The hosts from Prague 9 demonstrated their good practices and pilot actions in the area of urban renovation.

The final AGORA public conference will be held in Cluj-Napoca, Romania – the project lead partner, on the 6th and 7th of December, 2022.

The AGORA project is implemented under the INTERREG Danube program and is co-financed by the European Union funds (ERDF, IPA II).