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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MIX AND MOVE The European Mobility Week is here!
This year’s EMW theme is “Better Connections”, meanwhile the initiatives during the week will be under the name “Mix and Move”
The European Mobility Week starts on September 16. It is an initiative of the European Commission, dedicated to sustainable mobility, which aims to promote clean and shared means of transportation in cities, which act as an alternative to private cars, responsible for much of the air pollution in big communities.
This year’s theme is “Better Connections”. Its’ aim is to reflect the desire of people across Europe to reconnect with each other after a period of isolation and restrictions. Transportation plays an important role in connecting people and is a main theme of the European Green Deal, proposed by the European Commission.
In the first days of the new school year, when everything seems to be speeding up and we are increasingly connected, it is especially important to pay attention to safety. That's why this year's initiatives starts with the FM+ Radio campaign "Reduce speed, save a child", which is a partnership with Sofia Municipality.
Some of the main events will take place during the weekend of 17th and 18th September. On the 17th – the Day of Sofia – a concert will be held as part of the Sofia Summer Fest program. A special retro tram will travel to and from the venue of the concert (just behind the Earth and Man National Museum in Sofia). Its route will be the Palace of Justice – “Macedonia” square – The Five Caches – the National Palace of Culture – The National Trade and Banking Highschool – Ivan Vazov and back.
Meanwhile in the North Park the “София ърбан зона спорт 2022” (Sofia Urban Sport Zone 2022) event that is a part of the European Week of Sport will be held. In the Strelbishte district the “Квартален Park(ing) Day for Fitness” will take place.
The metro performance "Catch the different subway car" will once again surprise passengers on first and second line of the capital’s metro and will include dances, pantomime, DJ, parkour and many more.
Culinary lovers can enjoy an extraordinary Food and Spices Walking Tour along Tsar Simeon Street, which is going to be a real journey for the senses.
On Sunday, September 18th, it will again be an active day (and night) with “Нестле за Живей Активно! Град 2022”. Meanwhile the “София ърбан зона спорт 2022” (Sofia Urban Sport Zone 2022) continues in the North Park.
On September 19th, those who are interested can go to the The Metropolitan Transportation Open Day, where they can see an exhibition of vehicles. On September 20, the doors of the Zemlyane depot will be opened for public visits. Тhere visitors can find a simulator for training drivers and a traffic management center. Last year's initiative generated interest, this year we have secured more possible groups of visitors. Follow the page of "Urban Mobility Center" EAD on Facebook, for pre-registration.
September 21st is once again dedicated to road satefy and is dedicated to the "Drive Carefully and Be Safe on the Road for the Sake of Children! Look at How Much I Know, I Follow the Rules Myself!" initiative.
The European Mobility Week traditionally culminates on September 22 - Car Free Day, when cyclists take over the city in its designated and car-free perimeter. At 11 a.m. a ride under the title "Happy Biking - Healthy Living" will be launched, which is a partnership between the Danish Embassy, the winners of last year's INNOAIR hackathon Soffenhagen and Cyrcl. The deputy mayor of transportаtion, Mr. Krastev, and the deputy-head of the Mission of Denmark, Mrs. Birgit Sarah Kondrup-Palmquist, will greet the participants and kick off the event.
On "Gen. Y. Gurko" street, which will be closed to vehicles between "Vasil Levski" blvd. and "Evlogi and Hristo Georgievi" blvd., an exhibition of alternative means of transportation in the city will be held - e-scooters, bicycles for rent, electric city and mountain bikes and others. The latest electric buses, part of the "bus on demand" service and the application for using the service under the INNOAIR project will also be presented. Visitors to the demonstration initiative will have the opportunity to view the installation "You are Sofia, Sofia is green", which shows the progress of Sofia as a green city. On September 22nd, the first two cameras for counting cyclists in Sofia, made by the Technical Universities in Gabrovo and Sofia, also under the INNOAIR project, will be operational.
Mix and move in a clean and sustainable way in the city! Download and use the SofiaCoin mobile application, which provides great rewards to people who actively move around the city!
THE FIRST ONLINE INFORMATION CENTER OF THE NATIONAL CONTACT POINT FOR EMPLOYMENT AND SOCIAL INNOVATIONS IN BULGARIA IS NOW OPEN
The National Contact Point for Employment and Social Innovation in Bulgaria has officially presented its new website. This is the EaSI program’s first information center in Bulgaria, which also aims to increase the number of Bulgarian beneficiaries under it. The program is part of the ESF+ (European Social Fund+). The EaSI Bulgaria Information Center is managed by the BCause Foundation in partnership with the Sofia Development Association.
The Ministry of Labor and Social Policy, „SIS Credit“ AD and the Trust for Social Achievement are associated partners. The project is financed by the European Commission and has a duration of two years.
The website is located at https://easi.bcause.bg/. In it you can find the current funding procedures for different companies, organizations and institutions, as well as other useful information in the field of social innovation. The website also has a "Resources" section where various supporting documents can be found to assist in understanding the program and applying for it.
Over the next two years, the Information Center will continue the work for the popularization of the program, providing online and live consultations and organizing information events about its specifics.
The EaSI NCP Bulgaria project is funded by the European Union and has a duration of two years. (2022-2024).
THE CHAIRMAN OF THE SOFIA CITY COUNCIL GEORGI GEORGIEV AND THE REPRESENTATIVE OF THE UNITED NATIONS HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR REFUGEES NARASIMHA RAO WILL OFFICIALLY OPEN THE ACADEMIC YEAR IN SOFIA’S 119 SCHOOL
The Chairman of the Sofia City Council, Mr. Georgi Georgiev, will officially open the school year at 119. Secondary School "Acad. Mikhail Arnaudov" together with Mr. Narasimha Rao Nilagiri Lakshmi, representative of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
This year, both Bulgarian students and children and teenagers from refugee families from Ukraine will start the school year in the school. According to data from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, over 2,018 Ukrainian children were enrolled in Bulgarian schools and kindergartens in the last 6 months.
The official opening will begin at 10:00 a.m., and Mr. Georgiev and Mr. Rao will welcome students, teachers and parents. They will be accompanied by Malina Edreva, chairwoman of the Commission for Education, Culture, Science and Cultural Diversity of Sofia Municipality.
UNHCR, the Bureau of Information and Services for Foreign Nationals and other organizations will support schools where children from refugee families are educated with teacher training, provision of various resources and counseling throughout the school year.
The Bureau of Information and Services for Third-Country Nationals was established with the financial support of the CONNECTION project, financed by the European Commission.
A WALK AND TALKS AT THE WOMEN’S MARKET FOR THE DAY OF SOFIA
Sofia Municipality and its partners have prepared numerous and diverse events for the citizens and guests for the Day of Sofia – September 17th. Cultural offering varies from open doors of museums and galleries to open air concerts, exhibitions, children’s parties, movies and theatre performances. The programme is available here: https://www.sofia.bg/en/-/praznicni-s-bitia-za-dena-na-sofia.
This year a special “Food and Spices Walking Tour” is part of the official city programme. It will be conducted twice – once in Bulgaria and once in English. This is a wonderful opportunity for locals and Sofia visitors to experience travel through your senses. During the walking tour in the Women’s market area the participants will be introduced to the world of spices and Arabic food – and culture, while listening to the interesting stories of the owners of some small shops, bakeries, and restaurants. This way all participants will have a chance for dialogue and communication with the salespeople, cooks, and bakers from the Middle East.
The walking tour is organized by Meeting Points with the Financial support of UNHCR and the collaboration of the Bureau for Information and Services for Third Country nationals.
You can see the schedule and register for participation (the number of participants is limited) here:
The Bureau is established in the framework of #CONNECTION project and 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 HELPING MIGRANTS AND REFUGEES
For the second year in a row, with the financial support of the Social Innovations Program of Sofia Municipality, students from local universities had a chance to intern at organizations working with migrants and refugees. On Sept. 9, 2022, SDA hosted the concluding meeting of the project in SofiaLab.
The initiative, launched by Multikulti in 2021, matches students interested to work with migrants and refugees with eligible host organizations in Sofia. This year, the hosts included the Bureau for Information and Services to third country nationals, established and run by Sofia Development Association, Bulgarian Red Cross, and UNHCR; Multikulti - the project coordinator, Voice in Bulgaria – an NGO providing legal services to refugees. The project is implemented also in cooperation with Sofia University and the MA program for social work with migrants. Students working in the Bureau provided on-site information and consultation services to refugees, developed online content and posts for social media. The internship program is an important venue for young people to gain valuable experience in integration work and solidifies the efforts of SDA to build a broad coalition of stakeholders to support integration initiatives at local level.
The Bureau is established with the financial support of the CONNECTION project, funded by AMIF.
CONNECTION project: CONNECTING Cities Towards Integration action, is co-funded by the European Union’s Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund.
CONCLUDING MEETING OF THE UMN LOCAL COALITION FOR LABOR INTEGRATION IN SOFIA
On September 8, 2022, SDA organized the final meeting of the local coalition for labor integration, created under the UMN project in 2020. After three years, the UMN project is coming to an end, and the coalition members in Sofia got together for a final review of activities, sharing of lessons learned and good practices, and planning for the future. Representatives of local NGOs and employers discussed the challenges and achievements over the three years, which included organizing an information and advocacy campaign during a coronavirus pandemic; carrying out trainings for local employers; the inauguration of annual awards for local employers working with and hiring migrants and refugees. Representatives of UNHCR, Bulgarian Red Cross, Sofia Municipality, Caritas Sofia, BCRM also spoke about the many changes and challenges that 2022 brought to societies in Europe and how that has affected the integration efforts at local level.
UMN is one of several projects in which SDA has been involved in on the topic of integration; this was an important opportunity to work with social partners and trade unions around Europe, learning from their rich experience and traditions in helping migrants find employment and build a new life for themselves and their families.
The final national conference of the UMN project in Sofia is scheduled for 27 September; we look forward to meeting you there!
UMN project co-funded by the European Union’s Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund.
