THE British Council is probably most readily associated with its work teaching English, or its library – with an average of 600 to 700 visitors per day. Or indeed its projects. It works across a wide range of activity from modern dance to science; sports to film, EU integration to youth empowerment. I spoke to British Council Bulgaria’s Lyubov Kostova about some of the many projects that the Council runs here in Bulgaria.

Young people

The British Council is involved in a whole host of youth projects, many of which are part of the Youth Action Strand of the UK-South East Europe (UK-SEE) Forum regional project. The projects will be implemented simultaneously in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Kosovo, Macedonia, Romania, Serbia and Montenegro and the UK. The projects include: yArtz which aims to train young freelance artists, people from NGOs, media and universities, in management, leadership and marketing skills; Popcorn, which will involve the production of a documentary on the modern life of young people in these countries; Identity and Culture in the UK and SEE, which will involve research into young people’s cultural, ethnic and religious identities; Business without Borders, which will help entrepreneurially-minded young people to develop and initiate business in their countries and co-operate with others in the UK-SEE region; and the Partnership for Empowerment, which will establish local youth representative structures with the aim of empowering youth to become part of the decision-making process. The youth portal will serve as the Youth Action project’s web portal, containing information on young activists, NGOs, scholarships and more.
Youth Action is one of the three strands of the regional British Council project called UK-Southeast Europe Forum. Its other two strands focus on People and Politics, and the development of Creative Industries. There is a lot of information about what has already been achieved and what is still ahead at uksee.net (site no longer active - August 7 2008)
It is all about young people in Dreams and Teams – an especially successful global British Council initiative which works to bring children together and develop leadership skills through sport. In Bulgaria, the project is special in that it focusses on integration of children with and without disabilities. Three strands of people are involved in the events, all of which are made up of integrated groups of both able-bodied and disabled people. Adult trainers oversee the events, while young people aged between 18 and 22 are chosen as leaders to coach eight- to 12-year-olds to take part in mini-sports festivals. Two such festivals have already successfully been held in Bulgaria, and the next is scheduled to take place in Varna in November this year. Many visually impaired children took part in the last of these festivals where brightly-coloured sports kits and equipment were used and attention was paid to the fine details – even the caps had ‘dreams and teams’ written on them in braille.
 
Hands-On Science

This year sees a focus on initiatives to promote Science Communication in Bulgaria. 290 teachers and students from 43 schools across Bulgaria recently took part in a day of hands-on science activities at the Play Science Festival, held in the capital’s Sofia Land park. Children enjoyed events including ‘science theatre’, ‘science rap’ and a ‘science fashion show’.
Aimed at an older audience are the Cafe Scientifique debates. Using the latest technology in video conferencing, speakers and audiences from different countries are linked up to take part in live debates on popular science topics. The debates, involving young scientists and journalists, as well as members of the general public, tackle relevant issues in a “down to earth, non-highbrow way.” Recent debates have covered drug abuse and climate change, with BBC journalists and scientists speaking live from the UK to audiences in Varna and Sofia. A countrywide Cafe Scientifique tour is planned to take place soon.
Also in the field of science, the Visions of Science photo exhibition, featuring award winners from the competition organised by Novartis and The Daily Telegraph, is on at The Museum of History of Medicine in Varna from June 13- 30. The aim of the exhibition is to “expand understanding of science through visual imagery”. Another science exhibition is on its way to Bulgaria to be shown in July and August – ZeroCarbonCity will highlight issues in the debate on climate change.

Diversity in IT

Other technology-based projects include numerous new websites that the British Council is working on. A science website, www.democrit.com, is being developed for the use of teenagers and is being specifically designed to make it possible to be navigated by blind people. The new design of the website will be live in July.
www.Diversitybulgaria.com focuses on issues of cultural diversity, especially in this geographical region. It includes a web-based training scheme produced in collaboration between Bulgarian and UK consultants for journalists who want to “increase their skills in covering the achievements of Bulgarian society in all its diversity and in avoiding racism and xenophobia.”
Also focusing on cultural communication is a website being developed under the working title of Road Abroad. This site, which is to be launched by the end of this year, will include accounts of real life experiences of intercultural experiences and is aimed at preparing people for work or study in the UK and elsewhere.

EU Integration

The British Council has been involved in a number of projects relevant to Bulgaria’s integration into the EU – mainly in the areas of public administration and judicial reform. Theatre performances and videos provide access to information to varied audiences-from teenage girls (who are vulnerable to trafficking) to prisoners awaiting probation.
The best of new British talent is also shown through the extensive arts programme of the British Council in music, dance and film.

For more information, visit www.britishcouncil.org/bulgaria
7 Krakra Str, Sofia Tel: 9424344
1 Drin Street, Varna Tel:605880