Kamchiya, September 2-9 2017
Between September 2nd and 9th in Kamchiya, Varna Province, the 2017 “Volunteer Academy” took place, organized by the Bulgarian Red Cross Youth (BRCY).
“Volunteer Academy” is the largest educational event, organized by BRCY. It was held for a 12th consecutive year and over 100 participants from 10 countries attended it.
Volunteers and resident specialists from all Regional Councils of the BRC in Bulgaria are educated on the following topics: Healthy eating and healthy living; Substance abuse prevention; Prevention of risky sexual behavior; Social assistance activities; Promotion of humanitarian values; Innovative methods and approaches in organizational work.
For a third consecutive year within the “Volunteer Academy” there was a specialized educational module on international cooperation, in which took part youth leaders from different National Red Cross/Red Crescent societies.
This year there were representatives of Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Kirgizsthan, Bosnia and Hertzegovina, Italy, Croatia, Romania and the UK. Due to the huge international interest towards the Academy, the educational team included Giuseppe Casella, representative of the Regional Office for Europe of the International Red Cross/Red Crescent Federation, Volunteering Coordinator.
This year the motto of the Academy was: “Challenge yourself” and its aim will be to motivate all participants to challenge their knowledge and abilities and surpass their capability.
BFPA supports the Academy through its “Condom with a cause” campaign, implemented jointly with the Sexwell chain. Besides condoms and new banners, the Association ensured a package of printed informational materials for the participants. The Skype session, during which Dr. Radosveta Stamenkova performed remotely with the participants enjoyed special interest among them. After its end the young people had the opportunity (which they employed optimally) to ask all and any questions about puberty, maturity, menstruation, contraception, wet dreams, first sexual experience, genital size, hymen, pregnancy, male and female orgasm. All this was refracted through the prism of responsibility and shared experience. The success of the pilot remote session inspired BFPA and BRCY who have been partners for over 20 years, to consider other joint training initiatives.
