The idea for the project was generated at a public discussion of young people s problems. The initiative was assumed by the Center for Sustainable Development of the Municipality of Bratsigovo, in active partnership with the management of Narodni Buditeli Secondary School and the Youth Home. Having conducted surveys among the young people (aged 16 18), the team developed a project that was financed under FLGR s Social Environment Improvement Program, supported financially by Charles Stewart Mott Foundation. The implementation began on January 3, 2004.

The project was implemented in two stages:

1. Preparation of facilities

Project funds were used to purchase 4 computers and 2 monitors. The project team managed to motivate the Municipality of Bratsigovo to help by purchasing another 10 computers and 8 monitors. The room in the building of Narodni Buditeli Secondary School was renovated, which was a prerequisite for making it attractive to the young people as a place for alternative training. The school provided an Internet connection.

2. Implementation of program activities

Upon presenting the project to the public, specific criteria were used to select the participants in the project. The IT and English classes for 3 groups began in February, 2004. The classes were attended by the young people with interest.

In the IT class, the students learned to use Microsoft Office, acquired typing and editing skills, learned how to create and open files and directories.

All participants had an email address created in websites, such as mail.bg and abv.bg. By sending emails between themselves, the trainees learned the basics of email: messages sent and received; attachments; address books; emails to groups of recipients.

The trainees learned how to seek information in Internet and how to work with Internet portals (yahoo.com, dir.bg, etc.); search engines (google.com, altavista.com, etc.); metasearch engines (search.com, metacraw-ler.com, etc.) The young people learned how to narrow their searches by using more than one keyword, logical operators and quotation marks and, in case of an empty search, to use alternative keywords (synonyms) or forms. They successfully downloaded software, songs and photos from Internet websites.

A special attention was given to career sites, such as jobtiger.bg, jobs.bg, dir.bg, etc. The young people registered in these websites, studied CV and cover letter forms and references. Each of them reviewed different job announcements, developed a CV and a cover letter. To obtain references, they contacted teachers or acquaintances.

Surfing the Net wouldn t be complete without knowledge of English. The English classes had a practical focus. Situation models were played in which the students learned how to communicate with a potential employer. The young people wrote CVs in English under the European and the American standards. They learned how to express motivation in writing. They now know that Internet is not just a source of entertainment but also provides a real access to needed information. Many of the students are already applying for jobs on Internet.

The Narodni Buditeli Secondary School has the facilities necessary for further successful practices in information technology. The school has asserted itself as an institution that provides alternative education consistent with the modern requirements and sought by the young people.

The young people of Bratsigovo have a new attitude to their future and have an equal chance on the labor market. The knowledge accumulated helps them communicate with people from other nationalities.

The additional education is becoming an alternative to negative developments, such as drug abuse, crime, etc.

The implementation of the project increased the confidence of the Center for Sustainable Development s team to develop new projects.

For additional information, please contact :

Magdalena Hadzhieva

Narodni Buditeli Secondary School

14, Treti Mart Street

Tel.: (03552) 2170

Email: [email protected]