Harmanli - the gateway to the European Union (in French)

For more than 10 months our organization has been helping one of the most vulnerable groups in our society - refugees. Here is a reportage of a French TV about Harmanli camp. It is located in the town of Harmanli and it's the largest of the seven administrative centers for migrants seeking asylum in Bulgaria. 

It was opened  in October 2013, and accommodates for more than a thousand refugees.

The video includes an interview with Mrs +Lydia Staikova  - a Bulgarian volunteer and chairman of our NGO +The Garden Association from Haskovo. 

Jane's Walk 2014 in Haskovo: "In search of the castle"

This year Jane's Walk took place in the neighborhood of "Hisarya." Again, Haskovo is the only Balkan city which participates in the global Jane's Walk initiative. 

On 3rd of May, we walked in the foot of the hill where the fortress was built, and then climbed it to discover the foundations of the walls. And meanwhile, we have been discussing. 

What we have discussed? 

1. How the medieval town was created and how the town relocated its center through the centuries? 

2. How the municipality and the local people could use for public benefit this old fortress? How they could develop the potential of this historical heritage on order to strengthen the town's millennial identity and to improve the general quality of life? 

3. How can people recreate this part of the contemporary city and transform it into a vital place? Things like restoration, infrastructure, transportation, new parks, etc. 

The meeting point - a nice park with many trees.

During our walk we found a small square with well and and plaque. On the plaque it is written 

that the local industrialist Stoycho Marchev has done the well in 1926, 

according to the deathbed will of his late father. 

The square has no name, and I think it would be cool if the municipality name it 

after the donor Stoycho Marchev who has done well.

Informal green place for meetings and communication in the neighbourhood. 

And now look - just 5 minutes by car from the city center, we are out of the civilization - 

the asphalt is over. A dirt road begins. Plenty of meadows around. 

  A small stream flow nearby. 

Wow! 5 minutes distance by car from the city center of Haskovo, and you are in a different world. Biodiversity, connection with nature, fresh air, open space - this is what the foothills of the castle offers to the curious traveler. 

 In the foothills of the castle there is a small charming forest.

 Some of us were younger and they quickly quickly outpaced the others. 

 And the ruins of the castle are here. 

10 centuries ago, this place was the heart of the medieval settlement. Craftsmen and farmers lived around, and some artifacts were discovered by the archaeologists few decades ago. Nowadays, the ruins are is at the end of the town, and expect us to find our way back to them. 

View from a bird's eye: 

Talks at The Garden

Since the beginning of the year we started a new project: a series of public Google Hangouts, called TALKS AT THE GARDEN. We present ordinary people, engaged with socially significant activities in various domains: social activisism, creativity, self-organized initiatives, and so on.

Here are the first three "Talks at The Garden":

#1 - There Will Be Once Upon a Time: What is the Future of Storytelling? 

Conversation with the authors & publishers +Zornitsa Hristova and +Nikola Raykov. Zornitsa created a great game for development of children's storytelling skills. Nikola created an intriguing game-book for kids. 

#2 - Lost in the Narrative, Found in Internet 

Conversation with +Ivailo Tarpanov (administrator of TVseriesBG.com - a site which initiate a competition for a short story), +Dimitar Chakarov (writer, whose short story Bar Desire won the competition), and +Kiril Totev (a film director, whose studio will make a movie, based on Bar Desire). The amazing thing is that their budget is 300 (three hundred!) Euro.

#3 - Making good! 

Conversation with +Alexander Makedonski from Moga, a small NGO from a small town. With a few money and a lot of volunteer work, the achievements of the guys from Moga became nationally popular via the buildboards of Coca-Cola. 

We plan a lot of new public hangouts in Bulgarian. We hope that our hangouts will contribute for the development of a more creative and socially sustainable public environment in the Bulgarian society.