Dear colleagues. On behalf of CVS – Bulgaria and YDCMA, we have the pleasure of inviting you to take part in a discussion with the theme “Together is better”. The discussion will take place on the 26th of May 2010 at 13:30 at art-cafe Impulse.
This invitation is for organizations and institutions that:
– work with volunteers
– create projects in which creative people can show and develop their skills
– have accepted and are spreading the values of volunteering
It is also aimed at representatives of the local authorities work in spheres regarding politics that affect young people, as well as media representatives, and anyone that considers themselves a volunteer or would like to become one.

This meeting is part of the project “Together is better – creating an information network about volunteering in Bulgaria”. The main purpose of the meeting is to present a data base that should serve as the main tool this network will work with. During this meeting you will have the opportunity to learn how to work with this data base, and how to use it in order to improve your work.

Your experience and knowledge, as well as your active participation will be extremely useful for the successful completion of this project and the promising creation of the web for volunteers in Bulgaria. Details about the project and the main organizations that work on it you can find down below.

Sincerely: Anisa Fonna / Coordinator of the project/

About the project:
CVS – Bulgaria is an association related to voluntary labor. CVS works together with BlueLink Information Network on the project. Their common aim is to improve the communication and the interaction between organizations and institutions that work with volunteers and people that want to participate in voluntary activities on the territory of Bulgaria, and to increase the level of awareness about the importance of volunteering and present the possibilities of voluntary labor in Bulgaria.

The project began in September 2009 and will last a year. It consists of two phases. During the first phase SVS – Bulgaria carried out a survey on the best foreign practice related to the existing voluntary networks. With the help of the results we determined the parameters of our data base. The next step was to organize a forum about volunteering that should give the Bulgarian non-governmental organizations, institutions, local authorities and companies, which work with volunteers and offer opportunities for voluntary labor the opportunity to discuss the parameters of a future cooperation with each other. The information gathered during the forum was taken into consideration while working over the data base. The volunteering network will unite people and groups, which are looking for opportunities for voluntary labor, and organizations and institutions, which are looking for help with their projects, as well as organizations from Bulgaria that actively work with volunteers.
The second phase of the project is all about presenting and popularizing the data base in the whole country so that the interested organizations can be informed about the opportunities the network presents.

The project is being funded with the kind assistance of CEE Trust.

About CVS – Bulgaria
CVS – Bulgaria has over 10 years of experience in working with volunteers. The organization has carried out a significant amount of projects, related to the development of voluntary labor and activities in Bulgaria. The main activities of the organization include short- and longterm exchanges of volunteers both in Bulgaria and abroad, coordination of projects, and funding of European programs, organizing different events in order to promote an active citizen participation, human rights, social justice and respect towards nature. CVS – Bulgaria is a full member of the international volunteer network Service Civil International and of SEEYN.
The association takes active part in the preparation of the draft law on volunteering, a project initiated and coordinated by The Bulgarian Center for Not – for – Profit Law.

About BlueLink:
BlueLink is a contemporary virtual network, that offers a variety of internet-based platforms for anyone interested in problems related to sustainable development, democracy and the civil society in Bulgaria.
BlueLink aims to make the transfer of information and the relations between the Bulgarian non-profit organizations easier, as well as to improve the quality of their work, so that their actions about preserving the environment and creating a civil society in Bulgaria are more effective. They also aim to incite the public concern for nature and environmental and health issues, to create prerequisites for the public’s participation in civil society processes; and to serve NGOs and anyone interested in protecting the environment and enhancing the impact of a civil society – the media, scientific and educational institutions, state and municipal organizations, businesses.