ACS Students Instrumental to EYP Conference in Plovdiv

The continuation of the First and Second Regional Selection Conferences of EYP Bulgaria for 2023/2024, with organising leads including ACS senior Joana Hristanova '24 and 10th grader Polina Trifonova '26, occurred during the Spring Break in Plovdiv with the Second National Selection Conference, one of the head-organisers of it being Nikola Kralev ‘24. The European Youth Parliament Bulgaria organises conferences that simulate the activities of the EP in an informal learning setting, focusing on cultural exchange and political participation of the youth. The 5-day conference included representatives from over 15 countries and totalled over 140 participants.

The theme of the event was “Preserving the past and innovating the future: honouring our heritage while forging a new path forward,” and it covered topics such as art preservation, cultural heritage risks, regional development of historical cities, and more. After a day of team building, the participants discussed the mentioned topics and designed solutions for them, enriching their leadership, communication, critical thinking, and teamwork skills. The last two days of the event were reserved for presenting the resolutions that were then voted for or against by other participants, similar to the actual process that takes place in the European Parliament.

The programme of the conference included the foollowing first of their kind for EYP Bulgaria events: the NGO Fair and the Cultural Morning. During the NGO Fair, the participants got the chance to network with over 20 NGOs from all over Bulgaria and forge connections with others. During the Cultural Morning, the participants explored the city of Plovdiv, tangibly implementing the session’s theme into reality.

Participating in the event, the young people developed various skills necessary for their success, enriched their worldview, engaging in communication with people from different cultural backgrounds, and helped increase youth participation and citizenship in Bulgaria and Europe: all true to core values of the European Youth Parliament.

Half of the head-organising team was composed of Nikola Kralev ‘24, while Nicole Alexieva ‘25, Dara Popkoleva ‘25, Irina Kovacheva ‘25, Joana Hristanova ‘24, Yuliyana Vasileva ‘25, Polina Trifonova ‘26, and Yana Dimitrova ‘26 were part of the Organising Team, which actively contributed to the logistics and realisation of the event. 

ACS seniors Meriem Fereva '24 and Alexandra Daskalova '24 and ACS alumnae Gergana Pregyova ‘23 and Kalina Stefanova ‘23, representatives of the Board of EYP Bulgaria, oversaw the event for the implementation of all legal procedures and protocols, ensuring the smooth running of the session.

Another ACS senior Teodora Daskalova '24 was also engaged in the event as the Event Safe Person, providing support to the participants and looking after their wellbeing.

As a member of the Media Team, ACS junior Stefania Filipova '25 was responsible for the creative output of the event, producing memorable projects and media coverage.

More than 25 delegates from ACS took part in the session! Nikol Hambarlieva ‘25 and Lora Markova ‘26 were among the top 3 Bulgarian delegates and were selected to represent EYP Bulgaria during the 100th International Session in Thessaloniki upcoming in July. Additionally, many other ACS students, ranking high in the charts, will be able to represent EYP Bulgaria during other events in the network as well.

Congratulations to all involved! We are looking forward to new achievements!