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YouthWiki

EACEA National Policies Platform
Bulgaria

Bulgaria

10. Youth Work

Last update: 28 November 2023

The Ministry of Youth and Sports is the main policy-making actor in the field of youth work. The Youth Policy Department of the Ministry of Youth and Sports deals with all aspects of youth policy, including youth work. The main non-public actors are the NGOs (umbrella organizations) such as the National Youth Forum and the youth centers where youth workers are mainly employed.

The Youth Act (Закон за младежта) (effective from 2012, last amendment of 02.08.2022) provides for a definition of youth worker. They are defined as adults who have been especially trained to work with young people or have acquired professional experience in working with young people and carrying out youth activities. The youth worker supports the activity of youth organisations by analyzing, planning, monitoring and evaluating youth activities based on individual approach and assessment of young people’s specific needs. National and municipal youth programs support the development and special education of the youth worker.

More information about the roles can be found in section 10.2 Administration and Governance of Youth Work.

The profession of the youth worker is also recognized by the national authorities.

Taking into account the importance of the youth work as a tool for development of young people’s skills and their involvement in the society, the Ministry of Youth and Sports has established a National Working Group for Youth Work (in November 2021). The recent developments could be found in section 10.8 Current Debates and Reforms.