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YouthWiki

EACEA National Policies Platform
Bulgaria

Bulgaria

10. Youth work

10.5 Youth workers

Last update: 22 March 2024
On this page
  1. Status in national legislation
  2. Education, training and skills recognition
  3. Mobility of youth workers

Status in national legislation

The Youth Act (Закон за младежта) (effective from 2012, last amendment of 02.08.2022) provides for a definition of youth worker. These are 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.

The status of youth worker does not apply to any person active in organising and delivering youth work projects and initiatives such as volunteers but only to professionals (e.g., paid youth workers in youth centres). The occupation of youth worker is on the list of occupations in the national classification of professions and occupations (Списък на длъжностите в националната класификация на професиите и длъжностите, 2011) in the group of applied specialists in social work.  However, there are not specific standards and criteria for youth workers – be they volunteers or professionals (e.g., health and safety requirements for working with youth; minimum qualifications; demonstration of specific pedagogical, educational, relational competences; compliance with specific codes of ethics legislated by top-level authorities). The organisations themselves are developing the framework of the criteria of their youth workers.

Education, training and skills recognition

The educational opportunities and trainings available to youth workers are through educational institutions and through non-formal learing. The institutions that provide education for youth workers set their educational standards for the knowledge, skills and competences which the students are expected to have after completion of the course. Examples of training courses are:

Non-formal learning opportunities for youth workers are also available by the National Youth Forum. The National Youth Academy (Национална младежка академия) is an annual initiative of the National Youth Forum aimed at developing young people’s competences and to enable them to contribute for more efficient youth sector at regional and national level. The 2021 National Youth Academy edition was the 9th annual event. The training methodology corresponds to the highest standards in non-formal learning and the academy activities are carefully selected to achieve maximum effect for the work and the effective learning.

The Veliko Tarnovo University “St. St. Cyril and Methodius” is among the first educational institutions in Bulgaria to offer a qualification program for a new profession – Youth Worker. In the academic 2016/2017, the Faculty in Pedagogy of the VTU “St. St. Cyril and Methodius” opened a Master’s Program in Youth Work.

There is not training for continuous professional development, either directly organised or funded by public authorities, available to youth workers – volunteers and/or professionals – to reinforce and expand their competences. There is no official legal procedure for the validation of skills and competences gained by youth workers through non-formal and informal learning. The National Youth Strategy 2021-2030 provides for measures to support the recognition, development and establishment of youth work as a factor for personal, social and professional development of young people where efforts will be made during the time horizon of the strategy.

Mobility of youth workers

The possibilities for youth workers to take advantage of mobility opportunities in the European Union are managed by the Human Resources Development Centre – the National Agency for the Erasmus + program.

There are not existing national policies/programmes/initiatives offering the possibility for youth workers to take part in exchange opportunities, cooperation and networking at local, regional, national and international level.