Existence of a National Strategy

There is no national strategy exclusively on youth volunteering. However, the National Youth Strategy (2021-2030) (Национална стратегия за младежта (2022-2030)) addresses youth volunteering. The strategy recognizes the importance to promote volunteering, to regulate voluntary activities and to engage non-organised youth in different forms of civic participation as a means to increase the level of civic engagement of young people.

On the other hand, volunteering is further promoted by the Strategy for development of voluntary units for prevention or overcoming of natural disasters, fires and emergencies 2021-2030 (Стратегия за развитие на доброволните формирования за предотвратяване или овладяване на бедствия, пожари и други извънредни ситуации в периода 2021-2030), which defines the strategic objectives in this field of volunteering of all people, including youth. One of the strategic objectives of this strategy is to raise the interest of adolescents up to the age of 18 to the work of the volunteering units and the vocation to help others in case of natural disasters and different emergencies. This requires joint actions among the local authorities, various ministries – of education, interior, youth, and NGOs. 

Scope and contents

The National Youth Strategy (2021-2030) takes into account the importance of volunteering for young people.

Strategic objective 3.1 Increasing the level of civic engagement of young people, provides for the following measures/ actions:

• Support and promotion of volunteering and regulation of voluntary activities;
• Engaging unorganized young people in various forms of civic participation, volunteering and youth activities.

Strategic objective 6.4 Achieving conscious change in young people’s mindset and behaviour in terms of environment protection, provides for the following measures/ actions:

• Encouragement and support of youth voluntary initiatives in the field of environment protection and formation of sustainable environmental culture and behaviour.

The results expected from the implementation of the Strategy, in particular in terms of “youth volunteering”, are as follows:

• Increased number of young people involved in voluntary initiatives and youth organisations;
• Increased activity of young people, including in terms of participation in voluntary activities.

The Strategy for development of voluntary units for prevention or overcoming of natural disasters, fires and emergencies 2021-2030 provides for measures aimed at reaching the strategic objective for attracting the interest of adolescents in the work of the voluntary units.

Responsible authority

The Ministry of Youth and Sports, the local authorities and municipalities are in charge of the implementation of the National Youth Strategy (2021-2030).

The body in charge of the Strategy for development of voluntary units for prevention or overcoming of natural disasters, fires and emergencies 2021-2030 is the Ministry of Interior, Fire Safety and Civil Protection Directorate General.

Revisions/updates

The implementation period of the National Youth Strategy (2021-2030) and the Strategy for development of voluntary units for prevention or overcoming of natural disasters, fires and emergencies 2021-2030 has started in 2021, and no major revisions and/or updates have been made so far.