Background

Due to the lack of experience, knowledge and skills, many young people are indifferent to the public life and problems of their town. By building a structure to introduce them to the rights and opportunities they have got, their powers and energy could be focused not only on the improvement of life conditions in their home places, but on teaching respect to the efforts of the municipal administration and other institutions. The forming of an active citizen position, critical thinking and responsibility, are only part of the values, which could be taught through the involvement of young people in simulations of elections or municipal council, activities related to the environment, health care, culture, social and students life.

After a series of training courses and an introduction to the experience of young people in some European countries, young people held the first elections for a Young Mayor of the town back in 1996, on the Day of Stara Zagora October 3. In the years to follow, young people initiated on the same day a series of activities similar to those performed by the adults: groups of eco-patrols, young reporters covering the events in the media, meetings for drawing the most acute problems of youth in the town, and others.

Practice

The Youth Municipal Council (YMC) is a form of direct participation of young people in the organization of their public life and the resolution of problems concerning their growth as persons with special skills and abilities needed for their future realization. No more than three representatives of the youth community can apply each year to become YMC members, with a two-year mandate. The election is voluntary, personal and democratic. Every member of the students community aged 14 to 19 can apply.

The goals of the YMC are:
Support the involvement of young people in the public life of Stara Zagora.
Act as a consultative group to the municipal and district administration on problems concerning the young people of Stara Zagora.
Support, develop and unite the activities of representative students bodies in the secondary schools of Stara Zagora, and help the implementation of youth initiatives at the local, regional and national level.
Serve as an information center for young people from the municipality regarding the resolution of their problems.
Develop projects and activities concerning priority issues in the life of young people from Stara Zagora.
Contribute to the forming of an attitude of intolerance to negative phenomena and the stimulation of responsibility for a better and more attractive life of young people.

The opportunity to address the Mayor of the municipality with any question, to put forward resolutions and require their fast processing by the Municipal Council and the Standing Committee on Education and Culture, falls within the priorities of the YMC.

The YMC has five Standing Committees:
1. The Executive Committee controls all YMC activities and acts as a coordinator between young people, local government and NGOs. Its members are the chairperson, deputy chairperson, all committee leaders, the Young Mayor, Deputy Mayor and the methodological advisor of the YMC;
2. The Committee of Social and School Policy protects the rights of young people, detects violations of internal order at schools and outside, and alarms other bodies at the detection of violations of Law. 3. The Committee on Health Care and Environment is responsible for the organization of environmental activities and the improvement of health culture of young people; it makes local environmental problems public and runs environmental education programs.
4. The Committee on Culture and Sports supports the organization of cultural and sports events, as well as the improvement and utilization of existing facilities.
5. The PR and Communications Committee strives to explore, summarize and publicize the problems of young people in Stara Zagora, and inform the public about their activities.

Results

Main activities and outcomes of the YMC in the period October 2001 April 2002 include:
Holding a number of work meetings with youth organizations in Stara Zagora, teachers and representatives of other students bodies; with the Regional Inspectorate of the Ministry of Education and Science and the District Administration regarding matriculation; a discussion Come to class with us with representatives of Stara Zagora Municipality, the district government, and Stara Zagora Regional Police Office. Inclusion of YMC representatives in 4 municipal committees. Preparation and participation in a number of projects: Beautiful and Clean Stara Zagora , financed by the Municipal Environmental Fund; Together in 2001-2002 an international project; a joint project with the Biosphere Bitolya Environmental Youth Organization and the Youth Center of Denmark; Citizen of Europe Project, funded by the European Commission in Sofia.
The YMC was the representative of the Schools and Health National Association in Stara Zagora at the time of Let s Think About Campaign for strict control over the sale of cigarettes around schools.
Initiating and carrying out charity activities.
Multiplication of the results of YMC s work in other places through the maintenance of a whole page in the municipal daily paper, stable contacts with local cable TVs, meetings with representatives of youth communities in Kroumovgrad, Galabovo, Children s Parliament of Tryavna.