Number of members and structure: five members, including one head of organization (ethnologist, Yana Yancheva), one archivist, one lawyer, one museum curator, one more ethnologist (Zlatina Bogdanova). Fields of Activity: Research and Heritage, Youth and Education, International and Cultural Relations, Advocacy and Community Development. Main goals: Developing and implementing action oriented projects in the fields of culture, education and science; developing cultural programs, public activities and initiatives related to the preservation, socialization and promotion of cultural heritage; promoting international cooperation in the humanities, social and cultural management; providing assistance to ethnic and cultural minorities for preserving and safeguarding their cultural heritage. The Centre for Cultural Initiatives and Research in the Area of Cultural Heritage aims to work for encouraging communities’ members to direct their efforts effectively for the preservation and advocacy of their cultural heritage and ‘treasures’, and recognize their potential for the community’s social and economic growth, and realize that each personal involvement has an influential impact on the whole effort. Projects: Our first successful project was related to the participation in the Professional Fellows Program „Sustaining Civic Participation in Minority Communities“ in 2016 and 2017. The program was organized by The Great Lakes Consortium for International Training and Development, financed by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and governed by the ECA’s Office of Citizen Exchange. The program aims to transmit the community organizing method to East-European organizations. As a result of its work in the program and using the method of community organizing, The Centre for Cultural Initiatives and Researches in the Area of Cultural Heritage assisted the community of the so called Bessarabian Bulgarians in Sofia to establish its representative institution –The Centre of Bessarabian Bulgarians in Bulgaria (CBBB). In 2017 the Centre for Cultural Initiatives and Researches in the Area of Cultural Heritage organized two training seminars “Introduction to the “community organizing method” in cooperation with “Creating Effective Grassroots Alternatives” Foundation, and with the financial support of the program “Sustaining Civic Participation in Minority Communities” of the Great Lakes Consortium, Ohio, USA. The lecturer guest was Emily Terrana – a manager and organizer in the American organization “PUSH Buffalo”. The first seminar was held on 24.02.2017 at the Family-Consultation Center in Berkovitsa, whose activities are carried out among the Roma communities of Berkovitsa and Varshets. It was attended by psychologists, social workers and assistants (members of the Roma communities). The second seminar was carried out from February 27th to March 1st, 2017 in Sofia with the assistance of the Center of the Bessarabian Bulgarians in Bulgaria. More than 20 participants from 11 organizations took part - Institute of Ethnology and Folklore Studies with Ethnographic Museum, CBDC, Center for Women's Studies and Policies, “Open Space” Foundation and other NGOs, including international participation from Italy, Spain, Moldova and Ukraine. The participants in the two seminars were introduced to the different components of the community organizing method: making contacts and recruiting organizers, story-telling, “success story-telling” models, one-on-one meetings, self-interest and leading ladder, a framework for campaign planning and its implementation, “community congress model”. In her presentations, Emily Terrana included many examples of her experience, demonstrations, practicing basic skills and exploration games. Sources of funding: National, US, EU funds and programs.
