On 18 January the final meeting of the educational programme for Student Councils in the Hisarya was held with children and young people from Hristo Smirnenski High School Hisarya

The main stages in organizing an event with an emphasis on the principles of non-formal education were recalled. The role of observing national and international days in the functioning of the Student Council was discussed, with the presentation of the Youth Center's new manual "Non-formal activities for 12 international days related to human rights".

The participants chose an initiative to implement in the coming months. In groups, they set the goals, the main tasks and roles, the necessary materials and equipment, and the time schedule. In the subsequent meetings of the council, the initiative will be planned in detail based on what has been prepared so far.

Going through the program, the children and young people, members of the Student Council, acquired knowledge and skills for: creative thinking, teamwork, volunteering, active participation in school life and free expression of a civic position.

The motivation for civic participation is also fundamental to the functioning of this structure. This is also the reason why we give examples from our experience and good practices. Therefore, in this last meeting Simeon Markov - a student in the 12th grade, who always has an active role in various events related to student councils and participated in the organization of the first ever National Forum for Student Self-Government - took part.

The educational programme is realized as part of the project "Youth Centre Plovdiv - a powerful factor for local development" under the program "Local Development, Poverty Reduction and Enhanced Inclusion of Vulnerable Groups, financed by the Financial Mechanism of the European Economic Area 2014-2021.