Our Team Took Part in the “Mobile Practices” Basic Training Module in Gabrovo

From 10 to 14 November 2025, a team from Youth Center – Asenovgrad took part in the “Mobile Practices” basic training module for youth centers, hosted by Youth Center – Gabrovo. The training is part of the national efforts to strengthen the network of modern youth centers and to highlight the important role of youth work in supporting young people and their communities.

The programme was intensive and well-structured, combining theoretical input with extensive practical work and reflection. The training was organised in several thematic modules that outlined the bigger picture of contemporary youth work and the place of youth centers in it:

• Module 1: “Youth Work – The Heart of Transformation” – an overview of the role, types, and functions of youth work, its core values and principles, and its connection to youth policies and broader social change.

• Module 2: “The Youth Worker – Roles, Voice and Connector” – focus on the youth worker as a key figure in participation and empowerment processes, cooperation with other professionals (psychologists, mediators, pedagogical staff), and practical facilitation tools and skills.

• Module 3: “Learning as an Adventure – Non-formal Education” – exploring the differences between formal, non-formal and informal learning, designing and evaluating educational processes, and using experiential learning within a “learning organisation”.

• Module 4: “Young People – Voices, Contexts and Generations” – looking at different profiles of young people, generational and age-specific characteristics, motivation and long-term engagement, as well as working with vulnerable groups, marginalised youth, volunteering and civic participation.

• Module 5: “Connected and Inspired – Communication and Teamwork” – developing communication skills, teamwork and conflict management, human rights in youth work, and the importance of self-care and mental health for youth workers.

Each training day included morning energisers, interactive sessions, group work, and evening reflection circles, offering space for participants to process what they had learned, to share their own experience, and to seek common solutions to the challenges they face in their daily work with young people. In this way, the training became not only a learning space, but also a community of practice among the teams of the participating youth centers.

A particularly valuable part for the team from Asenovgrad was the “Mobile Practice” on 13 and 14 November, hosted by Youth Center – Gabrovo under the motto “Welcome and Already Gone”. The programme included:

• get-to-know activities and a presentation of the team and the work of Youth Center – Gabrovo;

• a guided tour of the building, stage and accommodation facilities;

• sharing how Youth Center – Gabrovo celebrates 5 December – International Volunteer Day, followed by group work to brainstorm ideas on how other youth centers can mark the day in their own communities;

• a short presentation of the center’s partnerships and a lecture-discussion delivered by experts from the Local Prevention and Information Center on Addictions – Gabrovo on “What is Effective Prevention in Youth Work?”;

• An introductory workshop on graphic facilitation and how it can be used in working with young people.

The mobile practice ended with a light-hearted closing session and “cat fortunes”, bringing smiles after several intense days of learning and collaboration.

The participation of Youth Center – Asenovgrad in the “Mobile Practices” basic training module brought new ideas, methods and inspiration for future activities with young people, volunteers, and vulnerable groups in our city. The contacts and partnerships established with colleagues from other youth centers will support future joint initiatives and will contribute to even higher quality youth work at local level.

The training was implemented within the framework of the investment “Establishment of a National Focal Centre”, Contract No BG-RRP-1.018-0001, financed by the European Union – NextGenerationEU under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan of the Republic of Bulgaria.