The second issue of the academic bulletin for 2023 presents research in two areas – integration of beneficiaries of international protection in Bulgaria with a focus on educational integration and the situation of beneficiaries of temporary protection displaced from Ukraine in Poland. The first article affirms the thesis of local government as a significant mediator and actor in the process of refugee integration in Bulgaria. The following two articles focus on educational integration, on the one hand, through the prism of the need to rethink teachers’ professional-pedagogical preparation in the context of refugee children’s educational integration through a competency-based approach, and the second, presenting two innovative educational practices (Dialogic Reading and Reading Friends) that would support refugee children in developing their educational achievement, sense of belonging and enhancing the well-being of all children. The last text provideс more information on measures concerning the reception and integration of displaced persons from Ukraine in Poland.

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On October 24, 2023, the Bulgarian Council on Refugees and Migrants in partnership with the Ministry of Education and Science, the State Agency for Refugees under the Council of Ministers and SU “St. Kliment Ohridski” orgabised the Academic Forum “Social and Educational Inclusion of Refugees”.

The Academic Forum is a logical extension of the Bulgarian Council for Refugees and Migrants’ strategic efforts to engage the academic community in the field of refugees in response to the Global Compact for Refugees (GCR), par. 43: a global academic network on refugees, other forced displacement and statelessness will be established, comprising universities, academic alliances and research institutions, together with UNHCR and other relevant stakeholders, to facilitate research, training and opportunities for scholarships that lead to concrete results in support of the goals of the global compact. Efforts will be made to ensure regional diversity and expertise from a wide range of relevant subject areas.

The event was attended by leading representatives of the academic community and university lecturers, as well as representatives of the Ministry of Education and Science. The event was opened by Mariana Tosheva – Chairperson of the State Agency for Refugees under the Council of Ministers, Dr. Kina Sabeva – Chairperson of the Bulgarian Council on Refugees and Migrants, Associate Professor Dr. Vanya Bozhilova – Dean of the Faculty of Pedagogy of Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski” and Ana Radulesko, vice-president of the International Federation of Social Workers, president for the Europe region.

During the event, the following academic papers were presented, which will be published in a collection:

• Functions of social work with refugees

Prof. Dr. Siika Chavdarova – Kostova, Faculty of Pedagogy, Department of “Theory of Education”

• Social inclusion of persons seeking international protection residing in the registration and reception centers of the State Agency for Refugees under the Council of Ministers

Mariana Tosheva, Chairperson of the State Agency for Refugees under the Council of Ministers

• Socio-pedagogical reading of the vulnerability of refugees

Prof. Dr. Maya Cholakova, Faculty of Educational Sciences and Arts, Department of “Social Pedagogy and Social Work”.

• Sleep quality in asylum seekers, refugees and migrants in a social work perspective.

Prof. Dr. Ginka Mekhandzhiyska, Faculty of Pedagogy, Department of Social Work.

• Quality of social work with refugees – why, what, how

Assoc. Dr. Rositsa Simeonova, Faculty of Pedagogy, Department of Social Work

• Approach to social work with refugees who have experienced trauma

Ch. Assistant Professor Teodorina Milusheva, Ph.D., Faculty of Pedagogy, Department of Social Work.

• The war through the eyes of children (with a focus on the museum of childhood during the war, Sarajevo)

Prof. Dr. Vladislav Gospodinov, Faculty of Pedagogy, Department of “Theory of Education”.

• Good practices for educational integration of refugee children

Ch. assistant professor Ekaterina Tomova, Ph.D., Faculty of Pedagogy, Department “Theory of Education”.

• Social integration of refugee children through education – specifics and challenges

Kristina Gologanova, PhD student, Faculty of Pedagogy, Department of Social Work

• Armenian refugees – an (un)solved problem

Dr. Alexander Hristov, Faculty of Pedagogy

• Reflective picture of students’ work with refugees

Prof. Violeta Kotseva, Kremena Yordanova, assistant professor, Faculty of History

On October 31 and November 1, the Bulgarian Council on Refugees and Migrants in partnership with the State Agency for Refugees held the second regional training for the development of the capacity of non-governmental organizations from Eastern Bulgaria  in Varna. The training is part of the strategic efforts of the Bulgarian Council on Refugees and Migrants to strengthen civil society structures on issues of refugee integration and inclusion.

In a rapidly evolving environment, the challenges faced by non-governmental organizations engaged in humanitarian work are multifaceted and complex. Therefore, the need for continuous improvement of skills and competence is of paramount importance. Capacity building trainings serve as structured pathways through which NGOs can acquire new knowledge, improve existing skills and adopt innovative approaches to meet the dynamic demands of their operations.

Representatives of non-governmental organizations from the eastern part of Bulgaria took part in the training, and the program included the topics of cooperation between the State Agency for Refugees and the non-governmental sector, quality management of social work, digitization and digital transformation in the non-governmental sector, protection of personal data, cooperation between the private sector and non-governmental organizations, as well as the financial sustainability of non-governmental organizations.

The training is organized under the project “Advocacy for refugee integration in Bulgaria”, financed by UNHCR.

We present to your attention the next issue of the Information Bulletin “Integration of Refugees in Bulgaria: Opportunities for Development”

This issue includes information on the following topics:

∙Statistics on refugees in Bulgaria
∙Refugees from Ukraine: EU member states agree to extend temporary protection
∙ The government extends the term of the current program for humanitarian assistance to displaced persons from Ukraine with temporary protection in the Republic of Bulgaria until December 31, 2023.
∙European Public Employment Network: 7 recommendations for employment services supporting refugees and displaced persons from Ukraine
∙The beginning of the school year and the integration of refugee children into the education system
∙Regional capacity building training for non-governmental organizations working with refugees
∙Held a working forum on social adaptation, inclusion and integration of persons granted international protection in Bulgaria

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Non-governmental organizations have an essential role in integrating and including refugees in their new communities. Their commitment proves to be crucial both for the refugees themselves and for society as a whole. Non-governmental organizations provide essential services and support needed to provide basic human needs to refugees, including assistance in health, education and social care. Through their activity, they create a safe and stable environment for refugees, allowing them to rebuild their lives and develop the skills necessary to adapt to the new environment successfully. Non-governmental organizations offer opportunities that play a crucial role in overcoming communication barriers and creating mutual understanding between refugees and host communities. It is also essential to emphasize that NGOs often act as intermediaries between refugees and host communities. They help to create positive relationships and to understand the cultural characteristics and needs of all countries, contributing to faster and more efficient refugee integration. Non-governmental organizations are indispensable in supporting refugee integration by providing services and mediation for their successful adaptation to the new environment. Their activity is essential for the formation of inclusive and tolerant societies.

On September 27 and 28, the Bulgarian Council on Refugees and Migrants held а regional training to support the development of the capacity of non-governmental organizations working with refugees in Eastern Bulgaria in Sofia. The event is part of the strategic efforts for regionalized and localized support for non-governmental organizations and strengthening partnerships and cooperation, as non-governmental organizations are central actors in everyday situations and crises.

Thirty-five representatives of various non-governmental organizations from Sofia, Plovdiv, Blagoevgrad, Lovech and Smolyan participated in the training. The training program includes a wide range of topics identified through a survey conducted among organizations to increase their effectiveness in the integration and inclusion of refugees, as well as an interactive panel for sharing ideas, experiences, coordination and strengthening cooperation among organizations.

Mariana Tosheva, the chairperson of the State Agency for Refugees under the Council of Ministers, presented the topic of cooperation between non-governmental organizations and institutions in the context of the long-standing partnership between the State Agency for Refugees under the Council of Ministers and non-governmental organizations, including those that operate on the territory of the registration and reception centers.

Reni Borisova, an expert from the Ministry of e-Government, presented the topic of digitization and digital transformation of non-governmental organizations, ways of using various digital resources and open data.

Associate Professor Rositsa Simeonova from Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski” presented the topic of quality management in organizations working with refugees, as it is of paramount importance to ensure the effectiveness, efficiency and ethical behaviour of their activities and structures.

Associate Professor James Iolovski from VUZF: University of Business, Entrepreneurship and Innovation presented the topic of financial management, financial sustainability and funding sources for NGOs, as financial management, financial sustainability, and funding sources are vital cornerstones for the operational efficiency and sustainability of non-governmental organizations.

Anelia Miteva, director of CATRO Bulgaria, presented the topic of cooperation between business and non-governmental organizations as a means of converging efforts to promote the economic empowerment of refugees and fulfilling corporate social responsibility, business and economic development.

Olga Toncheva, consultant to the Bulgarian Council for Refugees and Migrants, presented the topic of information management and data analysis for non-governmental organisations that support refugees. Information management systems facilitate the organised collection, storage and retrieval of data, enabling NGOs to draw valuable conclusions and develop practical models to guide their activities.

The interactive session provided an opportunity to outline proposals and follow-up actions to strengthen the capacity and optimise the work of non-governmental organisations in the order of integration and inclusion of refugees linked to the process of social and economic development at the local and social levels.

The Bulgarian Council on Refugees and Migrants organised the event under the “Advocacy for the Integration of Refugees in Bulgaria” project, financed by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees – The UN Refugee Agency.

In October, the Bulgarian Council on Refugees and Migrants is organising a regional training for refugee assisting non-governmental organisations from Eastern Bulgaria in Varna. If you represent a non-governmental organisation working on refugee integration and wish to participate, you can get more information by contacting us at bgrc@bulrefcouncil.org.

Refugee integration is more than an act of compassion; it is a powerful catalyst for positive change in a rapidly globalizing world. Successful integration of refugees depends on comprehensive, well-coordinated policies and partnerships. Governments, non-governmental organizations and international bodies must cooperate to create an enabling environment for the inclusion and integration of refugees. Specialized programs aimed at language acquisition, vocational training, health care are essential components of effective integration. In addition, public-private partnerships can facilitate job placement, mentoring and skills development, ensuring that refugees are prepared to make meaningful and sustainable contributions.

Because of the opportunities for the integration process to be used as a tool for development at the local and national level, the Bulgarian Council for Refugees and Migrants and the State Agency for Refugees with the Council of Ministers organized in August a working forum on social adaptation, inclusion and integration of persons granted international protection in Bulgaria.

The forum brought together representatives of ministries and agencies, non-governmental organizations, the private sector, as well as representatives of non-governmental organizations to discuss the issues related to the current situation with the integration of refugees, the position of the institutions, as well as the experience of the non-governmental sector and municipalities.

The Chairperson of the State Agency for Refugees under the Council of Ministers – Mariana Tosheva presented the role of the Agency for the initial adaptation of the persons granted international protection in Bulgaria. Mariana Tosheca shared concrete examples of the work in preparing integration profiles of asylum seekers, which contain a set of concrete integration measures with a focus on education and employment. In this context, the various approaches to assessing vulnerability and overcoming it in order to successfully integrate into public life in our country were also outlined.

Representatives of the Ministry of Internal Affairs presented the possibilities for financing integration projects under the national program of the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund in the current program period from 2021 to 2027. The experience of the local authorities on the part of the Ruse Municipality in developing a social service to support refugee children, the experience of the Vitosha and Oborishte Regions both for the integration of resettled and relocated refugees, and for the development and implementation of refugee integration projects and support for refugee children. The position of the institutions was provided by representatives of the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Healt, the Employment Agency, and the Agency for Social Assistance.

The long-term experience of the non-governmental sector in the field of integration measures and activities was presented by representatives of the Bulgarian Red Cross and Caritas Sofia, emphasizing that non-governmental organizations are a reliable and proven partner of institutions and local authorities in the long-term integration process of the refugees.

The event is organized as part of the project “Advocacy for the Integration of Refugees in Bulgaria”, funded by UNHCR – the United Nations Refugee Agency, and is another effort by the Bulgarian Council on Refugees and Migrants to strengthen capacity and develop new partnerships between all interested parties in the process of integration of persons granted international protection.

We present to your attention the next issue of the Information newsletter “Integration of refugees in Bulgaria: Opportunities for development”

This issue includes information on the following topics:

• Statistics for refugees in Bulgaria for the period January – June 2023.
• World Refugee Day 2023: Hope far from home
• Football tournament for World Refugee Day
• Regional trainings of the non-governmental sector
• Digital student lab
• Working practices in teaching Bulgarian as a foreign language to adults, asylum seekers and refugees
• Successfully implemented student project for integration activities
• Concluded agreements on the integration of refugees
• Call for expressions of interest: partnership for a city program for the inclusion of migrants and refugees
• Facilitating the daily life of displaced Ukrainians: consumer rights in the EU

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Every year on June 20, the world celebrates the strength and courage of people who have been forced to flee their homelands to escape conflict or persecution.

The theme for World Refugee Day 2023 is “Hope away from home. A world where refugees are always included.”

Hope away from home. A world where refugees are always included

The inclusion and integration of refugees in host countries where they have found safety after fleeing conflict and persecution is the most effective way of supporting them to start their lives anew. In this process, the refugees themselves should also contribute to the social, cultural and economic development of the countries that receive them.

World Refugee Day, celebrated annually on June 20, draws attention to the millions of people around the world who have been forced to flee their homes due to conflict, persecution and violence. It serves as an extremely important reminder of the challenges facing refugees and the urgent need to ensure their protection and inclusion in society. In a world where conflict and humanitarian crises continue to displace millions, World Refugee Day calls for solidarity and empathy for those who have been forced to seek asylum and protection in other countries. World Refugee Day highlights the importance of providing protection and integration to refugees refugees.

Inclusive societies welcome refugees by offering access to education, healthcare, job opportunities… They promote social cohesion and create platforms for refugees to participate in decision-making processes that affect their lives. By removing barriers and combating discrimination, inclusive societies provide refugees with the opportunity to rebuild their lives and contribute meaningfully to their new communities. World Refugee Day also serves as a platform to recognize the remarkable resilience and courage shown by refugees. Despite the hardships they face, refugees demonstrate remarkable strength, determination and adaptability.

The first Issue of the Academic Bulletin “Refugees: Today and Tomorrow” for 2023 features in its first section in-depth analyses in three fields: university education, psycho-social inclusion and financial integration. The Issue’s lead article examines the development and analyses of the European-level policy framework on the social dimensions of university education. The second article analyses the topic of increasing the financial literacy of refugees as an opportunity to achieve more effective integration. The third paper presents how staging conflict and traumatic scenarios in a secure environment allows refugee actors to see and experience themselves in new roles. On the bases of data from the 2022 UNHCR Age, Gender, Diversity Participatory Assessment, another essential article reveals information on the profile of Ukrainian citizens seeking protection in Bulgaria, how and where they are accommodated, what challenges they face, what can be done to improve their quality of life in Bulgaria. The case of the city of Plovdiv is also presented as an example of successful integration at the local level. The first Issue also presents several important publications, an academic book “Refugees in the Perceptions of Bulgarian Citizens Fears, Perception, Compassion” 2022, published by the academic publishing house “Prof. Marin Drinov” and two practical books ” A Practical Manual on Alternatives to Immigration Detention” published by the Legal Aid Center “Voice in Bulgaria” and “ABC – First Steps” by the Reach Out Foundation. The Issue also features information on the European Refugee Scholars Support Hub, part of the EURAXESS network, in which Sofia University is an active partner.

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The Bulgarian Council on Refugees and Migrants (BCRM), in partnership with the Faculty of Pedagogy of Sofia University (SU) and the State Agency for Refugees (SAR) under the Council of Ministers (CoM), organizes a Student Competition for the design of an integration activity for refugee children. The competition takes place within the framework of a BCRM project financed by UNHCR.

The competition required the design of an activity for inclusion and integration of children seeking protection and refugees accommodated in the Registration and Reception Centers of the DAB in Sofia.

Activities from the scope of non-formal education and social work were eligible, such as various courses (painting, music, dance, languages,); sports activities; creative activities; trainings; private lessons; mentoring; educational activities during free time; preventive activities; activities for personal, social and cultural development.

The evaluation of the presented projects was assigned to a committee chaired by associate professor Dr. Rositsa Simeonova, deputy dean of the Faculty of Pedagogy, SU with the participation of the chairperson of the State Agency for Refugees at the MS Mariana Tosheva, professor Siika Chavdarova-Kostova, head of the master’s program “Social Work with Refugees and Migrants”, Faculty of Pedagogy and Dr. Kina Sabeva, Chairman of the Bulgarian Council for Refugees and Migrants.

The commission unanimously ranked the project “Learning and having fun together” in first place, developed by Boryana Dimova Peycheva, a first-year student majoring in “Informal Education”, Faculty of Pedagogy, SU “St. Kliment Ohridski”.

In second place was ranked the project “Karaoke with Bulgarian songs”, developed and presented by Fani Antonova, a first-year student majoring in “Pedagogy” at the Faculty of Pedagogy, SU “St. Kliment Ohridski”.

The conditions of the competition included implementation of the project activity within the protected budget and within the planned parameters. The ranked projects were implemented on May 19. The authors of the selected projects combined the proposed activities. Boryana Peycheva organized an excursion for ten children and their mothers from the Registration Reception Centers of the DAB to Plovdiv with a visit to the Natural History Museum, the children’s corner on Mladezhkia Hill and the children’s railway. Fani Antonova organizes activities in the park and learning the song “One Bulgarian Rose”. The children enthusiastically competed in singing and games. Mothers shared their joy at the smiles and joy of cheerful children.

The student competition allowed BCRM to carry out advocacy for the inclusion and integration of refugee children. The activity impacts both youth and academic engagement for capacity building and advocacy for refugee protection and integration.

The competition not only provokes students to create projects for activities aimed at the inclusion of refugee children. The winners gained experience in the implementation of the proposed activities.

Bulgarian Council on Refugees and Migrants, the Faculty of Pedagogy of the SU and the State Agency for Refugees are satisfied with the holding of the Student Competition and appreciate that such activities contribute to the preparation of the next generation of specialists working in the field of human rights protection, integration and the creation of a supportive and tolerant environment.