Challenges and Youth Engagement in the Second Angle of the Triangular Project
Plovdiv, Bulgaria – Between 25th -28th of August, the Triangular project team reunited with bulgarian partners for the second angle of the initiative. The meeting offered an immersive experience, with direct engagement in the Roma community.
The team visited Stolipinovo, one of the largest Roma neighborhoods in Eastern Europe, where participants had the opportunity to explore key challenges faced by Roma residents in the areas of education, housing, and employability.
During their visit, the team met with:
Roma Youth Club Association in Stolipinovo – represented by President Assen Karagyozov
Stolipinovo Community Support Center – represented by Kristina Pancheva and Kocho Dimitrov
Chalukuwi Village School – where they discussed with the school director the barriers to Roma children’s access to education
At the same time, participants were inspired by the active involvement of young people in creating community-driven solutions. One example is a volunteer-based sanitation project initiated by Roma youth, who mobilized both local residents and external supporters, including social media influencers. This summer, they successfully cleaned up important areas of Stolipinovo and plan to continue expanding their efforts.
“It’s wonderful when things come together, develop, and then return to the community to generate an impact for future generations. I also liked the perspective of the school’s Roma principal, who has many plans for how to develop the school and how to bring in new equipment and technology for quality education. He has already started to improve some of the facilities so that students in this disadvantaged area have access to equal opportunities. I can’t wait to go back there, maybe even to launch the Bulgarian translation of Baris’s book as part of the Erasmus project.”
— Alexandru Zamfir, REF Educational Expert
The TRIANGULAR project is coordinated by GrünBau (Germany), in partnership with the Roma Youth Club Stolipinovo (Bulgaria) and the Roma Education Fund Romania. Running from September 2024 to August 2025 with the support of the Erasmus+ Programme, the project seeks to strengthen cooperation between organizations dedicated to the inclusion of Roma youth.
