ARCHAEOLOGICAL SUMMER Bulgaria, 2013 dolnamitropolia.bg
Approaches
Strengths
Job Placement, Training (general) • ‘‘Usually the practice is to seek European or state funding for such activities, not to reallocate funds from the municipal budget. However, with the political will and the support of the mayor, the leadership and Municipal Council, the Archeaological Programme addresses two ma jor necessities, “Conduction of rescue excavations” and “Tackling youth unemployment,” becoming an expression of a targeted policy and using all available resources to do so’ - Tanya Nikolova • The programme has an ultimate goal to develop a tourist site with a trained staff of young people
Short Description This local government initiative of the Dolna Mitropolia Municipality gives young people a summer opportunity to participate in local archaeological projects. The young people can pursue interests in history and culture firsthand while learning the skills vital to working environments.
Motivation to Start ‘Archaeological Summer got its start in 2012 when an archaeological expert joined the Dolna Mitropolia municipality’s ‘Programs and Projects’ department, which works with young people. With assistance from the department’s leadership, the proposed Archaeological Summer initiative received approval from the Mayor and acquired a budget. This was quite a feat - often in Bulgaria programs and strategies are developed, but have no funds or people responsible for their implementation, which often leads to the programmes’ failure.
Lessons learned ‘‘The work designed for young people must be adaptable to the needs of the young people, with the awareness that they are not only motivated by money and social benefits, but also opportunities for leisure and incentives typical for the young people, such as parties’ - Tanya Nikolova
Effectiveness
Because treasure hunters destroy Bulgaria’s cultural sites, the Archaeological Summer programme was developed as a preventive measure for the preservation of ancient objects. Conducting rescue archeological excavations lead to the protection of the site and its opening for tourist visits.
• In 2013, the financial allocations was approximately 10000 euro. The programme involved 15 young people for a total of 20 working days • In 2014, the programme received nearly double the previous budget and involved 30 young people for a period of 35 working days
Despite over 10 archeological sites on the territory of the municipality, this is the first time activities for the research and rescue of cultural material heritage has involved young people’. - Tanya Nikolova (Head of European Integration, Projects and Programs Department)
Advice: • ‘Enter clear rules, and meet all young people and their parents before the start of the activity • Do not try to please everyone 40