A total of 45 civic and youth projects from all over the country will be supported with a fund of EUR 204,516.80 (BGN 400,000) from Lidl Bulgaria within the framework of the “You and Lidl” program. The approved initiatives in the eighth edition of the company’s largest socially responsible program were announced at a special event.
“Through all editions of You and Lidl, we have invested over 1 million euros in support of civic initiatives throughout the country. But our greatest achievement is not the amount of the donated fund, but the community of people and organizations who do not just dream of change, but have the courage to plan and implement it. This community is growing every year and shows that our country is becoming a better place to live when business, the civil sector and the media work together,” said Milena Dragiyska, CEO of Lidl Bulgaria.
“You and Lidl” is implemented in partnership with the Workshop for Civic Initiatives Foundation (WCIF), the Bulgarian Donors’ Forum and the Association of European Journalists – Bulgaria, and the awarded projects are distributed in the five thematic areas of the program:
· #BeLocal – for culture, art and historical heritage (8 approved projects)
· #BeActive – for an active lifestyle and civic activism (8 approved projects)
· #BeGreen – for environmental protection (6 approved projects)
· #BeFair – to overcome social inequalities (8 approved projects)
· #BeVocal – for quality journalism, media literacy and critical thinking (8 approved projects)
Youth projects and #ДетективътНаДоброто
In the eighth edition of You & Lidl, youth projects also have a strong presence – a total of seven initiatives have been funded that promote volunteering, ecological thinking, active lifestyle and civic engagement among young people.
The initiative again includes the Detective of Good – a role entrusted to Georgi Nenov. He will track the implementation of the projects during the year and their impact on the communities in the country, meeting the people behind the causes and telling their stories.
Grant for Combating Disinformation
Within the category #BeVocal a special grant was also awarded, selected by Assoc. Dr. Maria Nikolova, Head of the Department of Media and Public Communications at the UNWE. The award-winning project is www.chernomorie-bg.com’s “Young Media Detectives (Truth Matters)”, which aims to develop media literacy among teenagers, teach them to recognize fake news and build a sustainable student community of young “fact-checkers”.
“All projects in the media category have their indisputable value, but I chose this project because it most directly and purposefully works on the topics of media, digital and AI literacy. The project raises important issues that directly affect young people and has the potential to develop and build on over time. The established model of cooperation between media, educational institutions and experts is especially valuable,” said Assoc. Dr. Maria Nikolova.
List of all projects here.
More photos from the event, see here.