In July 2021, the annual edition of Feminist Boot Camp took place under the motto “Dream Big!”. 15 participants aged between 18 and 37 from 6 different cities in Bulgaria took part in the training. Topics covered includewomen’s movementsand thehistoryof feminism, protection against discrimination and many more.
Feminist Boot Camp is an intensive training organised by the Bulgarian Fund for Women, with the support of the Global Fund for Women. The format is part of the long-term program of BFW, which aims to empower young women and girls through theoretical knowledge and lectures. During the second stage of the program, all participants have the opportunity to put the theory into practice by developing their own ideas and applying for a grant up to BGN 3,000.
The Bulgarian Fund for Women received 9 applications and after careful evaluation and discussion, the team decided to finance 4 initiatives.
The decision was reached based on the following criteria:
- definition of theproblem;
- compliance of the idea with the feminist priorities of thecompetition;
- compliance of the proposed activities with the expectedresults;
- realism of the estimated costs;
- implementationcapacity;
- dissemination and sustainabilityplan.
Below are the conceptual projects selected by the Bulgarian Fund for Women:
- Online feminist mediaVechernitsa– KameliaTseneva; Sofia; 130 points; BGN 3,000.
The aim of the media is to create an online space dedicated entirely to feminism, which will be a platform for various feminist voices and voices of representatives of marginalized groups. The media will make feminist ideas accessible to more people by relying on the use of easy-to-understand and non-academic language.
- Feminism in Translation– GalinaBezlova; Sofia; 129 points; BGN 3,000.
The project aims to provide access to basic feminist knowledge in Bulgarian by translating essays, articles and speeches by leading feminist activists and thinkers. The aim of the project is to raise awareness of the feminist movement and feminist theory while reaching out to women and girls who do not speak English and through the translations will have the opportunity to learn about some of the leading ideas in feminist organizations.
- We, The Women– Elitsa Marinova; Dobrich; 115 points; BGN 2,995.
The project will train fourteen young women with intellectual disabilities who live in sheltered housing in the town of Dobrich. Some of them have been placed under guardianship and have not yet made independent decisions about their lives. The aim of the project is to help them better understand their rights through a series of trainings, workshops and group activities.
- PodcastI Can be Anything– Joanna Stefanova; Sofia; 108 points; BGN 1,900.
The podcast will tell the stories of successful women in professions that are considered “male” and are dominated by men. During the interviews, women will share their stories – what were the difficulties they have encountered, how they have overcome them, and what were the lessons learned.
The other participants in the ranking are as follows:
- Body Positivity SeminarEmpowered and Confident– EvgeniaVucheva, Sofia, 104points;
- A series of video interviewsActive Dialogues– ElenaHaralampieva, Sofia, 104points;
- Program for support of women with reproductive problemsFrom a Seed to a Baby– BistraPoyukliyska,Trigrad, 95points;
- Anima Podcast– Iva Genova, Sofia, 95points;
- Conversational English Language Training ProgramMomaAnglichanka,StilianaRaleva, Plovdiv, 78 points.
Congratulations to the winners and many thanks to all the other participants for their enthusiasm and inspiring ideas. Thank you all for being so devoted and passionate throughout this exceptional edition. We encourage you to keep an eye out on our website and apply for our fundingopportunities.
