The mission of this project is to create conditions for the growth of a new generation of children – dedicated workers for the good of Bulgaria! Children of high consciousness, virtuous, gifted, and possessing self-knowledge. Children working for their personal development and deployment, confident, building fulfilling and happy relationships in their families and society. These are good-doing children and responsible builders of a better future. These are the children - the future leaders of Bulgaria.
The goals of the project are that children:
1. Build a high level of self-awareness, human relationships, and attitude towards the environment.
2. Find out the meaning (their mission) in order to have a positive impact on the world we live in.
3. Develop a sense of connectedness and interdependence (man-society-nature) on the basis of their higher level of self-awareness.
4. Learn to work together in collaboration, with a high level of self-esteem and respect for others.
5. Apply what they have learned about themselves and others in the construction of a team project with a positive impact on nature and society.
We believe that the most appropriate entry age is 13 and 14 years. We welcome youngsters from 13 to 18 years old.
At this age, children need friends who are open to listen to them, help them find answers to important questions, believe in them, and give them support; people who will help them make their own confident choices for personal growth and future professional career.
These friends and trusted partners are our team of professionals.
Together for the Children of Bulgaria 2024
"Man has a deep, innate need to share not only his outer affairs, but his inner world too. The natural good with which one is born is expressed through manifesting this need to share." Petko Hinov
When You Defend Your Mission, Your Mission Begins to Defend You
This is what I wrote in my journal on July 27, 2024—the beginning of one of the most anticipated events of the year, both personally and for a few like-minded individuals. “Why?” “What?”
Let me start with the question “Why” before sharing the story behind the “What.” My mission has always been to inspire the unfolding of human and collective potential through inner work (intrapersonal and interpersonal transformation). For the past 10 years, I have dedicated myself to this work, primarily with adults. If I include my leadership career in organizations, it totals 25 years. Throughout this time, an inner voice has constantly whispered to me to work with young people. Why?
In a world torn by conflict, wars, evil, and selfish materialism, I believe that young people will shape the future by understanding that we are all interconnected. After all, love, cooperation, and the ability to create something meaningful and good as a team for all of us are what truly hold us together.
That inner whisper gradually grew louder, and when it became a crescendo within me, the initiative “Together for the Children of Bulgaria” by the Petko Hinov Foundation was born. Petko Hinov, my late brother, was an inspiration to me and many others. His life values, courage, and drive to do good manifested through his countless talents and his ability to touch so many souls.
Dear reader, I believe you are now eager to learn more about the “What.” You’re curious about how these ideas are created and take shape. We all have this inner call to create meaningful and impactful things. Yet, we also know all too well that the “matrix” we live in pulls us back to mundane, earthly tasks that ensure our “survival.” So I ask: “Are we here merely to survive?”
I have always believed that we are here to thrive, to prosper. What we need is a clear mission and a strong drive—what I call dedication—choosing to prioritize meaningful projects or activities over the busyness of our daily lives. What else? The right team that shares the same level of dedication and passion for meaning and purpose.
Building a bridge between an inspiring idea and its actual realization is the hardest part. We all need courage, love, support, and unity. I am immensely grateful to our team, which worked so hard to make “Together for the Children of Bulgaria 2024” in the village of Stokite, Bulgaria, a reality. My dear friends and co-creators of the program, Keti and Neli, are people with big hearts who are driven by our shared purpose. They are also brilliant professionals in their fields—Keti as an expert in fitness, Pilates, and nutrition, and Neli as a mountain guide and expert in Bulgaria’s natural habitats.
The environment we create together to implement a successful project is the most crucial factor for its development and success. In this regard, I have always been a strong proponent of role models and of doing inner work first with ourselves and our team before venturing out to work with others. And so we did!
Our team activities during preparation focused on crystallizing the essence of our team—mission, vision, core values, and how to become a thriving team. Belbin Associates UK, supporting us for the second year, generously provided access to team role self-assessment tests for our young participants and our project leadership team. The results of our team roles, based on the Belbin methodology, sparked honest, fun, and brave conversations.
We explored not only our “superpowers” when collaborating for good but also our allowable weaknesses—learning to manage them so they don’t hinder our collective success. We needed to dive deeper and allow ourselves to be vulnerable.
Once we created the conditions necessary to work as a thriving team, we eagerly awaited the arrival of our 12 young participants. Day one began with enthusiasm, light physical exercise (as developing physical culture is an important aspect of building a thriving individual), laughter, teamwork in setting up our tent camp, and, of course, reflective work at the end of the day.
The Inner Development Goals (IDGs) were interwoven throughout the program. We moved from “Being” (day 1) to “Doing” (day 5), activating positive and impactful change in the local community and nature.
Our “Being” (Day 2) focused on building awareness of the participants’ individual strengths and allowable weaknesses when working in teams, and how to harness their strengths collectively. I want to express my immense gratitude to Joe Keeler, CEO of Belbin, for supporting our initiative for the second year. After a group session on Belbin team roles, our participants split into groups to build their own “Superhero.”
Gaining self-awareness is so important for young people! It enables them to make informed decisions about their lives and positively influence the world. By understanding their abilities and limitations, they can identify opportunities and set goals aligned with their talents, leading to greater satisfaction and success.
Being immersed in nature during both individual and collective work is another factor that unlocks a sense of joy, enthusiasm, and connection. Thus, on Day 3, we set out to climb one of the most beautiful peaks in the Balkan Mountains, called Maragidik (The Beautiful Mara). Its altitude is 1,889 meters, and the challenge we embraced was a 25 km hike with a 1,200 m elevation gain.
Climbing has deep symbolic meaning—it is always tempting to push forward toward the peak, the desired final goal. Intentionally, we discussed and unanimously concluded that the ascent itself isn’t the most important thing but rather the journey toward the goal, experienced together, with presence and gratitude for nature.
While hiking together, we had the wonderful opportunity to share thoughts about our “summit meeting” at the camp—the impactful project the youth were to carry out in the final days of the camp. We gently transitioned into teamwork, clarifying the essence of the youth team and emphasizing the critical importance of a team vision that inspires and engages everyone. We beautifully connected this discussion with knowledge about the significance of a physical compass and how to use it.
Unsurprisingly, during the climb, we had to make some difficult team decisions that made sense for everyone. At one point, we had to split up because not everyone could realistically continue on such a steep forest trail. We all have different personal limits. It is very important to feel those boundaries, to know when it is the right time to resist the temptation to push past them, to remain present in the moment, and to embrace what is here and now.
Some decided to stop and descend to the town of Apriltsi to return to our campsite, while others insisted on reaching the summit—and they did.
Day 4 greeted us with the gentle morning sun in the village of “Stokichkite” (the new name for the village, cleverly invented by one of the youths, which quickly became popular). Despite the long, exhausting but fulfilling hike (which ended at dusk), we found the strength to rise and prepare for new endeavors.
This was our strategic day for crystallizing the youth team’s essence and creating a strategic plan for the project the next day. We divided our work into two sessions. The morning session focused on team essence, while the afternoon session enriched our efforts by connecting all the puzzle pieces to the Inner Development Goals (IDGs) framework, ensuring everything had its purpose.
After much discussion and collaborative creativity, by the end of the day, we arrived at a crystal-clear vision, mission, strategic steps, roles, responsibilities, and an understanding of the 23 skills and abilities outlined in the IDGs framework—and how to use these skills to work with our internal compass to find the place where our inner treasures are hidden (both literally and metaphorically). There was much thinking, communication, and cooperation. This day ended with heartfelt songs around our campfire and gratitude toward the team and the local people who supported us unconditionally.
Day 5 was entirely about action! Our youth, supported by us, embarked on a day of charity. After identifying the most pressing needs in the area (the previous evening, around the campfire, they interviewed a prominent local woman, as the mayor was on vacation), they collectively decided to split into small groups and:
1. Clean the churchyard
2. Clean the area above our campsite
3. Visit elderly locals in their homes and offer assistance
4. Visit the retirement home, sing a few songs, talk to the residents, and bring some joy and hope to their otherwise lonely days
The youth shared stories about their project and the “Together for the Children of Bulgaria” initiative with the elderly. At the end, they asked if there were any questions. One elderly man asked, “When will you come back?” In that moment, we all realized we had truly touched these people. As the retirement home staff assured us, our engagement provided exactly what they needed—joy, positivity, and optimism. We were moved to tears.
Thus, our days passed lightly, with joy and inspiration. It was very hard to say goodbye. We promised to stay in touch (every two months) and to think of ways to make our project sustainably successful. There’s more to come, and we eagerly look forward to sharing it with you.
The conclusion we reached in the follow-up session with my team was that we believe we presented ourselves and coexisted as a team in harmony, capable of activating and harnessing our collective strength. Perhaps sleeping together in one tent also helped. There was much gratitude, and the final team session ended with a strong team hug—a dream team for a dream project. That’s truly how I felt.
My huge gratitude goes to:
· My team mates Katya Todorova-Kircheva and Nelly Radkova
· To our families who worked hard before, during and after the camp – Todor, Pavel Uzunov, Kamen Uzunov, Xiao Li, Ivanka Todorova, Radu Hetco
· To Martin Weider , one of our future young team leaders who is so committed and brings huge value to our initiative.
· To our project sponsors Leadership Coaching Ltd. , ET RumianaStoyanova 69, Time Out Design and Dani's Bakery.
In the end… we are ‘all in’ to inspire change for future generations with optimism, courage, creativity and perseverance.
Stay tuned for news from us! We continue to be inspired TOGETHER for the children of BULGARIA!
