The residency aimed at exploring possible futures for youth in Bulgaria, focusing on co-creation and participatory methods. The project is funded by the European Union – Creative Europe. Facilitators, skilled in collaborative techniques, structured a series of workshops to engage local youth. The approach emphasized hands-on involvement, allowing participants to shape the program while learning new skills.Initial activities focused on „Dreaming and Building the Future,“ fostering familiarity among participants and introducing futures thinking. The youth reflected on personal aspirations and moved beyond stereotypes like „success means money.“ Collaborative sessions encouraged them to express their hopes, emphasizing happiness, health, and community impact.  In the second phase, youth requested specific skills development, leading to sessions on collaborative storytelling, consensus building, and media exploration. They used video and pantomime to negotiate meaning and create narratives.The residency then shifted to practical activities, where participants analyzed their urban environments and imagined improvements. Walks through neighborhoods sparked discussions on infrastructure and cultural spaces, leading to model-building workshops where youth designed their ideal interventions for their communities.The program concluded with a synthesis activity, where participants and facilitators shared reflections, feedback, and ideas for future endeavors, leaving the group with a renewed sense of purpose and hope for community impact.

Sun Land foundation is inspiring through the transformative power of collaboration on local level.

For a second year we organised a dynamic festival celebrating sustainable living through a blend of music, theater, dance, and discussions, featuring international artists, a dedicated kids corner, and youth-focused activities. The event actively promoted environmental actions like waste reduction and recycling, sparking transgenerational dialogues that empowered the youth and gave voice to their ideas. The festival served as a nexus, connecting stakeholders, entrepreneurs, and artists. This collaborative convergence created a dynamic space for the exchange of ideas and initiatives.Our festival included voluntary ecological actions, encouraging everyone to take part in initiatives like spring restoration and recycling for a greener impact.

Between april and august 2023, together with Ideas Factory Association we embarked on a transformative Design for Change initiative in Bulgaria , engaging kids and teenagers. Utilizing a straightforward 4-step framework (Feel – Imagine – Do – Share) rooted in design thinking principles, we collaborated with local youth, cultivating qualities like initiative, collaboration, critical thinking, empathy, and a deep sense of responsibility for their community. Proudly partnering with the global movement Design for Change, we invite you to explore an insightful article and video capturing the essence of our impactful initiative.

„The Trust Pavilion“ was a project aimed at creating an artistic and interactive space that supported and stimulated vibrant exchange and sharing in an atmosphere of trust, warmth, and spontaneity. The goal was to establish an inspiring environment for the youth, fostering community creation in small settlements and attracting young people and like-minded individuals to the area.The pavilion was designed and created by a group of young changemakers and main activities included volunteer work for the construction and decoration of the pavilion, as well as the organization of artistic workshops and game modules afterwards in it. The group objectives were linked to: Creating an inspiring creative and educational environment; Promoting face-to-face communication and connection among people and youth; Increasing access to informal activities and interactive modules; creating a safe space for sharing and dreaming together.

Researchers from CIRCE – Creative Impact Research centre Europe gathered in small settlements in Bulgaria for futures work workshop. Futures techniques help people to develop a collective image of the future they want, so that they can make better and more informed decisions that mirror the wants and desires of all. From scenario planning to foresight analysis, strategists and futures practitioners have supported private and public sector institutions to navigate uncertainty by exploring a variety of futures – stretching the imagination. Over the past decade, there has been an acceptance that in order to imagine sustainable and inclusive.futures, futures work needs to become more participatory of all communities. Working with such methods needs to shift from supporting companies operating in the market place towards supporting grassroots groups driving societal transformation .

The Sunland Foundation organised a transformative initiative, unlocking the potential of community gardens as a powerful tool for skills exchange, collaboration fostering, and sustainability awareness among youth in the biodynamic farm Versol. Through the cultivation of these communal green spaces, we provided a platform for young individuals to engage in hands-on experiences, exchanging skills, fostering collaboration, and nurturing a heightened consciousness of sustainable practices. Our community gardens not only yielded a bountiful harvest but also cultivated a sense of community, teamwork, and environmental stewardship, shaping a brighter and more sustainable future for the youth involved. We started series of workshops in the biodynamic ecological farm Versol in the village of Lik, Bulgaria.

The renovation of an old school stimulated the re-imagining the collective future of a marginalized community in Mezdra municipality. The restoration of cherished yet abandoned school, is a symbol of communal spirit originally built by dedicated volunteers in the past. This initiative goes beyond refurbishing walls and classrooms; it’s about reviving a vital piece of community history and creating a vibrant space for future generations to learn, grow, and thrive.

We aim to tranform the old school into a modern vibrant holistic kindergarden in nature. Our research shows that exactly due to lack of access to quality education people leave the villages. We are bringing them back! We are now actively seeking financial support and educating and recruiting a team of professionals. Part of the transformed space now serves as a hub for workshops and art.

Our organization, in collaboration with partners from Agrolink, organised an an international Erasmus+ training program spanning 10 days, centered on vertical farming and entrepreneurship. This immersive initiative provided participants with a unique opportunity to delve into the realms of innovative vertical farming practices while exploring the entrepreneurial aspects of sustainable agriculture. Through shared knowledge and collaborative efforts, our goal was to empower individuals with the skills and insights needed to thrive in this dynamic intersection, fostering a global community of forward-thinking and environmentally conscious individuals.

Together with Ideas Factory Association and Ministry of Environment and water the successful restoration of eight old water sources that were once a vital part of our community happened. This project was a collaborative effort that involved many different people, including artists who drew maps of our village and collected stories from our community members that helped shed light on the importance of protecting these valuable resources. Additionaly workshops on ecological topics were made as well as „water“ group of the village Oslen Krivodol, who will take care in the maintainance of the springs and their paths.

Our network of partners include Ideas Factory Association –  a platform that unites active people in Bulgaria and abroad, who aspire for creating a culture of collaboration in places and contexts, where such culture is scarce or missing – among generations, among different ethnicities, among citizens and policy-makers, between residents of the city and the village. By building bridges of interaction, we believe that we are contributing to improvement of the current reality, which is getting more radicalized and isolated in “the bubbles of the single truth”. We offer new solutions through various formats for creative engagement like Baba Residence, Social Innovation Challenge and EMPATHEAST. They are sending out our clear manifesto for systemic transformation that is needed to create a world we will like to live in: curious, empathetic and creative.

Let’s collaborate and become partners in this exciting venture. Let’s exchange good practices, ideas, networks and create a better future together! Do not hesitate to contact us with your ideas!

Are you an artist, innovator, entrepreneur, educator, an amazing changemaker or maybe something else? Then come and share a workshop with your unique skills and perspectives to our community. You are more than welcome!

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