The Cultural Center “Jules Pascin” hosted the national youth forum "BG Gen Z: Change in Action", implemented by the BOKAYA association. The event was the final national forum of the "GEN Z: WE ARE HERE" campaign and is part of the "BG Gen Z" project.
The main goal of the forum was to bring together motivated young people aged 15–29 from the city of Vidin, the region and the country, who are interested in personal development, digital culture and social engagement.
The initiative was officially opened by the chairman of the BOKAYA association - Boris Nedyalkov, who welcomed the attendees and expressed gratitude for the interest shown and active participation in the event.
The forum was moderated by Monika Zhivkova - project manager at the "BOKAYA" association, who welcomed the participants and introduced them to the day's program.
Students from four schools from Vidin participated in the initiative: "Exarch Antim I", "Tsar Simeon Veliki", "Yordan Radichkov" and "Prof. Dr. Asen Zlatarov".
During the event, the participants participated in practical tasks, exercises, discussions and exchange of ideas on the following topics:
“Fake or fact?” – how to recognize disinformation;
“Online hate ≠ opinion” – the border between opinion and hate speech;
“Shutting down the world” – the challenges of digital oversaturation;
“Real Me” – authenticity and self-esteem on social networks.
The program continued with thematic discussions, divided into four panels:
- Panel 1: “Fake or Fact?” – with lecturer Antonina Lozanova, PhD student in Journalism at the UNWE;
- Panel 2: “Online Hate ≠ Opinion” – with lecturer Damyan Diamandiev, entrepreneur, influencer and presenter;
- Panel 3: “Real Me” – with lecturers Yana Garkova and Lora Stoyanova, psychologists;
- Panel 4: “Shutting Out the World” – with lecturer Miroslav Lyudmilov, educational expert.
In the final part of the forum, participants had the opportunity to ask their questions to the speakers, which led to an active discussion and a full exchange of experience and ideas. The initiative reinforced the importance of active youth participation and critical thinking in the modern digital environment and encouraged young people to be aware, engaged and responsible citizens.
