The project “School for Friends” was implemented by the Future for Bulgaria Foundation with the financial support of the program PHARE ACCESS 2000 in the territory of the town of Ruse. It spanned over a period of 10 months and started in early December 2002. Our partners were the municipality of Ruse and the Romanian Youth Association “Ion Vinea” from Giurgiu. We also received the official support of the Bulgarian Red Cross. The participants were young people from the High School of Mathematics “Baba Tonka”, home “R. Gateva”, home “D. Basarbovski” and students from the Faculty of Pedagogy of the University of Ruse. The project was based on the principle of equality of sexes (50 % men and 50 % women) and a protected quota for representatives of minority groups.

The idea was to spend the Saturday afternoons of altogether 60 young people between 14 and 18 years of age in various activities – sports (fitness, swimming, football), informatics, English language, civil education, AIDS and drugs, first aid and life-guard minimum (in cooperation with the Ruse branch of the Bulgarian Red Cross), watching films on interpersonal relations, discos and birthday parties and one week vacation on the Bulgarian sea. We have to note that the participants were representatives of two groups determined by the Law on Child Protection (children at risk and talented children). The work was aimed at improving the knowledge and capacities of the students and to enhance their communication and team work skills.