Български
DevelopMENS
Students from Petrich develop their skills through DevelopMENS
26.03.2026
Bulgarian Sports Development Association (BSDA) delivered a series of online training sessions with 11th-grade students from “Nikola Y. Vaptsarov” Secondary School in the town of Petrich, as part of the DevelopMENS project, which is co-funded by the Erasmus+ programme of the European Union. The sessions took place between 12 and 26 March 2026 in three consecutive modules, building on the already established partnership between BSDA and the school, with the support of the principal, Nina Popova.
During the training, students explored key topics related to the development of soft skills, media literacy, critical thinking, and self-determination theory. The sessions combined theoretical knowledge with practical exercises and interactive online activities, encouraging students to reflect on personal motivation, decision-making, and behavior in social contexts.
The training started with an introduction to soft skills development and the importance of media literacy, continued with topics focused on critical thinking and the integration of different educational approaches, and concluded with practical applications of self-determination theory in young people’s everyday lives. The DevelopMENS project aims to support the personal and social development of young people by integrating modern educational methods and creating accessible learning resources, including an open online platform.
The training activities carried out at “Nikola Y. Vaptsarov” Secondary School are a strong example of effective cooperation between the non-governmental sector and educational institutions, as well as a model for sustainable engagement with young people in developing essential future skills. BSDA will continue to work actively with schools and partners in Bulgaria and across Europe in order to create opportunities for learning, development, and active civic participation among young people. In this context, the DevelopMENS project has also developed an online platform offering free training courses focused on future skills, available at: www.developmens.eu.
The training started with an introduction to soft skills development and the importance of media literacy, continued with topics focused on critical thinking and the integration of different educational approaches, and concluded with practical applications of self-determination theory in young people’s everyday lives. The DevelopMENS project aims to support the personal and social development of young people by integrating modern educational methods and creating accessible learning resources, including an open online platform.
The training activities carried out at “Nikola Y. Vaptsarov” Secondary School are a strong example of effective cooperation between the non-governmental sector and educational institutions, as well as a model for sustainable engagement with young people in developing essential future skills. BSDA will continue to work actively with schools and partners in Bulgaria and across Europe in order to create opportunities for learning, development, and active civic participation among young people. In this context, the DevelopMENS project has also developed an online platform offering free training courses focused on future skills, available at: www.developmens.eu.
