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Advocacy Academy

Enabling an ecosystem of advocacy in Bulgaria

About the program

The first of its kind Advocacy Academy in Bulgaria is initiated by the American University in Bulgaria in cooperation with the Bulgarian Entrepreneurial Association (BESCO) and sponsored by the Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE). The project aims to create a community of civil servants, business leaders and civil society representatives, equipped in the principles and practices of advocating for policy changes. It is the Center for Information, Democracy and Citizenship’s (CIDC) newest flagship program in support of contributing to a democratic and just society.

By nurturing dialogue for future cooperation between different stakeholders from the public, private sector and the civil society, we hope to:

  • Build the capacity of civil servants to adapt current and adopt new lawful legislation in-line with the needs on-the-ground.
  • Encourage and engage representatives from the business and the civil society to actively pursue legislative changes to aid the democratic development of Bulgaria.
Participants

Participants

  • We are looking for the inaugural cohort of 25 representatives from three key stakeholder groups:

    • Civil servants
    • Business leaders
    • Civil society
Organizers

About the organizers

  • The main goal of the Centre for Information, Democracy and Citizenship at AUBG is to increase the resilience of local and regional democratic processes and institutions by fostering and sharing academic excellence and best practices, providing access to experts and high-quality resources, leveraging existing and developing new sustainable networks, and promoting multi-disciplinary discourse in the public interest. As part of its mission, it aims to develop academic and co-curricular programs that support democracy and civic commitment, and the Advocacy Academy program is an example of this effort.

    More about CIDC

  • BESCO or the Bulgarian Entrepreneurial Association is non-government organization that acts as a bridge between startups, private and institutional investors, the government and other stakeholders in the innovation industry. Currently representing over 500 companies.

    More about BESCO

  • The Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE) was established in 1983 as an affiliate of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, with the aim of supporting democratic and economic development abroad through programs with private sector partners, notably chambers of commerce and business associations, as well as think tanks and journalists. CIPE works to support democracy and to strengthen the private sector around the world.

    More about CIPE

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Meet the Speakers

Vladimir Stefanov team members

Vladimir Stefanov

Coach & Facilitator

Jean Crombois, Ph.D. team members

Jean Crombois, Ph.D.

Associate Professor, Chair of Department of Politics and European Studies at AUBG

Katia Hristova-Valtcheva team members

Katia Hristova-Valtcheva

Senior Assistant Professor of Political Sciences at New Bulgarian University

Petar Georgiev (’16) team members

Petar Georgiev (’16)

Head of Strategic Alliances, Policy and Sustainability at AMPECO

Razvan Orasanu team members

Razvan Orasanu

Deputy Director for External Affairs and Communication at Competition Council, Bucharest, Romania, and a Founder and President of "Up to Us"

Dobromir Ivanov team members

Dobromir Ivanov

CEO at BESCO - The Bulgarian Entrepreneurial Association

Nedyalko Dervenkov team members

Nedyalko Dervenkov

CEO at BESCO - The Bulgarian Entrepreneurial Association

Radu Colonescu team members

Radu Colonescu

Head of EU Government Affairs & Policy at Kyndryl

Schedule

Subject to change.

  • Program retreat. The retreat will be 2 full days, with overnight stay in Beli Iskar.

    See the agenda

  • Module 1: Advocacy in Bulgaria and the EU: Key Concepts and Definitions of Lobbying and Advocacy.

    Module 2: The Art of Public Policy Advocacy: How to Engage Institutional and Non-Institutional Stakeholders at EU and on National Level.

    Registration starts at 8:30 a.m. The module starts at 9 a.m.

  • Module 3: Public Policy Development in a Multi-Level Governance System.

    Module 4: The Business Case of Advocacy

    Registration starts at 8:30 a.m. The module starts at 9 a.m.

  • Module 5: Advocacy Strategies. Setting the stage.

    Registration starts at 8:30 a.m. The module starts at 9 a.m.

  • Module 6: Advocacy Strategies. Positioning.

    Module 7: Evaluating Advocacy Strategies

    Registration starts at 8:30 a.m. The module starts at 9 a.m.

  • Module 8: Recap Session: Lessons Learnt

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More about

the Advocacy Academy

Empowering Change: The first of its kind Advocacy Academy in Bulgaria and its role in strengthening Democracy featured image

Empowering Change: The first of its kind Advocacy Academy in Bulgaria and its role in strengthening Democracy

By Marina Filcheva Program Manager, Advocacy Academy Center for Information, Democracy and Citizenship at AUBG In recent years, Bulgaria has been witnessing a surge in ...

CIDC Insights
AUBG Launches Advocacy Academy featured image

AUBG Launches Advocacy Academy

CIDC

Contact us

If you have any questions, please contact Marina Filcheva

Send an email