Imagine a weekend where dreams and innovation collide, where young minds tackle real-world challenges with passion and purpose. This is the essence of the “Better Community Club’s” annual Innovation Station competition, and this year, it witnessed Gen Z ignite change, leaving a trail of sustainable solutions for Bulgaria’s future.
From February 23rd to 25th, 2024, the competition served as a powerful platform for young individuals, aged 16 to 25, to showcase their dedication to making a positive impact.
“This event promotes civic engagement and democracy in action. I honor you for your commitment to problem-solving and making our world a better place,” said AUBG President Dr. Margee Ensign during the opening part.
Participants, divided into 12 teams — 6 high school and 6 AUBG students, collaborated and presented their visions to a jury composed of experts from education, business, and the civil society sector.
The Winners
On Sunday, after hours of presentations and Q&As, the jury had the difficult task of selecting the top three innovative solutions.
Taking home the first prize was the team that worked on the case “For the Earth,” and impressed the judges with their bio-waste management solution. The members of the team were AUBG and Plovdiv University students – Yoan Ivanov, Slavi Pavlov, Boyana Yordanova.
They won the right to participate in a Youth Exchange Program, Organized by Erasmus+ and WalkTogether.
The second-place team, A21, focused on preventing the trafficking of Roma girls. This was one of the teams from Second English School “Thomas Jefferson” – Sofia Ivanova, Miya Kalcheva, Atanas Ibrishimov, Yoan Velkov.
The high school students from “Prof. Ivan Apostolov” Private High School — Ivan Apostolov, Katrin Ivanova, Boris Traikov, Kiril Isachenko, Alexandra Klyaneva, presented a compelling concept for introducing renewable energy education in high schools. This won them the third place for the case, presented by Greenpeace.
The Organizations
Over 70 students embraced the challenge, addressing real-world issues presented by 12 NGOs, including:
- “PINK” Foundation
- Bulgarian Center for Non-Profit Law
- Greenpeace Bulgaria
- Zarika
- Four Paws
- Za Zemiata
- Impact Drive
- A21
- Sci-High
- BOVBD
- Tuk-Tam
- Za Dobroto
- Bulgarian Biodiversity Foundation
Each organization provided dedicated representatives to answer questions and guide the teams. Additionally, 12 mentors from diverse professional fields offered valuable advice throughout the competition.
The Jury
The jury members list followed the mission of bringing together people from different spheres, all working on the cause for a better society.
- Evelina Van Mensel (EMBA ’16), Campus Director of Hult Prize and professor in sustainability
- Hristo Boyadzhiev, CEO of Tuk-Tam
- Georgi Kudrev, Co-founder of Kelvin Health
- Ned Dervenkov, Chief Executive Officer at BESCO
- Bülent Peker
“We are grateful to all participants, mentors, and organizers who transformed the AUBG Sports Hall into a hub of innovation and dreams,” said BCC President Margaret Yusein. “The event’s success wouldn’t have been possible without the generous support of sponsors like Postbank, Future Values, and Coca-Cola, amongst many others.”
