“You And The Mount”(YATM)
20.-27. October, 2021
Info pack for participants
You and the Mount (YATM) is an ErasmusPlus co-funded youth exchange that aims to show what is the relation between the people and the mountain. The project will encourage young people to support sustainable tourism and sport and to reveal them that unwise behaviour in the mountain sometimes leads to serious consequences.
You and the Mount will gather young people aiming to improve the quality of performance of young people in mountains and extreme sports activities and help them and their peers to avoid fatal incidents in the future.
Duration: 8 working days- 20.10.-27.10.2021, in a high mountain base near Sofia. The countries involved in the project are: Bulgaria, Cyprus, Slovakia, Slovenia, Romania, Poland and Bosnia and Herzegovina. The total number of participants (incl. facilitators +trainer) is 45: 6 participants from each partner country (5 youngsters and 1 team leader from each country + 2x facilitators – BUL and 1 x trainer – BIH). We gonna make an open call for participants in Salto network and the selection will be made clear and transparent. This YE will follow the NFP approach: a combination of individual and / or group activities, knowledge, practice, case solving, exchange of personal experiences and knowledge, games, team work, education through sport (ETS) and lectures on the subject.
The growing popularity of mountain activities, as well as the availability of relatively affordable equipment for them, attracts more and more people to practice extreme sports and mountain tourism. Unfortunately, every year the mountain takes sacrifices, and the problems are very complex. On the one hand, there is a lack of awareness of how to choose the right equipment, on the other hand, there are no skills to deal with situations occurring in the mountain instantly. Only in Bulgaria every year there are dozens of victims and the main reasons are avalanches and riding outside the slops (Freeride), taking climbing without the needed preparation because of the lack of the right equipment, the required physical condition and last but not least underestimation of meteorological conditions. Adding the victims in the mountains from the other countries in the European Union, the number of similar incidents is really worrying.
Another aspect of the project is the lack of an online web site/platform where the youngsters from different nationalities will be able to share information about the conditions in the mountains, routes, slops, equipment quality etc., but also a social platform in which people from EU countries, where there are similar types of sport and tourism, can share experience and information. The lack of experience among young people, the lack of easily accessible information poses risks to their health and lives, as they are mostly the potential victims of unconsidered activities in the mountains.
On the other hand, young people are actively using the Internet, and the creation of such a platform/web site would be a great help for them in the exchange of experience and awareness. EU is founded on the values of respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and respect for human rights, including the rights of persons belonging to minorities. These values are common to the MS in a society in which pluralism, non-discrimination, tolerance, justice, solidarity and equality between women and men prevail.
The present project is based on accomplishing those priorities of Erasmus+ through quality cooperation of young people that will develop sensitivity and knowledge on how to build those qualities in youth targets through nature –oriented approach.
The main goals of You and the Mount project are:
- Acquiring skills in extreme and unpredictable situations in the mountains;
- Prevention of the risks during practicing Sports and tourism in the mountains;
- First aid skills in forcemajor situations;
- Selection of proper equipment and route in foreseeable mountain situations;
- Creating of web platform by the participating youngsters in the project, where they can share good practices, advices with each other, can add their friends and can stay in contact after the end of the project;
- Understanding EU priorities and policies for young people in the field of physical activity and sustainable development regarding their personal and professional development, their physical activity and the way that sport contributes to young people health and wellbeing and good practices in EU countries about sustainability actions.
Participants profile:
- Youngsters, who are physically and social active in their community;
- Motivated people wishing to improve their health status, understanding the need of the mountain in our lives and how to be prepared to in the mountain;
- Engaged to attend throughout the duration of the exchange;
- Youngsters (18-30 years old) and a team leader (18+: no age limit);
- Competently to work in English.
Background of participants:
Young people interested in the topic of extreme experience in the high mountain in their countries.
You And The Mount webpage: https://youandthemount.com/
You And The Mount promo video: https://www.facebook.com/YATMErasmus/videos/306562197489852
The youth exchange will take place in Lozen, Bulgaria:
Lozen (Bulgarian: Лозен) is a village located in the Stolichna Municipality of Sofia City Province, Bulgaria.
Venue details:
The National Training Center is specialized training base of Bulgarian Red Cross. Located 20 minutes from Sofia downtown and is located in a beautiful pine area at the foot of the Vitosha (Lozen) Mountain.
The hotel is divided in 5 buildings and the following services are including:
- Hotel accommodation with 100 places – all rooms are renovated, with W.C., TV, internet, electric heater;
- Conference center with six conference halls with audio – visual equipment;
- Restaurant with summer terrace;
- Sport and entertainment center with billiard hall, fitness, sauna, tennis courts, mini football and basketball field, archery, paintball field (some of the mentioned are extra charged).
How to reach Sofia
Sofia Airport (SOF) is the main international airport of Bulgaria. There are multiple airlines, flying to Sofia both regular and low-cost air suppliers. You can plan your trip by bus/train/car as well.
To reach the YE venue
The National Training Center “Bulgarian Red Cross” can be reached by taking from Sofia bus №5 and dropping at last station in Lozen village. Ticket price is 1.60 BGN (0,80 euro) and you should buy your ticket before entering the bus and validate it just after you enter inside.
From Sofia Airport, Terminal 2 take the subway to the station “Tsarigradsko Shosse – Inter Expo Center”. Subway exit – METRO Store.
After leaving the subway, wait at the bus stop and take bus No. 5 in the direction of Dolni Lozen.
Only some of the bus courses of bus Nr 5 go to the National Training Center “Bulgarian Red Cross”:
At the following link you have the opportunity to plan your route online:
https://www.sofiatraffic.bg/en/common
Full address: str. “Polovrag” 31 v. Dolni Lozen, Sofia
You can find more info, as well as pictures here:
Arrival/Departure information:
Arrival day will be 20th of October 2021, Sofia airport. Participants are asked to send their tickets to info@bulsport.bg and Bulgarian sports development association will provide information about transfers to the venue. Departure day will be 27st of October 2021. Participants are asked to vacate their rooms before 12:00.
Participants can enlarge their stay up to 2 days before/after the official YE dates. No costs for subsistence can be considered as eligible in the project framework.
COVID-19 regulations
During the event will be implemented all actual at the time of delivery safety measures. Please note that if PCR tests are needed, such can not be covered by project budget and are responsibility of each participant. All selected participants will be informed for the actual measures before the event itself.
Dietary requirements and disability:
If you have any dietary requirements, disability or special needs that the organisers should be aware of, please notify Yoanna Dochevska or Kalinka Gudarovska (info@bulsport.bg) before Monday 20st September 2021.
Photography:
Partner organisation staff will take video and photograph throughout the duration of the YE. Pictures will be shared on partner social network sites. Please advice us if you are aware of sharing pictures that you are on.
Weather:
The weather in October in Bulgaria is changeable and cool, so bring warm clothes suitable for autumn indoor and outdoor activities.
Clothes:
Please bring with you sport equipment for indoor and outdoor mountain sports.
Agenda and Venue details:
Agenda will be sent to all approved participants with the approach of the training course.
Intercultural evening:
We are planning to hold NGO market and intercultural evening. This represents an opportunity for you to share elements of your culture and reality with the others, and also, share information about your organization.
Each country will have a certain amount of time to be on the red carpet and delight the rest of us with the beauty of its culture. Just a few examples of things you could prepare: food, drinks, dances, songs. We strongly recommend making this evening a very dynamic, interactive one, and not use of Power Point presentation.
Please note: There is no possibility for cooking in the hotel, so please consider this when choosing what to bring.
Training and organisational team:
Ismail Sehic – Trainer
Ivaylo Zdravkov – Reporter & Facilitator – Bulgaria
Yoanna Dochevska and Kalinka Gudarovska – Project coordinator – Bulgaria
Social media:
We created a FB page that you can join and get updates on project activities: https://www.facebook.com/YATMErasmus
Partner organisations:
BULGARIAN SPORTS DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION (BUL) – YATM coordinator
SOCIAL POLICY AND ACTION ORGANIZATION (CYP)
BOSNIAN REPRESENTATIVE ASSOCIATION FOR VALUABLE OPPORTUNITIES (BIH)
ATET ZIMBRUL CARPATIN (RO)
A.D.E.L. – ASSOCIATION FOR DEVELOPMENT, EDUCATION AND LABOUR (SVK)
ZAVOD ZA SPORT AJDOVSCINA (SLO) Stowarzyszenie Promocji
Zdrowia i Profilaktyki “HOPP” (PL)
Funders:
With the support of the “Erasmus+” programme of the European Union.
Financial Aspects:
The training course will take place from 20th untill 27th of October 2021 in Sofia, Bulgaria. Financial support has been provided by the Bulgarian National Agency for the “Erasmus +” Program (Key Action 1).
Therefore, “Bulgarian sports development association” will offer the following conditions:
- The travel costs from your home town to the venue will be covered according to the rules of “Erasmus+” Program. According to the new rules within the Programme “Erasmus+” we will reimburse the travel costs on the basis of the cheapest possibilities, e.g. second class railway tickets, APEX-flights etc., accompanied by the receipt of complete and original tickets, invoices, bills, receipts, boarding cards etc. upon a certain “contribution to the travel costs of participants, from their place of origin to the venue of the activity and return”. This contribution is “based on the travel distance per participant. Travel distances must be calculated using the distance calculator supported by the European Commission”.
- Board, lodging, local transports and all materials of the training course will be covered by the Organizer;
- The participants should arrange their own insurance for their travel and stay in Bulgaria.
Travel costs
The travel costs will be 100% reimbursed in the limits of Erasmus+ rules. For the reimbursement please keep all the original tickets, invoices and boarding passes. The reimbursement will be done accordingly to the amount of the tickets, the maximum amount that can be reimburse for each country can be found in the table below. If the travel costs are bigger that the specified amount then, the extra amount is supported by the partner organization or by the participant.
| Partner country: | Maximum reimbursement amount: |
| Bulgaria | 0 euro |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | 180 euro |
| Cyprus | 275 euro |
| Poland | 275 euro |
| Romania | 180 euro |
| Slovenia | 275 euro |
| Slovakia | 275 euro |
| Participants with fewer opportunities | ||
| Cyprus | 3 persons | Youth workers facing social, economic and geographical situations themselves or based in such regions and working on daily basis with this target group of young people. |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | 3 persons | |
Reimbursement procedure:
You will be asked to complete a reimbursement form and keep:
ALL boarding passes, receipts, boarding passes and proof of purchases (originals ans scanned copies)
A proof of payment for everything should be presented, namely that the credit card numbers should be on the ticket or the receipts should be added for cash payments.
Original documents will be sent to Yoanna Dochevska by post: no later than 1th December 2021.
Bulgarian sports development association – Yoanna Dochevska
5B, Triaditza str, floor 1
Sofia 1000
Bulgaria
And scanned copies will be sent to info@bulsportbg
You and The Mont 