Help Create a Viable LGBTI Community in Bulgaria!

This summer we focused on the following main areas in order to increase LGBTI youth outreach and services, and the visibility of Single Step:

• In partnership with GLSEN and Bilitis, Single Step launched the first national online study assessing the climate in high-schools in Bulgaria to learn more about the experiences of young LGBTI people in schools across the country.  There is no official data in Bulgaria on this subject.  The data gathered will help us objectively present the situation with LGBTI students and what challenges they face in Bulgarian high schools.  We will then prepare a report which will be used to craft an action plan to create a safer environment for LGBTI high school students;

• We expanded our peer groups which provide a safe environment for LGBTI youth;

• In partnership with ONE Gallery, one of the premier art spaces in Sofia, we showcased “Labyrinth”, the works by the up-and-coming American artist Edward Granger.  He also starred in our Be Yourself video, which we released earlier this year;

• On June 16 we organized the “Team with a Dream" sporting event, under the patronage of the Mayor of Sofia, in partnerships with TELUS International and VMware.  The team comprised of three well-known athletes in Bulgaria – the ultramarathon runner Krasse Georgiev, the two-time world champion in parkour/ freerun Delyan "Dido" Dimitrov, and Single Step’s founder and marathon runner and CrossFit athlete Ivan Dimov.  The event raised funds for three foundations targeting youth in Bulgaria, including Single Step and received broad TV, print and online coverage;

• Earlier in September we launched our online store, where we sell merchandise from our Be Yourself campaign and the very first Bulgarian Manga-style comic book published in cooperation with Single Step.

We thank you for your generosity in order to ensure the financial viability of Single Step.  Any donation of any size will be extremely appreciated!

Thank you very much for your continued support!