Boris Nedyalkov spent 11 years of his life in the world of sport as a Canoe-Kayak competitor. At the age of 22, he became the champion of Bulgaria 30 times, winning 6th place at the European Championships and 9th place at the World Championships.
Due to a lack of resources, he had to retire from his sporting career. He is currently the CEO of a software company. At the same time, however, he follows his personal cause to change the environment in which he lives, to create conditions for the next generations so that young talents can develop their potential. This is why he founded the Bokaya Association, with which he aims to develop a strong civil society actively involved in social processes. It partners with various institutions and local authorities, the municipalities of Vidin, Montana, and Vratsa, and develops joint projects with sports federations and youth clubs.
He admits that in the beginning, it was really difficult, he learned by trial and error. The turning point for him was his participation in the "Initiative" project of the WCIF, about which he found out by chance. A series of training webinars and meetings with mentors with a lot of experience in the sector helped him discover what he was good at and where to focus his efforts. He formed good partnerships and friendships with young people from other NGOs with whom he still partners today. Meet Boris in the video below.
The Project Initiative for building the next generation of civic leaders is implemented with the financial support of Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway under the Active Citizens Fund Bulgaria within the framework of the Financial Mechanism of the European Economic Area. The main objective of the project is an accumulation of knowledge, and skills and creating the conditions for transfer of experience to young leaders of civic organizations. The project is implemented by the Workshop for Civic Initiatives Foundation.