On 12 August, International Youth Day, the team of the Foundation for Entrepreneurship, Culture and Education (FECE) joined the festival organised by the “Education and Youth Activities” Directorate at Varna Municipality, bringing a more personal, human perspective on history to the heart of the Sea Garden.
At the invitation of the municipality, FECE presented its work on the international project PRISMA – an initiative co-funded by the European Union under the CERV programme, bringing together partners from Belgium, Lithuania, Croatia, Slovenia and Bulgaria. The project’s core aim is to move Holocaust remembrance beyond fragmented, nationally confined narratives and turn it into an inclusive, digitally innovative and transnational practice – one that makes room not only for well-known stories, but also for voices from the periphery that rarely reach public attention.
At the centre of the day stood the “Living Library” booth – a format developed under Work Package 1 of the project, in which participants become part of telling a story rather than simply hearing one. With official permission, the FECE team selected excerpts from the book “Suffering and Salvation” – testimonies of Jews who had lived in Ruse, Varna and Shumen during the Holocaust, recounting both the tragedy endured and the rescue of Bulgaria’s Jewish community. Passers-by were invited to browse the quotes, choose the ones that resonated with them, and read them aloud in front of a microphone, using professional recording equipment – two microphones connected to a dedicated recorder. The readings will feed into a documentary podcast, carrying these testimonies to an audience well beyond the Sea Garden.
The booth was also specifically aimed at engaging young people, in line with PRISMA’s broader goal of involving youth directly with this history, rather than simply informing them about it from a distance.
Participation spanned all ages – from teenagers to older residents and visitors of Varna – with many going beyond the prepared quotes. A number of participants shared their own family stories from the period, including descendants of Holocaust survivors, for whom the event became a personal rather than purely historical experience. The team’s observation was telling: while older visitors were generally familiar with this chapter of history and appreciated the creative way it was presented, the topic proved unfamiliar or only vaguely known to many younger participants – which is precisely the gap the booth set out to close. The event ran from around 5 to 9 p.m., and everyone who wished to take part had the opportunity to do so, with no selection process. As a small token of appreciation, each participant received a promotional PRISMA badge – a modest, lasting reminder of the day.
Beyond the direct work with visitors, the event gave the FECE team the chance to connect with other youth organisations and inspiring young people working in related fields – connections that feed into the wider network of partnerships PRISMA relies on for its long-term impact.
By the end of the day, the results exceeded expectations. The testimony recordings will now feed into a documentary podcast, carrying the voices of Varna, Ruse and Shumen to a much wider audience.
FECE would like to thank the “Education and Youth Activities” Directorate at Varna Municipality for the invitation, all visitors to the booth for their interest and participation, and photographer Mira Arnaudova for capturing the day.
The PRISMA project is co-funded by the European Commission under the CERV programme.