With a unanimous show of hands and no debate, the Municipal Council in Nedelino approved a new Municipal Youth Plan on January 27, 2025. Mayor Boyan Kehayov (“DPS—New Beginning”) presented the plan as an “important strategic document,” yet it lacks real data on the number of young people in Nedelino and specific measures to halt demographic decline. The entire strategy appears more like a formal exercise in implementing the Youth Law and National Strategy than a functioning plan for retaining and developing the youth.
A Formal Document with Contradictions and Lacking Concrete Data
It is immediately apparent that there is a lack of baseline statistics for the target group. The authors of the plan explicitly acknowledge that “It is difficult to determine the number of actually residing youth, as it varies during different seasons.” This leads to a situation where the local authorities are unaware of the specific young audience for whom they are drafting the strategy.
The official demographic picture in Nedelino is pessimistic: a continuing process of aging, migration of young people to larger cities and abroad. However, the document does not specify particular numbers or age structures to measure the scale of the problem.
“Well-Developed Educational Network” – But Only One School?
The plan asserts that there is a “well-developed educational network” in the municipality, but it is clarified that there is only one municipal school (SU “St. St. Cyril and Methodius”) and two kindergartens (“Prolet” and “Slantse”) for a population of around 6,000 people. This suggests that the rhetoric about “equal access to education” is greatly exaggerated, considering the local reality.
Youth Without Jobs, But Registered – Only Seven
In the employment section, the plan notes that “the inclusion of young people in the labor market is limited” due to a lack of practical experience, low investment from employers, and low wages. At the same time, only seven young people were officially registered as unemployed by the end of 2024—without an explanation as to why this is the case or how to motivate others to seek employment locally.
Meanwhile, the document itself acknowledges the mass exodus of young people from the municipality to other countries—but does not propose a single clear measure to stop this trend. There are no ideas for supporting entrepreneurship, stimulating local businesses, or improving the job skills of graduating students.
“Something Meaningless and a Waste of Time” – A Worrying Attitude Toward Civic Engagement
The plan includes a rather dramatic sentence: “The perception among young people that civic initiative is ‘something meaningless and a waste of time’ poses a serious threat to democratic mechanisms in the future.” While this sounds alarming, there are no adequate policies to change this mindset—there are not even steps to create a youth council or training on civic engagement.
Artificial Facade and Pro Forma Obligation
The plan includes several pages of copied national priorities—ranging from “encouraging youth participation” to “engagement and empowerment of young people.” Some of the texts sound good on paper but remain completely disconnected from the actual situation in Nedelino. The main issue is that the document was developed because the law requires it, not because the administration and councilors have the will to implement meaningful change.
It is also telling that the Municipal Council—dominated by Mayor Boyan Kehayov (“DPS—New Beginning”)—voted on the document without any debate. There is no visibility on who will implement the measures, no assessment or accountability is outlined, nor are there budgetary funds allocated outside of small amounts for sports and cultural events.
A Few Ideas, Many Oversights
At the end of the plan, there is a brief mention of some future measures, such as: hiring young people under employment programs; student participation in extracurricular activities; and occasionally, volunteer initiatives in community centers.
However, the major issue remains: There are not enough companies and jobs, there is no data on the quality of education, and there is no real mechanism to prevent youth outmigration. This contradicts the previously stated “serious focus” on retaining young people in the area.
“Before we write strategies, we need to know whom and how we will support.”
This is how dissatisfied citizens summarize their observations of the paradoxes in the document: they boast about a “well-developed network,” yet acknowledge that there is only one school in the municipality; they speak of a “lack of sufficient youth organizations,” but do not propose anything for the establishment of such organizations.
Critics see this approach as yet another checkbox exercise for the Youth Law and the National Strategy, lacking a clear desire for adequate engagement with young people. According to them, if the authorities genuinely wanted to make Nedelino a more attractive place for the next generation, there would be a comprehensive vision for economic and social support, cultural initiatives, and active involvement of youth in decision-making processes.
The adoption of the Regional Youth Plan 2025 in Nedelino failed to address key questions: How many young people are there, where are they fleeing to, and how can we retain them? The Municipal Council merely legitimized a document that even its authors describe as difficult to implement given the unclear demographic picture and weak economy. Whether there will be real support for the youth moving forward or if everything will remain “on paper” remains to be seen.
