Sport is the better way for children to grow up

Owners : Union of Brewers in Bulgaria (UBB)

Stakeholders : Ministry of Physical Education and Sports The Municipal Daily Centre for Minors and Parents The Municipality of Sofia NGO Solidarnost The Ministry of labour and Social Policy Bulgarian National Radio Sports federations and clubs National Basketball Federation Directorate General of National Police (GDNP) National Trade Unions’ KNSB Federation Sport and Health National Mini Football Association The Ministry of Interior The Ministry of Education State Agency for Children’s Protection School parents’ associations Beer and Food Trade Union, KNSB Professional High School for Economics and Management in Rousse Veliko Tarnovo Municipality Prevention-Information Center for Addiction – Sofia Municipal PIC Regional Educational Directorates Regional Police Directorates NGO St Yoan Rylsky NGO Yantra – 2001 Prevention Centre for Addiction

Building on previous underage drinking campaigns supported by the Bulgarian Brewers (UBB), the goal of “Sport is the better way for children to grow up” in Bulgaria is to promote family sport and physical exercises as an alternative to underage drinking and also to encourage parents to motivate teenagers to practice sports. The main target groups are parents and families with teenagers. Since 2012 the campaign has been undertaken in partnership with numerous stakeholders including the Ministry of Physical Education and Sports, the Municipal Daily Centre for Minors and Parents, the Municipality of Sofia, the NGO Solidarnost, the Ministry of labour and Social Policy, Bulgarian National Radio, sports federations and clubs, the National Basketball Federation, the Directorate General of National Police (GDNP), the National Trade Unions’ KNSB Federation Sport and Health, the National Mini Football Association, the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Education, the Agency for Children’s Protection, school parents’ associations and the Beer and Food Trade Union, KNSB. Media partners have included national newspapers, radio broadcasters and one online media.

In 2012:

A competition to name the campaign received 304 entries, with the best selected by an expert Jury;

Donations were made to Sofia Municipality to maintain sport facilities located in 3 Districts of Sofia;

A Family Sports Week with free access to the sports facilities and demonstrations was visited by more than 850 persons, whilst 600 T-shirts and 300 balls were awarded to the most active families in a sports weekend in Sofia;

6,000 copies of the brochure “Sport is the better way for children to grow up” and 5,000 leaflets were published, whilst 32,000 post cards with the slogan, vision and main messages of the campaign were circulated in horeca;

Media coverage included over 70 publications, 9 TV news and interviews and 8 radio news/interviews, whilst information about the campaign was hosted on the web sites of UBB and the partners.

In 2013:

Free lessons for parents/children in volleyball, gymnastics, capoeira, basketball and zumba were organised every Tuesday afternoon from May to November, with professional coaches hired to take the lessons, whilst a tournament for parents and children (format “mother, father and me”) was run;

Advice points were in place at all lessons and events, where psychologists/social workers from partner organisations (skilled in prevention) provided expertise and educational leaflets were made available, with 10, 000 leaflets and other materials distributed over the course of the campaign;

Support was given for four public events organised by Sofia Municipality and other organisations to publicise the campaign and educate on sports as a tool against underage drinking;

Donations were made to the Municipal Daily Centre and Solidarnost NGO to support their activities with minors and parents, to Sofia Municipality to maintain sport facilities and to the Bulgarian National Basketball Federation to promote the campaign as an alternative to underage drinking;

Altogether over 1,900 people participated in the activities of the campaign;

A press conference including representatives of all the partners was attended by over 35 journalists and two radio clips on the campaign were broadcast by the Bulgarian National Radio (BNR). In total over 80 media broadcasts were published and the audio clips (via the BNR) reached over 3 million Bulgarians.

In 2014:

Due to the partnership network, about 5,000 people (parents with children) participated in the following activities from May to December 2014: Training and sports lessons in curative gymnastics; martial arts for parents and children; Mini Football tournaments; Street basketball tournaments in Sofia and Rousse; Three sports field events for teachers/school authorities and parents in Varna; Training in prevention practices, sports games and animation in Montana, Stara Zagora, Bourgas and Sofia; Basketball tournament in the Professional High School for Economics and Management in Rousse; Four sports events organised by Sofia Municipality;

As in previous years, at the events were established info points, distributing special leaflets prepared by the experts, with 5,000 brochures produced for parents and 1,500 educational leaflets;

In September 2014 UBB supported the International Medical Conference on Alcohol Addiction, carried out in Sofia, where the programme was also promoted;

UBB continued to make donations to Sofia Municipality to maintain sports facilities;

UBB organised a public photo competition inspired by the message “Sport is the better way children to grow up” on a specially created UBB FB application. All interested people aged 18+ hosted over 348 pictures and 11,300 people visited the site. During the photo contest 63 participants received promo sports gifts and brochures and two winners were awarded with a mountain bike and tennis equipment at a UBB press conference;

UBB promoted the campaign with a special video broadcast in Sofia Metro stations. During the year were circulated press releases to announce the forthcoming initiatives and campaign results. In November 2014 UBB performed a press conference with the partners and members of UBB Board to announce the results of UBB prevention campaign and the winners of the Photo contest;

According to omnibus research by IPSOS, 18% (921,284 Bulgarians) aged 18+ are aware of the campaign;

There were around 100 media publications, whilst there were 66,000 broadcasts of the video on metro screens.

In 2015:

The new roll-out of the campaign was launched in April with an educational sports camp for the best teams of the Children Police Academy (CPA). Together with 5 Regional Departments of the National Police, a 3-day workshop was performed for police officers, pupils and teachers in the National Youth Centre, with a broad range of activities, sports, educational training and the distribution of prevention packs to all participants;

A Manual for educational work with Children’s Police Departments was written by experts of the Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Education, Agency for Children’s Protection and other official institutions and 300 print copies made available for distribution in 2016 to all regional police offices countrywide;

Four sports events were organised, with medals, promo gifts, leaflets and brochures given to the participants;

Together with the sports club of a very famous volleyball player (an ambassador of the campaign and founder of the “Sport, prevention and health” association) were organised “open days” for health-fit gymnastics and volleyball demos for parents and children, with demonstration physical activities to promote sports versus underage drinking performed in park areas and sports fields of Sofia;

UBB was involved in the Sofia Municipality project to encourage youth volunteer work in favour of the community and a healthy lifestyle, supporting the “Equal Dance” project targeted at youngsters at risk, with educational workshops and street dance events performed mainly in the city of Varna;

In September 2015 for the first time UBB initiated special initiatives dedicated to the Global Beer Responsibility Day (GBRD). In partnership with the team of the Sofia Municipality Centre for Addictions (PIC,Sofia) was organised a workshop with representatives of different official institutions involved in minors’ education, behaviour and prevention of addictions. The event was attended by nearly 60 experts in youth behaviour, health and prevention, medical doctors and teachers;

In partnership with the Beer and Food Trade Union, KNSB, were organised two days of workers’ sports games and a workshop on brewers’ CSR practices, with a tournament under the slogan “Sport is the better way children to grow up”, where a further 200 brochures, leaflets and branded gifts were handed out;

UBB continued to support and donate to municipal sports facilities, the Municipal Daily Centre for parents and children, PIC, Sofia and the “Solidarnost” NGO;

To communicate the campaign a radio promo spot “Sport is the better way for children to grow up” was broadcast by BTV radio and Magic radio, 4,000 new leaflets were published and about 5,000 prevention brochures distributed;

In total in 2015 over 6 ,000 people participated in the activities of the campaign;

In comparison with 2014, many more people were aware of the campaign, with 24% (1,252,000 Bulgarians) aged 18+ aware of the campaign according to a nationally representative omnibus survey by IPSOS.

In 2016 – 2019:

The sustainable partnerships, sports initiatives, prevention, educational and charitable activities upgraded the Bulgarian brewers’ project “Sport is the better way for children to grow up” into a cause for the better future of minors and a national campaign covering totally 20 regions of the country. The long term strategic partnerships of UBB with Sofia Municipality, General Directorate National Police, Veliko Tarnovo Municipality, Prevention-Information Center for Addiction – Sofia Municipal PIC, many NGOs and schools’ associations led to a high level of public support and trust. The expertise and the public reputation оf the partners provide sustainability, positive image visibility and trustworthiness for the UBB and their initiatives. In fact, the UBB approach is through the partnership organisations to carry out sport, arts and cultural events, combined with educational and interactive activities for prevention. The ambassadors of the campaign become KOLs, celebrities, famous athletes, influencers.

In 2016 – 2019 for a maximum number of children, parents/families are organised plenty of physical and creative activities and trainings as a model for a healthy lifestyle, prevention and an alternative to underage drinking. The campaign continues to be 100% financed by the UBB members and all activities are free of charge for all participants. As well, in the project are invested b/n 240 – 300 man-hours voluntary work yearly by the UBB and the partners. Together with the Parents Association every year UBB published 10 000 copies handbooks specially addressing teens’ parents.

Due to the partnership with the General Directorate of the National Police in 2016 – 2019 were performed sports events and competitions in 10 Bulgarian cities (regional centres): Plovdiv, Pazardjik, Dobrich, Rousse, Veliko Tarnovo, Pernik, Smolyan, Blagoevgrad, Vidin and Haskovo. In the events participated minors from over 40 schools. All events were attended by the local mayors, directors and seniors of the Regional Police Directorates, school principals, Regional Educational Directorates, journalists, famous athletes and celebrities.

Since 2016 and ongoing some of the most sustainable and pro-active partners of the UBB prevention campaign are the NGOs “St Yoan Rylsky” and “Yantra – 2001”, operating mainly in the region of Veliko Tarnovo. With leadership of those NGOs and UBB in that region are conducted various sports, arts, educational, consultative and training activities as an effective model for general prevention and healthy lifestyle for children and adults.

With the support of UBB in the region is created the first countrywide Center for Prevention and Sports with training outdoor playgrounds and facilities for road safety, applied cycling, fire safety, rescue and protection trainings. Every year with the Youth Centres there are organised Summer Police Academies for children and parents, trainings and gaming events in format Mother, Father and Me, happenings and open-door classes for general prevention knowledge and skills.

In 2016 and ongoing the sustainable partnership of UBB with Prevention-Information Center for Addiction (PIC-PN) of Sofia Municipality is focused mainly on the educational, consultative, Peer to Peer and gaming approach activities. Together with the experts and psychologists of the Prevention Centre for Addiction every year are conducted Summer Academies for Prevention with many physical activities and art initiatives, trainings for teens 16+ with demo alcohol glasses simulating drinking, daily sport camps, mountain hiking for minors and parents, etc. During the school year are organised many initiatives like art workshops, volunteer green days at parks and schools, online quiz contests for prevention and sport competitions.

Results 2016 – 2019

National coverage of initiatives: 40 towns and villages in 14 regions of the country.

Over 55 000 participants. Over 300 events, sports and educational activities.

Charity to the local communities and establishment/maintenance of 10 facilities for sports, arts, green library, road safety trainings etc.

Educational materials: over 120 000 manuals and brochures.

Communications: 22 press releases, 1 radio and 2 video clips, media coverage – appr. 300 online/print articles and interviews , internet banners, video materials on YouTube, regular posts on Facebook, 3 press conferences and over 15 briefings.

UBB campaign received 2 awards from national contests for social responsibility and public communications.

Diplomas received from public institutions – 20.

The UBB CSR Prevention campaign is presented as a best practice in 3 academic books.

“Sport is the better way for children to grow up” campaign is reflected in the reports of the Council of Ministers National Programme for the Protection of Children, National Youth Strategy and the National Plan for Prevention of Crime.

In 2020 – 2021

Over the last years UBB enlarged the scope of the prevention campaign including new initiatives and fields of prevention associated with the social need for general prevention for minors and against the consequences of misuse of alcohol, encouraging parents to exercise control over their children and promoting supportive family environment. By encouraging communication and responsibility within the family could be avoided bad and conflict behaviour, educating and motivating children to communicate their problems and feelings with their families, to control themselves and look for alternative solutions.

Many of the campaign activities are focused on underdeveloped districts, schools with Roma children, sheltered housing and families at risk. Thus, the initiatives and messages can reach very important but often neglected audiences. The age of the participants in ‘’Sport is the better way for children to grow up” campaign varies from 7 to 80 years. Thus practices of prevention, communication and interaction are built on shared responsibilities, solidarity and trust between the different generations in the families and the society.

The pandemic situation with COVID-19 and the intensive online relations between minors put new challenges for their safety. Importance of general prevention practices among minors became a priority. In 2020/21 in strict compliance with the anti-pandemic measures, dozens of project events countrywide took place involving more than 7,000 participants. These recent initiatives are another proof for the flexibility and sustainability of the project and its significance for all participants and stakeholders.

The main approach in the development of “Sport is the better way for children to grow up” campaign continues to be under the leadership of UBB and its institutional and NGO partners the initiatives to be performed in the regions of Veliko Turnovo and Sofia. Acccording to the profile and competencies of the partners are held attractive prevention initiatives, combined with sports, educational and creative activities carried out in line with a methodology specially developed by the National Police officers and experts from ‘’St. Yoan Rylsky” NGO, Sofia Center for Prevention of Addiction and V. Tarnovo Municipality.

Together with the   “Prevention Consultancy Centre on Addiction – PIC,Sofia”  during the school years took place 20 training events with teachers and parents and 24 summer events with minors in Sofia. Together with Sofia Municipality during the Municipal SoFest are organised sports events, green workshops and creative ateliers involving over 1000 direct participants. 

In Veliko Turnovo region are performed over 50 trainings and educational events for general prevention plus over 60 different sports and festive events.

During 2020 – 2021 June – September Summer Academy for Children and Parents are performed every day sport activities, different workshops and trainings. There are renovated 3 training facilities with grounds for road safety, fire safety and mounting rescue activities.

Together with the partners of NGO St Yoan Rilsky and  V.Tarnovo Municipality UBB published 2 handbooks for parents and children about old games and rituals which are circulated to all schools in the region. Under the framework of the UBB prevention campaign, every summer is launched the initiative “Keep the Children on the Road Safe”.

Results 2020 – 2021

Total number of participants – 9 000 people;

Total number of consultative, sports, trainings & educational and green events - over 150;

Geographical scope – 4 districts in Bulgaria, 35 schools, 

Newly issued hand books and other print materials on family unity and general prevention  – 2 books (1 000 copies) and 6 000 leaflets; 

Communications: 7 press releases, video materials on YouTube, regular posts on Facebook. Media coverage – over 60 online, print, radio reportages and articles.

Presentation of the project as a best CSR practice – at 7 national forums.

All documents for external and internal evaluation of the UBB campaign are available upon a special request.

Achievements and 5 AWARDS 2020 – 2022

In 2020 the UBB campaign “Sport Is the Better Way for Children to Grow Up” received the second-place award at the National contest of Bulgarian PR Society for Innovative Educational Project and the First place award for Socially responsible campaign of B2B national contest.

In 2021 -  UBB campaign “Sport Is the Better Way for Children to Grow Up” was awarded by the State Agency for Child Protection as a best partnership practice in the National Contest “We create happy childhood for our kids”. 

In September 2021 on the basis of a decision of the National Crime Prevention Council “Sport Is the Better Way Children to Grow Up” campaign was selected to be presented as the best Bulgarian project in the field of prevention for minors at the contest for the European Crime Prevention Award (ECPA), organized by the European Crime Prevention Network (EUCPN). In December 2021 at the online Conference of EUCPN in Ljubljana UBB presented the partnership campaign and has been one of the finalists reaching the highest approval by the audience.

In January 2022 UBB received second place award for “Sport Is the Better Way for Children to Grow Up” campaign at the first CSR contest of the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy.

As confirmation of its achievements, the project continues to be reported on the Action Plan of the National Youth Strategy, Implementation Plan of the Strategy for Crime Prevention and National Child Protection Program.

During the years the sustainable UBB prevention campaign becomes a benchmark for a best practice that uniting the efforts of public institutions, NGOs, media, school and families to create environment of tolerance, responsibility, education and development of preventive and social skills for minors.

The annual internal and external monitoring and assessment of the UBB prevention campaign shows that its sustainable expansion has reached a high public impact, multiplication of the best practices, knowledge and change in the attitude and behavior of the target groups. Thus elevates the initiative to a socially significant cause uniting many stakeholders for the better development of Bulgarian children and families.

In 2022 the UBB prevention campaign is upgraded with new themes and partnerships. Its sustainable and innovative development requires new messages and initiatives. That is why UBB and the main partners of the prevention campaign decided since March 2022 the initiative to be rebranded and communicated under the slogan CODE: RESPONSIBLE TOGETHER.

Sport is the better way for children to grow up

Related links