ESC Volunteers Joined the Festival BACK TO NATURE

In the end of June 2025 Paint and Quarter Horse Foundation Bulgaria was the host of the first European youth outdoor festival – BACK TO NATURE. For four days over 100 participants from Bulgaria, Italy, Estonia, Belgium, Lithuania, Croatia and others came to Bulgaria to explore beautiful natural sights of the Bulgarian nature.

Organizing an international festival was a challenging task. Especially when one of the main goals was to facilitate the participation of young people with fewer opportunities in variety of innovative outdoor activities. Fortunately, we received the support of Association For You that found 5 great volunteers to join our event team. The participation of the volunteers was possible thanks to the European Solidarity Corps Program. The volunteers came from Spain, Italy, France, and New Zealand in the middle of June to begin their training and assist our team in the preparation of the BACK TO NATURE Festival. During their first days they got to know more about the history, projects and initiatives of Paint and Quarter Horse Foundation Bulgaria. The volunteers were eager to find out more about the festival and their specific tasks. In addition to learning Festival agenda of activities, types of participants and how to support them, they received practical tasks to get involved in the activities. They had to explore well one of the venues – the Pancharevo Lake, and create objects made out of the things they find in the area, usually trash. On the first day of the festival the objects became part of a treasure hunt. The activity aimed to bring the attention of the participants to the obstacles, such as polluted parks, young people with fewer opportunities face when attempting to be active in nature.

Following their preparation the volunteers had a few days to explore Bulgaria, its historical sights and culture. After considering their personal interests, they organized a visit to the old town of Plovdiv, Boyana Church, and Rilla Monastery. We welcomed their choice as all of these locations represent the rich history of Bulgaria, allowing the young people to get to know the country better.

Next, came the time for the BACK TO NATURE Festival. The volunteers were excellent in supporting the event team. They welcomed each participant, made sure they received their festival gifts and the necessary information. The volunteers supported the participants during all activities of the festival but also took part in the activities themselves. It was important to participate actively in order to experience all of the joys of the festival and learn new and innovative ways to be active in the outdoors.

The final day of the festival was the volunteers’ final day with our organization. They got the chance to say ‘’Goodbye’’ to our organization’s team and all participants. For us it was a truly enriching experience to receive the input of different young people in the work of Paint and Quarter Horse Foundation Bulgaria. BACK TO NATURE Festival became truly an adventure from the young people to the youth community, no matter what challenges each one is facing. We are grateful to the team of Association For You for becoming our partner and trusting us in executing a joint youth project together. The BACK TO NATURE Festival was organized as part of the project Youth Going Back to Nature – Engage, Connect, Empower, co-funded by the Erasmus+ Program and the European Commission. Bringing all these programs and initiatives together prompted the organizers and the participants to engage, connect, and be empowered through the will to get BACK TO NATURE.