Fifteen students from Nesho Bonchev High School joined NGOs, organisations and the community in all of our initiatives in order to reduce traffic accidents, especially ones involving children on the road. This included lectures, leaflets, brochures,...
The ideas
Our ideas were created by the students themselves because of the difficult traffic situation in the town of Panagyurishte.
First, in the beginning of the school year, on the first school day, the teenagers were stirred to start discussions because on that particular day in Bulgaria all vehicles were travelling with their lights on (they were doing this in order to show solidarity and respect towards all pedestrians). So in the first school week we discussed some common traffic problems after noticing a lot of irresponsibility.
Second, due to excavations throughout the town because of work being done on the sewage system, there were a lot of traffic accidents on the roads.
Third, we invited the deputy manager of Pazardzhik District to our classroom where he presented the town’s black chronicles. (Black chronicles provide information on serious road accidents and their causes, along with statistics on how many youth, elderly and others have died in road accidents). Then he presented some extra information and supported our creative ideas to try to achieve sustainable development.
He invited us to take part in the District Commission for Road Safety in Pazardzhik District. There we listened to the annual reports and got some extra information on statistics and traffic accidents in the Pazardzhik area. We listened and learned and became aware of what we must do in order to save lives and keep safe on the road. We understood that there are a lot of irresponsible people in our area and that we have to take measures.
Finally, we reached some conclusions about what we need to keep in mind, and that we must work on the following hot topics:
1. Road Safety Christmas Eve: brochures and leaflets; the Best Young driver; presenting advice at the theatre hall, where the audience was informed about our suggestions on how to keep safe on the road.
2. Responsible behaviour Outdoor activities in the town and the district: ‘Nothing is More Important than Life.’
3. Street Safety/ Safety for All Posters spread among the petrol stations in the district; everyday 5 minute lessons; presentations in all classes; supporting Facebook page: Save Yourself, Save the Others.
The initiatives
We worked in two teams: The first one: “Warning Brothers” – producing and spreading leaflets and brochures. The second one: lectures, presentations and posters.
Road Safety On Christmas Eve (during the students' Christmas ball) we did a short quiz for young drivers, and one of them was the winner. He received a certificate for the Best Young Driver! We also had another activity, spreading leaflets in the parking lots. Visit our Facebook page ‘Save Yourself, Save the Others’ where you can see some photos and a media announcement of the event.
Responsible behaviour On March 1st volunteers from Nesho Bonchev High School took part in an initiative “Nothing is More Important than Life” . The students distributed calendars, together with a martenitsa (red and white threads)
that, according to the Bulgarian tradition, brings you health and happiness. The special image on the calendar was drawn by Anastasiya Lulcheva.
Safety for All. On January 29th we were invited to a very special event. The Panagyurishte Municipality supported our students’ “Your Ideas, Your Initiatives” and, because of the project, invited them to the theater hall as a Golden Class of the town. So they prepared more than 300 new leaflets to be spread among the whole audience. We shared our initiatives among our community and the rules drivers and pedestrians must follow if we want to help to reduce accidents on the road. All these events were transmitted by the media of our district (TV, newspapers, radio) and disseminated our mission. At the end of March, we discussed developing our poster. The first week of May was the ‘United Nation’s Global World Safety Week’. The students hung posters in the windows of petrol stations in Pazardzhik district. Later on, they presented their own final reports.
The school year was full, with lots presentations giving information in our school classes and kindergartens, and also in front of an audience in the town theatre hall and the district hall.
Slow your speed! Children do not have brakes! Keep them safe!!!
Implementation: Our Initiatives 2014/ 2015
1. November – Exhibition “Against victims on the road”; Presentation was visible in the school lounge and classes.
2. December – “Christmas on Wheels“ – leaflets containing advice; The Best Young Driver (School Christmas ball in a restaurant)
3. January – “Golden class“ – distributing flyers among the audience
4. February –Trailer – statistics. Taking part in the District Commission for Safety on the Road in Pazardzhik – sharing and reporting our ideas and initiatives in Pazardzhik Municipality together with NGOs. The event and all ideas were spread by the media and involved more co-thinkers. With supporting Facebook page and involving new supporters of our ideas
5. March – ‘Sharp Eye’ photo competition SEP, looking for law-breakers on the road. Students chased violators and uploaded their paparazzi pictures on our Facebook group “Save Yourself, Save the Others.” Some students were awarded.
Martenitsa & Calendar “Nothing is More Important than Life” - an initiative of Nesho Bonchev High School was supported by the vice district manager and the chairman of the Pazardzhik District and the police in Panagyurishte.
Poster – all ideas, activities and statistics for the Pazardzhik district. The poster is distributed among the institutions and petrol stations in the region.
Media support
6. April – A mourning march for Pepi. May his memory live forever. “STOP killers on the road!” The aim of the march was to demand fair actions to deal with killers on the road and to alert the society that we care about children’s lives. We would like to fight for justice and road safety. Stopping a child from riding his bike is like cutting a bird’s wings.
Website containing some activities organised by ‘Nesho Bonchev’ studentshttp://bd.alle.bg/
United Nation’s Global Road Safety Week – presentation of a new exhibition
