Bulgarians abroad will exchange organizational experience in Vienna in May

On May 30-31, 2026, the second edition of the seminar “Models for Creating, Managing, and Communicating within Bulgarian Organizations Abroad” will be held in Vienna. The event is organized by the Executive Agency forBulgarians Abroad and the Bulgarian Cultural and Educational Organization “Saints Cyril and Methodius” in Vienna.

In an interview for Radio Bulgaria, the agency director Rayna Mandzhukova recalled last year’s seminar held in Budapest, which provided a unique opportunity for participants from various countries to learn about the experience of some of the most active and prominent Bulgarian associations worldwide.

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“This is a relatively new initiative of SABA, which we launched last year and which I categorize under ‘organizational development’ or ‘organizational engineering,’” Rayna Mandzhukova explains. “By interacting with so many organizations around the world, we see how different models of work they have adopted in various countries and contexts. And in every model, there is something that could be useful to other organizations - in other words, we are again talking about the well-known exchange of experience.”

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The idea for the seminar on organizational management of Bulgarian communities emerged during one of the visits of the head of the State Agency for Bulgarians Abroad to Budapest and her meetings with compatriots in Hungary, the Association of Bulgarians in Hungary, and the Bulgarian National Self-Government, chaired by Dr. Dancho Musev.

“You and the listeners of Radio Bulgaria know that our compatriots in Budapest are very advanced in this regard. To a large extent, this is due to the favorable opportunities provided by the Hungarian state. But that’s not all. The organization of Bulgarians in Hungary is a model where the experience of the older Bulgarian gardeners - those who established the church and the school - is intertwined with the energy of the younger generation, who have taken advantage of the opportunities offered by the Hungarian state for the development of national minorities. This level of organization has made our community in Hungary one of the strongest Bulgarian communities abroad. So right there in Hungary, we agreed with Dancho Musev to organize such a seminar where we could share both their experience and that of others who work and are structured differently. For example, the presentation of the Banat Bulgarians was extremely interesting, where the experience of the older generation and the energy of the younger one help unite a traditionally divided community. Equally useful was the comparison we made with the Bulgarian society ‘Cyril and Methodius’ in Boston. There, the Bulgarian school, church, and cultural center joined forces and purchased a building together. What does this remind you of? The Bulgarian National Revival period - the church, the community center, and the school. This model still works in the 21st century.”

For example, the presentation of the Banat Bulgarians was extremely interesting, where the experience of the older generation and the energy of the younger one help unite a traditionally divided community. Equally useful was the comparison we made with the Bulgarian society ‘Cyril and Methodius’ in Boston. There, the Bulgarian school, church, and cultural center joined forces and purchased a building together. What does this remind you of? The Bulgarian National Revival period - the church, the community center, and the school. This model still works in the 21^stcentury.”

Not long afterward, the idea that originated in Budapest became a reality. For the first edition of the seminar in 2025, eight lecturers were organized, and Bulgarians from all over the world were invited as participants. The event took place in Budapest on April 26-27. Representatives of Bulgarian organizations from dozens of countries exchanged valuable experience and ideas, while the eight lecturers presented successful working models tailored to the specific needs of their communities.

“All participants expressed their desire for these meetings to become a tradition and some immediately offered to host,” says Rayna Mandzhukova. “For the second edition, however, we chose Vienna for purely geographical reasons, as it is in the center of Europe, but also because of the strong support from our embassy there. Ms. Desislava Naydenova-Gospodinova immediately backed the idea as a co-organizer. The local organizing partner is the Bulgarian Cultural and Educational Society ‘Sts. Cyril and Methodius,’ which is 80 years old. It was founded in 1945 and has never stopped operating. Of course, people have changed, as have tasks and opportunities, but the organization has continued its work. Today, it also represents a very interesting organizational model, which will be presented at the upcoming seminar. This time, we have invited six lecturers and opened participation for Bulgarian organizations from different countries as attendees. Some have already bought tickets to Vienna. We are eagerly looking forward to May 30-31, and on June 1 we will visit the town of Gols in Austria to pay tribute and lay flowers at the monument of Hristo Botev. In this way, we will combine the practical with the patriotic, and I hope the result will once again be a very useful forum."

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English: R. Petkova