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Community Center Chitalishte “LIK-1959” - profile

Chitalishte “LIK’ – Pleven was established in 1959. Nowadays it is traditional, self-managing Bulgarian civil association, founded on the principles of volunteering, democracy, humanity and autonomy.

The organization has 152 actual members, operative team of 6 persons, 5-member Board of trustees and 3-member audit commission. The Chitalishte has its own material, technical and Informational facilities, providing independency and efficiency of the activities.

Main objectives of the organization: To establish civil society as a source of social capital; to assist large groups of the local community through educational, cultural and social activities.

The Chitalishte achieve these objectives through: maintenance of general access library; creation and maintenance of artistic and creative formations, educational and training programs; organizing of cultural-enlightening performances; implementation of social activities and services; work to overcome ethnic problems; creating conditions for public access to the global  informational network and information technologies to overcome the informational  inequity.

What do we do?  
• During the last years LIK predominately work with young people in order to discover their talents and prospective gifts. The competitions on arts, publishing, amateur creativeness, and club activities, the courses on music, dancing, theatre and art are the selected by us directions. Being in LIK “the adults can remember they have been children when playing and children become grown-ups only when studying”.
• The cultural product of LIK is logical commissioning between the great art, literature and creativeness, its wide public being the pre school children and those of curious connoisseurs.
• It its enlightening and educational activities LIK is motivated to offer “knowledge in favour of existence” through its general accesses library where among the books one can find knowledge from the global informational network and multi media product in the centre for computer skills and Internet. The idea for incessant studying through the whole of life in implanted in the schools and courses for foreign languages, informational technologies, vocational training and civil education.  
•  The changes in society solve old problems but create and various new ones that cry out for timely and efficient decisions. The orientation of LIK to the sphere of social activities and social undertakings are part of these decisions, directed to children, young people, socially isolated and margin groups.
• Today LIK is looking for the most direct ways to the business people, trying to prove they can be not only a source of donations and patronage but also “clients” of the contemporary chitaliste activities as well realistic partners of one civil organization.
• Due to the earned public trust LIK is being transformed into an authentic commissioner and mediator among the various social groups, institutions, local authorities, and media and accumulate a new social capital for the local community – the capital of trust, commitments and participation.
• The gained organizational and expertise experience turned in natural way LIK as a consultant and informational know-how organization for colleagues from then third sector and Chitalishte network not only in town but also in the region.