UNWE Is the Only University Having A Pro Bono Volunteering Initiative

It is one of the leading article in the UNWE newspaper which is published 4 times a year. In it the authors present an international project to involve students in pro bono volunteering through which they have the opportunity to gain experience in their field and enter the civil sector. During the pro bono workshops students work together with academic and business mentors to solve the problems of non-profit organizations.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Denitsa Gorchilova-Atanasova from the Public Administration Department who is a member of the project consortium and organizes pro bono workshops in the country tells on the pages of the UNWE newspaper what the pro bono volunteering means. "Volunteering is an opportunity to donate to people with whom you have no direct connection your most valuable resource  - your time. The familiar way to do this is the classic volunteering. It`s key for it that in addition to your time, you also donate your unskilled work to strangers. It means that each of us can do it. However, the so-called “pro bono” is becoming more and more active. The whole term is “pro bono public” which in Latin means "for the benefit of the community". It is a volunteering where people donate their specialized knowledge and skills along with their time”. Assoc. Prof. Gorchilova points out that the idea is known in the corporate world where more and more young professionals devote their professional time and experience to support causes. "In Bulgaria the pro bono begins to make its way in the recent years", says Assoc. Prof. Gorchilova.