Olga Mineva is an organisational psychologist holding academic degrees in Psychology from Heidelberg University, Germany, and in Organisational Psychology from the University of London, United Kingdom. For more than 15 years, Olga has dedicated her career to supporting organisations — both in the business sector and in the non-governmental sector—as a psychologist and consultant. ​ Deeply committed to the cause of women’s empowerment and the fight against domestic violence, Olga is the founder of the EMPROVE Foundation. The organization works to influence public support and attitudes toward women and girls who have experienced violence. Its founder has been recognised with the “Advocate of the Year” award by the Bulgarian Helsinki Committee, as well as a special Darik Radio award in the “40 under 40” initiative.​ Olga and her team are behind the early prevention campaign #RanoBudna (“Awakened Early”), the first-of-its-kind community #WomenSurvivors, and the large-scale art initiatives “Awakening Between the Lines,” “Hear My Voice,” and “Pink Cloud.” The foundation is also the official Bulgarian representative of YSL Beauty’s global campaign “Abuse Is Not Love.”

What are the causes worth fighting for, and are we ready to ask the difficult questions within the civic sector in order to stop the shrinking of civic space and the declining trust in NGOs? An activist and advocate for meaningful youth and civic participation for more than 10 years, previously as part of the National Youth Forum and currently as Director of the Civic Participation Forum, one of the largest networks of civil society organisations in the country. Miroslav believes that building a genuine culture of participation among citizens from the earliest age is the only reliable guarantee for democracy, freedom, and the protection of human rights. He is convinced that networks are the future of the civic sector and that only together can we achieve major strategic victories that improve people’s lives and address real problems.