On November 10, 1989 our society found itself in the situation of a person who has been tied down for 45 years. A person who appears to be ok, but who has lost his strength and even the most basic movement reflexes. Our society was not just feeble. We did not know what “choice” meant, and not just when it came to choosing politicians or social leaders. The ubiquitous deficits during socialism had taught us to get only what’s available – and if that wasn’t enough, it was always somebody else’s fault. This is how we lost the natural connection between “I am making a choice” and “I am responsible for my choice”. Our instinct for social self-education – which links choice-result-analysis of results-new choice model - was left undeveloped.

Free speech allowed critique of the system to blossom. But we had forgotten that political discourse is based on numerous expert models and decisions used by politicians and system naysayers for concrete analysis and actions. Such analysis and actions are backed by real-life, proven professionals who can be of help to politicians, media and society at large. We either didn’t have such professionals, or we drove them away, or we just didn’t hear what they had to say. This is how the formula for political success shaped up to be “Nice Slogans + Enemy Finger-pointing + Charismatic/Pathetic Propaganda”. This is how party supporters ended up as mere fans rather than individuals united by common interests.

Twenty years ago, one-eighth of our country’s population gathered at a peaceful demonstration. We demanded common destiny – and we were promised common destiny, which we have been getting since then. The octopus that was the ruling class before November 10, 1989, stayed the same, with a few insignificant changes – the same model in which the oligarchs select politicians - politicians who instead of creating “civil society” just use our state and society to their benefit.

We know the consequences all too well. 1.5 million Bulgarians were forced to emigrate. Those who left to study abroad are not coming back because there is a lack of decent career opportunities in the country. We have ended up as Europe’s laggards by a number of indicators. We rank only 68^th in the world in terms of freedom of speech. Our country is permeated by all kinds of corruption, but no Bulgarian court has found anyone guilty of corruption yet. What is even more frightening is that 50% of today’s 20-year-olds are from functionally to almost completely illiterate. This is not only a security threat but also a direct threat to the survival of the nation, given the current ethno-demographic structure.

We will no longer wait for politicians, institutions or somebody else to “save” us. Because Bulgaria is teetering on the edge between Europe and the Third World.

We refuse to play the game that is being forced upon us because we realize this threatens our nation. Being a citizen means to be actively engaged with a civil cause. Not only in words, but also through real and concrete suggestions, decisions and actions.

Hence we declare that as Citizens, we will take concrete steps to work to solve the most critical problems of our society such as crafting and implementing Educational, Science, Health, Judicial and Administrative Reforms, as well as Country Development Strategy, models for effective integration of minority groups, models for guaranteeing free speech and models for environmentally friendly business among others. We are appealing to all Bulgarians around the world to share some of their time and professional talents to help us figure out the concrete steps we can take to help solve the nation’s most pressing problems. We are appealing to every Citizen, irrespective of his or her position, to share ideas and suggestions.

We have been working to create actionable models for accelerated country development for Bulgaria, and plan to continue to do so. In this sense, we are not partial to any party. Everyone – regardless of party affiliation – is welcome to share their concrete suggestions for concrete solutions. For us, it doesn’t matter if the idea source is a professor or a student. What matters is that is well grounded and actionable.

We are a democratic civil structure with multiple coordinators and discussion moderators. Our leaders are individuals who can defend their projects in an open discussion format. Every stage of the discussion – from how to develop an idea to how to implement the ready model – is completely transparent and open to criticism from the rest of the collaborators. We would like to invite well-meaning Citizens and Professionals to submit their inputs regardless of citizenship. The models and decisions that will be taken through the process of common discussion will also be subject to analysis from international experts. We will disseminate a decision only after it has been vetted by an international expert. We believe that the best decisions are the ones that are applied in practice and that produce the most optimal results given the input constraints.

We believe that this “modus operandi” is the best and the most realistic model to create civil society in Bulgaria. It requires energy and initiative that drive the formation of various civil associations according to the specific interests and concerns of their founders. The open nature of our model allows every person with civic consciousness to contribute. The sum of these contributions will enable our society to develop a base for evaluating the effectiveness of parties and politicians. This will finally allow us to bring back the original democratic model in which civil society elects politicians, who are only instruments of the will of the people.

We see partners in the face of other movements and groups who are also working toward the creation of civil society in Bulgaria. Our work is so much that there is place for everybody. In fact, we welcome collaboration and interaction initiatives.

The idea behind The Challenge Bulgaria XXI is not a utopia. We realize how much time has been lost and how dejected and suspicious people have become.  We feel the social apathy among some of our potential partners. We know how difficult it is to overcome the tendency to talk “like a politician”. We also understand how challenging it is to form effective teams comprised of different professionals and socially engaged individuals,

 And finally, we realize that in doing all this we are entering a difficult battle - challenging the status quo!

This is why we would like to use the importance of July 4 to underscore the characteristics that we would like The Challenge Bulgaria XXI to have.  We are using this special date, bearing in mind our own national experience from 150 years ago when our ancestors resurrected the Bulgarian nation. Not with terror or bombs, but with libraries and book centers. Enlightenment and return of the feeling of self-worth and responsibility for our common course.  The web is the most democratic platform that will allow our activities to be both transparent and accessible in real time. On July 14 – another date charged with meaning – we will launch our website and online forum, where we will get started with discussion work.

It is our belief that there are no impregnable fortresses for the civil society in Bulgaria. Yet, we don’t want to overpromise. We expect concrete, focused, intellectually engaging work but also criticism, if not ridicule, both from enemies and friends. 

With this, we are launching our appeal to take ownership of problem solving for our country and our country’s civil society. Let’s stop complaining and start re-building our own Bulgaria! Who else, if not US and not NOW?