Foundation BNP Paribas Bulgaria and National Music School “Ljubomir Pipkov” launch “SMART START” in Bulgariа

“Music for Equal Chances” will support the development of disadvantaged children through professional music education

Based on its experience in the areas of artistic creation and social solidarity, the BNP Paribas Foundation in France launched Smart Start, a European-wide pioneer programme to promote social integration and education through the practice of the arts.

This European-wide programme has an annual budget of ?160,000 and will support eight projects in eight countries over a three-year period. The eight projects selected will enable over 800 children and young people in precarious social situations or with disabilities to practice one of the following arts:

• Music with the National Music School in Bulgaria, the Associazione Mus-e Roma Onlus in Italy and the Orquestra Geração in Portugal;
• Film with the Fundación Voluntarios por Madrid in Spain;
• Theatre, puppetry and circus arts with the Muscular Dystrophy Association Hellas in Greece and the Fundatia Parada in Romania;
• Visual arts with Helium Arts in Ireland, and the Westminster City Council and PhotoView in the United Kingdom.

All of these projects highlight the crucial role played by the practice of the arts in promoting social integration, personal fulfillment and achievement among young people.

In Bulgaria, the project is called “Music for Equal Chances” and is in cooperation with the renown National Music School “Ljubomir Pipkov”. The aim is to implement regular basic musical education and provide not only enjoyable moments but also life skills, professional music education and a possible realization to young disadvantaged children who will have better job opportunities and a serious chance to manage on their own in life. The program will provide over three years high quality professional know how in music education including solfeggio, singing and playing an instrument.

Beneficiaries of the project are ten young people from Mezdra Home for Handicapped “Faith, Hope and Love” and 20 children from Dren orphanage “Radost”. BNP Paribas Bulgaria has been supporting these social institutions since many years through various programs (Tennis for Everybody, One Day Out of the Orphanage), renovation and different donations, and has already established a longterm partnership. In the frame of the new initiative, all youngsters will attend lessons in solfeggio and will then have specialised courses in different groups: guitar, bass guitar, piano, drums, singing. In this way, the initiative will help to discover and develop talents among underprivileged children and establish contacts with professional music teachers.

Mr. Ullrich-Guenther Schubert, Chairman of Foundation BNP Paribas Bulgaria, commented on the project: “The program builds on the rigorous corporate philanthropy policy of BNP Paribas in Bulgaria and is in line with the global commitment of the Group BNP Paribas. Thanks to the generous support of BNP Paribas Foundation and our partner the National Music School, we are able to implement this sustainable initiative which has long-term positive effects on the emotional balance of disadvantaged children in Bulgaria and improves chances for personal and professional development.”