„Handbook Transnational Social Services -One year of intensive exchange:
In this handbook, Dr Stoyanka Cherkezova and Dr Christo Karabadjakov summarize the experiences and findings of one year of intensive exchange between Ruse, Sofia (Bulgaria) and Hamburg (Germany) in the Transnational Social Services (TSS) project.
Two hybrid conferences in Ruse and Hamburg and 4 digital events as well as two project visits took place in this one year. This gave the opportunity to learn more about the social systems and legislations and to learn more about social work in both countries. The networking between representatives of authorities and NGOs in both countries was advanced and the cross-border cooperation in social counselling intensified. The participating organizations were able to integrate the knowledge gained into their work and their respective networks.
The project shows how necessary transnational cooperation is and how important it is to know more about the respective system but also ways of working. Committed social advocacy work across national borders can contribute to improving the situation of vulnerable groups. It also became clear that digital services are immensely helpful in making exchange and consultation across distances possible – but at the same time it was also clear that real-life encounters are the basis for good cooperation.
The handbook was written in Bulgarian and then translated into German. Its final versions are the result of the joint efforts of all members of the TSS team. It gives an insight into the exchange, conferences and project visits and shows how a network can be built up.
A start has been made – now it is time to develop the contacts and experiences that have been made.“