Community Center "Progress 1903"

Community centre - Progress 1903 has an important role in the village of Vetrintsi. It aims to contribute towards nurturing social connectedness and building a healthy and vibrant community where people from all ages, religions, walks of life, social backgrounds and nationalities live together peacefully, respect and help each other: an alternative to the alienated and disconnected life that has become common for many city dwellers. Apart from this positive societal change we also aim to contribute towards a healthier environment by promoting environment friendly techniques such as regenerative agriculture (e.g. permaculture) and building with natural materials as opposed to the more common methods of growing food and building which are to a great extent harmful to nature. We aim to organise and carry out events of interest to the local people so as to serve as a platform where people meet and get to know each other, melting down prejudices and building friendships. These are also a way to introduce nature-friendly ideas and techniques to everyone. Some of the regular activities organised by the centre include celebrations of national holidays such as the Day of Herbs and the Day of Slavonic Alphabet as well as weekly classes in traditional dances and folk songs. There are also some clubs registered as part of the community center which run regular meetings free of charge: the Photography Club, the Herb Club and the Board Game Club. What’s more, due to the interest of the local people, we are planning to start a Drama Club and a Children’s Reader’s Club. The Pensioners Club has been very active too – taking part in regional and national singing festivals and competitions and also putting up theatre plays on the community centre’s stage on occasions such as the International Women’s Day. Local people from all age groups as well as many people from neighbouring villages and even from the administrative centre town of the province join the activities organised by the clubs and the community centre.