The Youngest Members Now Have Their Place in the Sofia-Balkan Family

The “Green Senses” project concluded with many smiles, emotions, and hope for the future, but it left behind something far greater than just a successfully completed initiative. In the closing minutes of the event, Rotary Club Sofia-Balkan President Ivaylo Vasilev officially announced the creation of RotaKids Sofia-Balkan—the first RotaKids club in the city of Sofia, designed for children aged 6 to 14.

This is a natural next step in the club’s consistent work with the younger generations. Over the past Rotary year, Rotary Club Sofia-Balkan has invested significant effort into developing its “youth family,” working actively with its Rotaract and Interact clubs. It was a logical evolution to focus attention on the youngest members—the children who will one day be the leaders and drivers of positive change in society.

“Rotary does not begin at adulthood. Values such as friendship, honesty, respect, ‘Service Above Self,’ and social responsibility can be cultivated from a very early age. That is precisely why we are creating RotaKids Sofia-Balkan—a place where children will grow together, learn through experience, and discover that they can change the world around them,” shared Rotary Club Sofia-Balkan President Ivaylo Vasilev.

The new club will bring together both the children of Rotarians and their friends from school and kindergarten. This will create a natural environment for building friendships, sharing values, and involving more families in the Rotary ideal. Beyond the development opportunities for the children, the initiative will also serve as a bridge to parents, allowing them to learn more about the organization’s mission and its work in service of the community.

International experience shows that RotaKids clubs successfully develop a sense of empathy, civic engagement, leadership skills, teamwork, and confidence in children through games, practical projects, and volunteer initiatives. They provide the youngest members with the opportunity to propose their own ideas, participate in choosing activities, and learn how to take responsibility for their decisions, all while having fun and building lasting friendships.

RotaKids Sofia-Balkan will follow this exact philosophy. The club’s primary areas of focus will include:

  • Fostering Rotary values through interactive activities.

  • Developing leadership qualities through games and team challenges.

  • Scientific, environmental, and creative projects.

  • Volunteer initiatives for the benefit of society.

  • Meetings with inspiring figures from science, business, art, sports, and high technology.

  • Educational visits and practical workshops.

  • Active participation of parents as partners in the children’s growth process.

RotaKids Sofia-Balkan will not be just another extracurricular club. It will be a community where children discover their talents, learn to be good friends, active citizens, and responsible individuals. Through experiences that combine education, creativity, science, and volunteering, they will build skills that will serve them for a lifetime.

By establishing RotaKids Sofia-Balkan, Rotary Club Sofia-Balkan reaffirms its long-term vision of building a comprehensive Rotary family—from the youngest children to established professionals. This is an investment not just in a new generation of Rotarians, but in a more responsible, more compassionate, and better society.

Because true change begins when we inspire a child to believe that they, too, can make the world a better place.