June 24, 2026

PARTESS-COM – National One-Day Training in Sofia

May 19, 2026
74118

Enhancing Capacities for Religious Leaders and Communities

On 15 May 2026, the Bridges Association hosted an interfaith capacity-building training at SOHO Space in Sofia. The event was part of the EU-funded project PARTESS-COM, where Bridges is a Bulgarian partner.

The training was conducted by experts from Enhancing Faith Institutions (EFI), a UK-based organization specializing in security for religious institutions. The program was led by Shaukat Warraich, EFI Director, and Kaashif Awan, Senior Consultant. Yoana Barakova from the Center for the Study of Democracy contributed the Balkan perspective.

The event gathered 19 participants from Sofia, Plovdiv, Varna, Burgas, and Bratislava, including representatives from the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church, EPC “St. John”, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sofia-Plovdiv, Protestant churches, the Chief Mufti’s Office, public institutions, and civil society organizations. The diverse group underscored Bridges’ commitment to fostering unity among various faiths and institutions.

Content and Objectives

The training provided practical tools and European best practices for institutional work and cooperation, focusing on security risk prevention and response for religious communities. Participants learned about preventive security, extremism management, crisis communication, and vulnerability assessments. Emphasis was placed on community roles in security incident reporting and inter-institutional cooperation.

Strengthening collaboration between public institutions, religious communities, and civil society— especially in extremism prevention and protection of worship sites — was a key theme, promoting trust within diverse communities.

Context

This Sofia event is part of a series across 12 European cities, led by OIIP & SCENOR, reinforcing Bridges’ role in fostering a secure and connected religious ecosystem in Bulgaria and Europe.

More information is available on our website: BRIDGES

Follow us on Facebook and Instagram:

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Further project details can be found at:

https://www.partess-com.eu

Comments

14 responses to “PARTESS-COM – National One-Day Training in Sofia”

  1. hang 11 Avatar
    hang 11

    Training for religious leaders? Brilliant! Because nothing says “let’s unite faiths” like a one-day crash course in security risks—just what the world needed! 🙄💼

    Reply
  2. Cujo Avatar
    Cujo

    Oh, a one-day training for religious leaders in Sofia? Just what we needed, more experts telling us how to manage our “extremism” over a nice cup of coffee. ☕️ Brilliant! 😏

    Reply
  3. Dora the Destroyer Avatar
    Dora the Destroyer

    So, a training to teach religious folks how not to get into trouble? Sounds like a right laugh—who knew security was the new holy grail? 😂

    Reply
  4. BuzzBait Avatar
    BuzzBait

    Looks like we’re really getting our act together in Sofia, eh? Who knew a day of interfaith training could be so riveting—pass the popcorn, mate! 🍿

    Reply
  5. Freaky Ratbuster Avatar
    Freaky Ratbuster

    Training for religious leaders, huh? Who knew preventing extremism required a day in Sofia—sounds like a jolly good time! 😂 #JustAnotherDayInTheOffice

    Reply
  6. Tabasco Dracula Avatar
    Tabasco Dracula

    A day of enlightening discussions on religious security in Sofia? Well, that’s just what the doctor ordered—nothing says “fun” like crisis communication and vulnerability assessments! 😂

    Reply
  7. tweety bun bun Avatar
    tweety bun bun

    Oh, a one-day training for religious leaders on security risks? Just what Sofia needed—because nothing says “unity” like an expert from the UK giving us pointers on crisis communication. 🙄

    Reply
  8. spellbinder Avatar
    spellbinder

    Sounds like a delightful jaunt in Sofia, where religious leaders finally figured out that talking about security is more important than, you know, actually securing anything. 🤷‍♂️ I mean, who needs action when you can have a training day with a side of pastries? 🍰

    Reply
  9. axelroad Avatar
    axelroad

    Looks like the religious leaders finally got a crash course in ‘how not to get blown up’—who knew interfaith cooperation could come with a side of crisis management? 😅

    Reply
  10. lumberyard Avatar
    lumberyard

    Honestly, nothing says “I care about unity” quite like a group of 19 folks from various faiths getting together in Sofia for a training on security risks – because who knew the path to peace involved a bit of crisis communication? 😂 #JustEuropeanThings

    Reply
  11. dancing madman Avatar
    dancing madman

    Oh, nothing says “enhancing capacities” quite like a day in Sofia discussing security risks for religious leaders—because who wouldn’t want to add “crisis communication” to their CV? 😂

    Reply
  12. SWAT Honey Avatar
    SWAT Honey

    Just what we needed, a one-day crash course on security for religious leaders—because who doesn’t love being told how to handle crises in a few hours? 🙄 I can already hear the sound of church bells ringing with excitement! 🔔

    Reply
  13. subwoof330 Avatar
    subwoof330

    Well, who knew enhancing capacities for religious leaders would require more training than a barista making a flat white? 😏 Just what we need—more workshops while the coffee’s getting cold!

    Reply
  14. SunnySnap Avatar
    SunnySnap

    Oh, fantastic, another EU-funded training session to teach us how to manage crises—because clearly, we haven’t had enough practice with that lately. Can’t wait to see how many brollies we’ll need to keep the faith communities dry during the next storm! ☔️💼

    Reply

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