Marija Stojanova

Educational Advisor

Studied International Business and Communication at ISM University, gaining skills in international work and multicultural communication. Actively engaged in university volunteering, as a member of the Students’ Association, and volunteered at ESN for several years. Later coordinated capacity-building projects in Active Youth with a focus on mental health, startups, and youth employability, conducting surveys, research, creating methodologies, and organizing local events and international mobilities. Currently serves as team lead of the Youth Development team, overseeing KA1, KA2, and Capacity Building projects, and monitoring more than 15 initiatives to ensure timely implementation and achievement of goals. With over 20 years of involvement in more than 50 international and 200 national training courses, seminars, conferences, and learning events, she has extensive experience as a trainer, facilitator, organizer, and speaker. Key fields of expertise include project management, Erasmus+ and Youth in Action, non-formal learning methods, teamwork and group dynamics, volunteering, youth participation, youth policy, social inclusion, leadership, negotiation, networking, training of trainers, and coaching. She also integrates arts such as photography and theatre into youth work and has facilitated workshops on intercultural contact, conflict management, active citizenship, and social development. Within her association, she has coordinated international training courses, youth exchanges, seminars, capacity building initiatives, pilot projects, and social inclusion activities, as well as produced toolkits and handbooks. She has also led local projects in cooperation with youth centers and associations, particularly in suburban areas, to support the inclusion of marginalized and less privileged youth. She is person-oriented, operationally flexible, rigorous in procedures, and attentive to details and processes, ensuring continuous learning for herself and others. Her organizational skills were strengthened through coordinating projects in both youth and adult education sectors, recruiting and managing volunteers, writing project proposals, and administrating budgets and partnerships.