Many institutions and organizations, inspired by the noble idea behind the TRAP Fest, help Trotoara Foundation with the organization of this huge, exceptional event. Apart from the students from NPMG and SMG, great support is provided by the amazing „НПМГ Алумни клуб“ as well.

The NPMG Alumni Club is a non-governmental organization founded in the spring of 2017. Regarding its creation, its Vice-president Iva Rusnakova says: “In fact, the event that united us around the idea was the campaign “Don’t Touch My High School” in connection to some changes in the educational law after which the national status of our high school was being questioned and the acceptance exams respectively”. The club’s chairman Plamen Ivanov adds: “Ideas for such an organization have been around for a lot of years, even students who graduated in the 1990s have discussed it, but it wasn’t realized until recently. We were lucky enough to meet the “Don’t Touch My High School” campaign in the right place at the right time. At the beginning of 2017, after having discussed several times that the NPMG has a great potential in the face of our graduates, we gathered together in Sofia and exchanged ideas on the best ways to use this potential and create a community that develops itself as an organization and also helps the development of its members. Furthermore – to help the education system at NPMG, as we believe that Bulgarian education as a whole has started to decline in recent years. We wanted to use the so-called spirit of the NPMG to help unite us. It has been preserved over the years and is well known to all high school graduates.”

According to Iva, the decline in education comes mainly from a mediocre attitude, and it is through the spirit of NPMG that mediocrity can be pushed out of the learning process because the spirit – pupils, people and their stories, that is the complete opposite of mediocrity.

Iva and Plamen add that they want to inspire other schools to form their own alumni clubs. That is why the events organized by them, for example “NPMG Alumni Forum: Inspiration for the Future”, which took place in November this year, are open to everyone who’s interested and curious about the topic, and not just to NPMG graduates. They feel that every school would leverage from an alumni club because the inspiration for development and change comes from the people, the desire to convey what you have learned. And doing something for someone, passing on your own experience, developing the potential you see in the younger generations, inspiring them, are all key parts at the base of the alumni communities.

To the question of what is in the essence of the club, Iva replies: “Administratively, the club is a non- governmental organization, we have a Management Board, we have a Supervisory Board, a chairperson, and many members – former students of NPMG. In its essence, however, it is much more than that.”

When it comes to the club’s activities, Plamen says: “The first activity we were engaged with was the organization of a big concert that went far beyond the school borders and gathered over a thousand people in the Universiada Hall. BTR were special guests. This concert was somewhat organized to awaken the spirit of the high school and happened exactly at the right time. Between 2009 and 2012, we had exceptionally well-organized concerts, then this tradition vanished, and the 2017 concert revived it again.” Iva shares: “It was an incredibly emotional experience for all of us. The concert showed that NPMG is not only science, Olympiads and competitions, but also art, music, dance and all wonderful dimensions of creativity.”

The Alumni Club also organized several series of lectures, including “Open Doors Day at NPMG” in the autumn of 2017, and “Alumni Forum” in the spring of 2018. With these events, they aim to reach the former, present and future students of the high school, and all other curious science enthusiasts.

When asked about the relationship between the Alumni Club and Trotoara Foundation, Iva and Plamen answered unanimously: “The connection between Trotoara and us has a name and that name is Deyan.” Plamen says that Deyan supported the Alumni Club soon after it was founded, firstly with the concert, then with the club&’s website, and after that as a lecturer at the “Inspiration for the Future” forum. Deyan is a real representative of what it means to be a NPMG graduate, he is all he ever wanted to be, and he carries the strong spirit of NPMG. His initiatives are extremely necessary and useful, but also presented in a very attractive way. He has our full support as we have his. The relationship is as strong as it gets, frankly.” Plamen concludes.

The Alumni Club got involved in the organization of the first edition of TRAP Fest. This year, they hope that besides helping to promote the event, they will also have a physical presence on the spot and will support the organization of the event.