Yesterday a day in London
My London Home = Timberyard Cafe
With Tony Yankabakova from Bulgaria
Te c pracrasin chovek
I love her.
When the Iron Curtain came down
and Eastern Europe became more European
the Nations of European YMCA's got together to help the YMCA's, who had been in lockdown for 10 years under communism, started to remerge.
Reps from different Nations met and we decided to set up support groups for each country according to their wishes.
My choice, on behalf of Romford YMCA, was Bulgaria.
Not well known amongst the likes of Russia Romania Hungary etc.
We formed a group with reps from different national Y reps.
We helped then to reemerge to be a contextual YMCA - as they wished to BECOME.
I met with Tony from Gabrovo many years ago and became the best of friends - me visiting Bulgaria with the support group and Tony and others coming over to Romford to experience what we were doing in our Dagenham/Havering - sports - youth work - housing 150 Young Humans - how we managed & deliver a 24x7 programmes.
Several of our Board members engaged with individual and they too visited Bulgaria to help in various ways.
One visit was taking a team of Skilled workers over there.
Youth Worker, Fitness Instructor, Counsellor - and more including our local Bishop who connected with the local Orthodox Priests & Bishop!
We did a tour of a number of young emerging YMCA's in Bulgaria - leading a Training Days.
So yesterday we met and remembered many of the good times in the past + some of the struggles and challenges.
We had nor seen each other for years - and it was so good.
She was in London Town as a participant in the YMCA175, a celebration of the 175 anniversary of the YMCA starting in London.
The four day event at the Excel Centre in East London
(my old patch).
3,000 participant from all over the word - the largest youth movement in the world.
Tony you are a beautiful human.
Love you forever and Valentin your husband and family.
You are leading great things in Bulgaria and feeding the 'Y world' with your inspiration and the many teenagers/now adults who are changing the world ALL OVER THE WORLD.
BHP
Below a precious gift given to me when I left my work/mission at Romford YMCA/Bulgarian YMCA
