Bulgarian Interior Minister launches youth bravery initiative

Bulgarian Interior Minister Ivan Demerdzhiev has launched the ‘Little Big Heroes’ initiative, designed to recognize and reward children and teenagers who demonstrate courage, bravery, and civic responsibility. The campaign aims to highlight positive youth examples in response to increasing incidents of violence and hooliganism.

The first group of recipients includes volunteers who assisted in the aftermath of flooding in the village of Strumyani, including 7-year-old Vladislav Stoyanov and his father Dimitar Stoyanov. Other honored youth include Nikolay Gutev, Hristo Avramski, Martin Hristov, Borislav Atanasov, and Genadi Tanev.

Additionally, several young people—Hristiyan Kochev, Viktor Karushev, Aleksandar Vakov, and Andriyan Krastev—were recognized for assisting authorities in apprehending an individual posing as a police officer. The initiative was inspired by previous encounters with youth who assisted in saving the village of Kosharitsa from a major fire.