Telenor sends Bulgarian representatives to the international Telenor Youth Forum 2016

The Bulgarian representatives to the international initiative Telenor Youth Forum 2016 are Ani Koleva and Boyan Petrov. They won Telenor Bulgaria’s annual contest on the “Digitalization for Peace” topic.

The competition was held in two stages and participants were asked to present their ideas for positive changes in the social, economic or environmental spheres. In the second stage, four finalists were invited to defend their candidacy through a video interview. A jury of Telenor Bulgaria, Junior Achievement and WWF representatives chose the winners.

Ani Koleva and Boyan Petrov will participate in an international forum which will be held from 8 to 11 December in Oslo during the events surrounding the Nobel Peace Prize award. Telenor will cover all travel, food and accommodation expenses of the two winners. In Oslo, the Bulgarian representatives will meet other young talents from 12 different countries. Participants will form teams, with each team dedicated to a social challenge. They will continue working on their assigned challenges in the next months. In May 2017, the delegates will meet again in Bangkok, Thailand. The solutions they create will be presented in a digital exhibition as a final part of the forum.

Telenor Youth Forum is held for the fourth time as a global initiative for exchanging opinions on the way mobile communications technologies can encourage growth and positive change within the society. The initiative is part of the Telenor Group partnership with the Nobel Peace Prize Center.

"We believe in youth with ideas, passion and social conscience. We're optimistic about the power of technology, and we think that communication across boundaries can foster peace. At Telenor we are excited to see young minds gather to co-create with us, our experts and with our partners at the Nobel Peace Center," said Sigve Brekke, President and CEO of Telenor Group.

Ani Koleva has participated in the UN General Assembly in 2014 as a youth delegate. She has actively participated in the negotiations for recognizing a World Youth Skills Day as well as in organizing events on integration of children with special needs. Ani has also been part of the Summer Entrepreneurship Program at Babson College, Boston, USA.

Boyan Petrov has completed a traineeship program at the European Commission Representation in Bulgaria and has assisted in completion of numerous initiatives in Bulgaria. He holds a degree from The Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration. Boyan studies law at Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski” and is a Team Europe junior member at the European Commission in Bulgaria.