Profile of YMRF - Mladejko dvijenie za prava i svobodi - Youth Movement for Rights and Freedoms

Youth Movement for Rights and Freedoms (Youth MRF) has always been a youth wing from the time of its establishment until today, an integral part of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF). Youth has constantly been a driving force during the emergence and development of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms. During the last years of the totalitarian regime the Movement for Rights and Freedoms was established as an illegal organization of young people: Ahmed Dogan (then at the age of 32) and so on. As early as 1990, while building the structures of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms in the country, were created the first MRF student organizations in the academic centers: Varna, Sofia, Shumen, Plovdiv, Kardjali, etc. Those organizations emerged spontaneously as an expression of the aspiration among young people in terms of pluralism and democracy to gain a platform where they could show their new aspirations for meetings, discussions, youth entertainments, courses in Turkish and so on. For many years these student organizations existed and operated independently, without any centralized structure, helping a lot of young people to learn more about the MRF ideas and to engage in the organizational life of the local structures of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms. Only at the end of 1997 and early 1998 the idea of creating a unified youth organization of the MRF with a centralized management occured and was approved. Then a group of young enthusiasts working and cooperating with the MRF headquarters, received the mission to tour the country and to take the management of the existing at that time youth and student structures, as well as to initiate the creation of new ones where there were suitable conditions. The implementation of this task led to conducting in Shumen, in August 1998, the First (Constituent) National Conference of the Youth Movement for Rights and Freedoms, which established the Union of Academic and Youth Organizations in the MRF (UAYO in the MRF). A Rules’ book was adopted and a central management of the Union of Academic and Youth Organizations in the MRF chaired by Mustafa Karadaya was elected. A period of active work on deployment and strengthening the structures of the Union of Academic and Youth Organizations in the country followed. With the assistance of the German foundation for liberal policy "Friedrich Naumann", dozens of seminars were conducted across the country that contributed to political and organizational maturity of young members and supporters of the MRF and to preparing them for active participation in Local elections '1999. And the results didn’t delay: in the places where there were well organized and functioning youth structures during the Local elections, the MRF won convincingly (Djebel, Tsar Kaloyan, Ruen, etc.). As a result of the active organizational work, the geographical and numerical representation of the MRF in the Union of Academic and Youth Organizations constantly increased and that led to conducting the Second National Conference of the youth organization of the MRF in April 2000 in Sofia. At this conference it was unanimously decided to rename the organization into Youth Movement for Rights and Freedoms (Youth MRF), which united youth structures of the MRF built on a territorial principle. It was reported that with over 24,000 members and structures in 70 percent of the country, Youth MRF had become the largest youth political organization in Bulgaria. A new Rules’ book and a Program Declaration were accepted and a new management was elected – Central Executive Committee (CES) of Youth MRF, consisting of 5 people. Mustafa Karadaya was elected as a chairman of Youth MRF. In the same year the Youth MRF was accepted as a candidate member of the European Liberal Youth (LYMEC) and became a co-founder and a full member of the Balkan Youth Liberal Network (ISEEL). In cooperation with the Foundation "Friedrich Naumann" and the Political Science Centre, led by Emil Koshlukov, two cycles of seminars were conducted in all regional centers of the country, which, along with familiarizing young people with liberal ideas and principles, helped conducting trainings in organization and implementation of the campaign in view of the upcoming Parliamentary elections '2001. Simultaneously an active campaign was running by building and strengthening the structures of Youth MRF in the country in order to support and optimize the participation of the MRF in parliamentary elections and to fulfill one of the main missions of Youth MRF set by the President of the MRF Ahmed Dogan: to overcome the phenomenon of "encapsulation of the MRF structures” and building "bank staff" trained and prepared for a future participation in government. Parliamentary Elections' 2001 are a great success for the Movement for Rights and Freedoms. A large part of the credit for this success has Youth MRF who actively participated and presented themselves with dignity in the elections of nominated candidates in the lists of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms. There are 3 members of Youth MRF among the 21 members of Parliament elected from the list of the MRF. Later a coalition majority between the National Movement for Stability and Prosperity and the Movement for Rights and Freedoms was formed, and as a result was elected a Council of Ministers in which the MRF for the first time in its history had ministers. Then began a mass influx of young professionals of the MRF and members of Youth MRF into the organs and structures of government, where they presented worthily themselves and the party as well in this responsible historic moment. Currently, over 90 percent of the representatives of the MRF in the state administration are at youth age. In May 2003 in Sofia was held the Third National Conference of Youth MRF, when were adopted significant amendments to the Rules’ book (extension of the Central Executive Committee with the participation of representatives from the country, building the so-called Centers for Youth Initiatives (YIC) in all municipalities, a new Program Declaration, etc.), and a new Chairman of Youth Movement for Rights and Freedoms was elected: Salih Emin. Since that time, along with continuing the development and strengthening the structures of Youth MRF, the main focus has been put on the creation of legal-organizational opportunities for developing the initiative and enterprise of young people through the creation of Centers for Youth Initiatives (YIC), where to deploy active work on programs and projects to make full utilization of financial resources provided by the EU funds and by the unlimited opportunities of the so-called "Third sector", as well. Today the Youth Movement for Rights and Freedoms (Youth MRF) consists of more than 19,000 members, with structures built throughout the country. In 2004 Youth MRF was accepted as a full member of the European Liberal Youth-LYMEC. At the end of 2005 Youth MRF became a full member of the largest International Youth Liberal party-IFLRY, while determined to be one of the main youth liberal factors not only in Bulgaria but also internationally. In 2006 the Chairman Corman Ismaolov was elected. Both he and the entire management of Youth MRF pursued the following difficult task – the youth of the MRF to be more active participants in political life of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms, and in the overall policy - public life of the country, as well. In 2009 Djeyhan Ibyamov was chosen for a President of Youth MRF. Under his leadership, the youth organization must again demonstrate the heights of positions achieved through the years, and strengthen its important role in the development of the MRF.