Quality of civil society leadership in Bulgaria compared to Western Europe or the US/Canada?

One of the most serious problems of the civil society leadership in Bulgaria compared to Western Europe or the US/Canada is that these ideas have started to develop not so long ago. The process of formation of civil society in Bulgaria has begun with the transformation from socialistic to democratic regime. It is fair to say that despite the time that have passed, our society is still trying to define its own democratic path which to follow. Such uncertainty and lack of traditions without a doubt are some of the reasons for the existence of not so strong civil society leaders. Another point which affects the quaity of leadership is the fact that these issues have become more publicly discussed only in the last few years. It is also important to mention that a prerequisite of a well-developed society is the public awareness and education which were almost missing in the Bulgarian schools. The system of education was based not on the critical evaluation of different situation, but on following the same postulates for years. As a result, the people were afraid to publicly defend their interests which is one of the main characteristics of civil society leaderships in Western Europe or the US/Canada. Significant factors which inluences the quality and development of a civil society in a state are the freedom of speech and the protection of human rights. Bulgarian leaders are putting a lot of efforts in this relation, however, a lot more should be done. Despite the disadvantages of our system, I see some enocoraging initiatives, the example of young people who are fully devoted to lay the foundatons of a better democratic society and a better civil society.