The Special arts Erasmus+ project with a study visit
With great impatience and excitement we started the “Special arts” project, in which we meet educators and students with special educational needs from three Bulgarian schools – Special school for students with impaired vision “Louis Braille” – Sofia, Special school for students with impaired vision “Prof. D-r Ivan Shishmanov” – Varna, Secondary school “Vicho Grancharov” – Gorna Oryahovitsa – with artists from Le Voci di Astarte, Italy. As the project name implies, we are speaking of and using arts and discussing how arts can support the development and the successful integration of students with special educational needs.
As soon as the colleagues from Le Voci di Astarte, Italy – Mirko Leuzzi, Matteo Curreli and Sara Capanna – arrived in Bulgaria, together with the team from Sofia, Varna and Gorna Oryahovitsa we entered into a symbiosis and a process of peer learning, which is hard to describe with words.
The study visits, which were joined by colleagues from all partner organisations, started in Sofia, at School “Louis Braille”, where we were welcomed by Mr. Lubomir Velkov, vice-headmaster, while arts teachers Ms Evelina Peseva and Ms Elitsa Trifonova showed us how they use ceramics, weaving, textile and creating artwork with textile paints and prints in order to develop the fine motorics of their students, as well as to help them organize their thoughts and communication, how to follow the implementation of clearly defined successions of actions (each art project is such), to develop interaction skills and to be flexible and resilient to the influences of various irritants in their environment.
The demonstrational meetings were followed by round tables for discussion of topics, included in the methodology, which the project is about to create.
On 9 May the team visited also the workshop “Art and Jump” of Foundation Help of people with developmental problems”, where Marina Ilieva made a demonstration how she works in her ceramic atelier with young people with autism.
After the meetings and demonstrations in Sofia, the team transferred its activities in Varna, where as of 11 May our host was School “Prof. D-r Ivan Shishmanov”. We were welcomed by Mrs Zhulieta Petkova, headmaster and her team members. We had the honor and joy to participate the annual celebration of the letters (Cyrillic alphabet) where within one hour the school staff and children shared with us poems, music, dances and etudes. Arts teachers Yana Raeva and Klavdiya Lukova showed us the applied arts they use in working with the students at the school. We saw the school ceramic atelier, knitting of scarfs and hats, creation of artistic souvenirs, painting and interaction in white and dark rooms (rooms for relaxation and sensorial stimulation), as well as in the school salt room. We were also presented with the art of growing plants and creating beautiful ikebanas. Sara had the opportunity to experiment with four students and their teachers and conducted an inspiring dance and movement workshop, which left us speechless.
All days spent in Varna and School “Prof. D-r Ivan Shishmanov” started and ended with a discussion, where the project team members shared their observations, opinions and experience.
The final destination of the study visit was Secondary school “Vicho Grancharov” in Gorna Oryahovitsa, where our hosts as of 11 May were Neli Atanasova, headmaster and Nadezhda Georgieva, artist and teacher. We took part in ceramic ateliers with students with special educational needs. We worked together with children, parents and resource teachers in order to get closer not so much to art professionalism, but to that remarkable combination of excitement, freedom and peace, which art gives everyone.
During the visit to Gorna Oryahovitsa, Sara had another opportunity to conduct a dance and movement workshop, which was joined by local children with and without special educational needs. Instead of the scheduled 40 minutes, the workshop continued for more than one astronomical hour and could have continued for much longer, if it was not the time for our round table and discussion.
We address with excitement and gratitude all team members in the “Special arts” project, as well as all educators, teachers, staff, children and parents at the schools and NGOs we visited. We believe that the objectives of this first activity have been successfully achieved as we shared as much as possible from our experiences and ideas and mutually enriched ourselves.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.
