The full report from Ghilarza – Special arts Erasmus+ project
The 12th January 2026 started with a get to know each other session, where the participants gave information about who they are, why they are present, what they would like to take from the week, how they feel, what their fears are.
Each group member expressed themselves and connected with the others via a physical thread, passing from person to person and involving people in a shared community.
In the evening, we had the pleasure of joining a local celebration with typical Sardinian dances, performed by local Italian students, their parents and teachers.
13th January 2026
On the next morning there was a session for the educators, who played games, moved as a group, adapted their own tempo to the tempo of the others, played with balls and allowed themselves to have a more physical learning experience.
It was a session, which helped the participants learn how to relax, relate, connect and bond within a group in order to prepare themselves to better facilitate whatever educational or upbringing processes they are leading.
What was important here was the gradual increase in the complexity of the games and activities we were implementing. This allowed us all to raise the level with small steps and to achieve the same high level of expertise in whatever we were doing without the stress of facing heavy challenges from the onset. Yet, despite the differences in our mental and physical states, we managed to reach the same level of proficiency as a group. Something particularly important in the work with groups with diverse abilities. The principles of doing arts can be applied to almost any, if not even every, scientific topic studies in any educational programme.
During the break, the facilitators purchased materials to be used in the visual arts atelier on the next morning.
The afternoon continued with an activity shared with all participants, including those from the host city – Italian students and their teacher.
We had to walk in silence, in order to experience the world without speaking, to a small park where we divided in couples and the couples had to enter the roles of guide and one who is guided with eyes closed. The guide had to take the guided one to 5 things, which were interesting, inspiring, amusing to his/her and show them to the guided one by asking him/her to smell, touch, hear or see them. Then the roles switched and the guide became the guided one.
The game was implemented in a safe environment, with a sufficient number of chaperons monitoring and supporting the process. It required trust – both towards the facilitators and towards whoever was our guide at this moment. It also required responsibility and care at the moment when we were the guiding ones.
What was also extremely valuable here was the experience of the outer world and nature through the “eyes” of another beholder. Also to undertake the roles of leader or guide and then of the one who is being guided. An important ability in life for all as there are moments for us to lead and there are moments when we should follow. When we are in a good symbiosis with the remaining members of our group or even couple, we can truly learn from them and we can comprehend ourselves better within a safe and accepting environment.
The return from the park led us through a tactile garden with knitted products, covering trees with their beautiful and colorful designs.
After returning to the Red Cross building, we had a session of writing our feelings and emotions from the tactile experience in the Ghilarza park.
Here come the most unique comments:
“It was a little scary closing my eyes and letting someone else completely take the lead. I felt like I would trip on something. But both my partner and I were very careful so it was actually quite pleasant. I felt that my other senses had heightened a little since I had to rely on them more.”
“The game sounded a little scary at first, because I wasn’t sure if I am going to be guided carefully, but my partner did a great job. It was an interesting experience to play it, unable to see what’s in front of us, around us and we have to trust someone to guide us. I felt curious and happy, because we both laughed a lot. If I have the chance to play again, I hope to be the guide.”
“It was a very colorful experience that allowed different emotions to bloom inside me just like the flowers back there at the park. Needing to rely on trust and young companion just to open your eyes and be greeted by something unique, fragile and beautiful was inspiring in a way that I didn’t expect. The transition from something negative like fear from the unknown to a pleasant emotion such as discovering the pleasantries of nature was the main event for me.”
“Saturn! I was there. I could feel the breath of the people around me. We were together – one soul, one breath, one organism. THANK YOU!”
“I felt myself. I felt the harmony in my body and that I am a part of something much bigger – from the deep ground up to the skies. It felt as if the inner peace and self-concentration had a healing effect on my body.”
“The miracle of life! To be alive – to feel with your eyes, to see with your heart, to love with your soul and to support with your whole being. Thank you!”
“I was impressed that I could speak with other children in a different language and to play a game together. I learned different things. I met some very different children. I learned that I can trust my partner in the game.”
“A walk is always good for you – physically and mentally – even if it takes place in the quietness of Ghilarza. We feel and understand the world through our senses – smell, touch, hearing. Today I smelled a bush in the garden, I heard a police siren, I touched the trunk of a palm tree and I saw for the first time what a buckthorn looks like in nature.”
“The whole walk was a new experience for me. I felt dependent, but also calm that someone is thinking about me and guiding me. Out of all sensations, the strongest one was the touch of a warm human hand, which was unexpected for me, considering we were in a park.”
“We dress experiences into words, we tell about them and we share them in order to understand them. For example, if on a sunny day, in the middle of a pleasant walk, we meet a monster, we can describe it, give it a name and thus we can make it smaller and we can put it in our pocket.”
“The songs of the birds flying in the skies enchanted me and took me to an orange and lemon tree grove. I felt their aroma and enjoyed the abundance of colors and shapes. I imagined how when I get to the end a door would open and I would appear on the seashore, surrounded by seagulls and the noise of the waves. Thank you for the experience.”
“A magical trip towards …. Myself. Touching, feeling with every fiber of my body, with senses open to the surrounding nature and the unexpected reactions of my own body. When the eyes are ‘blind’ and you can’t rely on them, each sensation is ten times stronger – the touch of your sighted partner, his/her voice, every noise around you, the smells are much stronger, brighter and contrasting, fear makes every little hole under your feet feel like a crater – large and dangerous for you. The trust towards your partner makes these fears small and insignificant and prepares you to rediscover many things around you with your own senses. To discover yourself! Just like back then in your childhood!”
There was one feedback from an educator from Sofia, which was at other extremity of the spectrum. The feedback is anonymized.
“I was taken out of the horror I experienced when I stepped from the pavement on the soft grass and I lost my balance by the melodious sound of the conversation of two elderly Italian med. And I said to myself ‘X, you are in Italy. Do not allow them to take away your peace with their silly games and the dangers they put the children in because of their lack of knowledge. They simply DON’T KNOW! They have not thought through and they have not adapted their activities.’”
Then there was a comment from one of the Bulgarian v.i. children, which clearly demonstrated how FEAR travels from one head to another. The comment was “Fear, fear and more fear.” These last two comments come as a demonstration how different we are in our reactions to stimuli and at the same time how careful we should be in not transferring our fears onto others, especially when the latter’s upbringing and future confidence and independence has to rely on us and on our approaches.
14th January 2026
The morning session for the adults had us work on mastering emotions and reactions, opening up to the group in order to offer the best you can do, achieve and provide to the community you are working with. In these sessions, art is both a private personal thing, something each participant feels differently, and a common group experience, as it brings people close together and encourages them to create, give and emit.
At the end of the morning session, we went through a long feedback session on the sensory game on 13th January and the morning session on the 14th January.
At the same time when the workshop for the adults was taking place, the young people were having a visual arts atelier on the experiences they are compiling in Sardinia – from the environment, the topics tackled, the interaction within a very diverse group of peers and adults.
The task was given to them by facilitators Sara and Gloria. Ina from the Bulgarian side was also contributing a lot with her immense abundance of knowledge and experience working with diverse groups and with participants with disabilities.
Before the lunch break, the adults’ group provided feedback on the activity form 13 Jan 2026 plus the morning activity of 14 Jan 2026
The feedback is provided underneath and covers the sessions from Jan 13 and the morning of Jan 14.
Feedback phase 1: Statement of meaning
“At first, I was shocked by the challenge from a new experience. I was dizzy, then I was curious and I was actively engaged at the second part of the day. Today I was more prepared and calmer and the activity made me look inside and provoked many questions about myself.”
“I love the way we started and then built up the complicatedness of the tasks – starting from very simple tasks and increasing the difficulty. This was a great example of how a group with varied levels of proficiency and abilities can be gradually engaged and involved in the agenda of the facilitator without the stress of experiencing something very complicated at the mere start.”
“I enjoyed the silence. It is another way to see yourself. I was surprised how our group managed to become a single soul, one organism. I could feel the people around me as one.”
“Silence helped me observe the environment and opened my creative part, which hasn’t happened to me for a long time. Today I enjoyed the warmth in the circle and the different behaviours.”
“It was magical yesterday when one of the v.i. kids allowed me to take her hand and to lead her and felt confident, secure and was holding my hand so strongly that I was emotional and started crying.”
“I have had contact with v.i. people – friends of my son – by yesterday I was in their shoes and this moved me and was special. I could imagine how they live.”
“The emotions, which shook our students yesterday, made them look for us and talk to us. We got from them trust and acknowledgement about what we are doing every day. Today I relaxed really.”
“Today’s workshop was a moving experience for me. I felt that I am a part of something bigger than me and I can feel my inner self.”
Phase two: Questions from the facilitator
Was the level of guidance clear?
Did the exercise feel accessible to everyone?
“I didn’t understand yesterday until today.”
“In all our activities we need to truly and really participate and not break the space.”
To most participants the instructions were clear and the exercises felt accessible.
Phase 3: Questions from the participants to the facilitator of the kind
Were you…
What options ……
What sensory experiences were you hoping to activate…………
“Do you feel satisfied from today and yesterday?”
“Was it pleasant for you to work with the group, do you consider this work at all?”
“What would you change if you could? What were your expectations?”
Answer from the facilitator Sara Capanna:
“I am very satisfied from today. The morning was really pleasant. It was running like a fluid and it is amazing how vulnerable and listening we were. This reminds me how important my job is, because I go really deep. Yesterday was a mission with a high level of complexity and even if I felt the energy falling and the risk of losing someone’s engagement, we managed to stabilize this energy, especially in the little square where we did the game. As far as changing something is concerned, it is interesting to try to think what I would change in the past, because the past is already gone. My expectations were surpassed. I try to have no high expectations in the first place.”
Phase 4: Opinions about what probably did not work.
Among the suggestions were:
“Add fear and horror to the list of urgencies, which can allow a participant to step away or ask for assistance.”
“Shorten some of the activities, as they are quite long like this.”
“I saw how our fears influence the others and how important it is to control our own fears especially when we are in the role of educators.”
The afternoon of the 14th continued with a peer session for the young ones where they used theatrical games to express themselves, connect and create together.
The photos speak for themselves. Look forward to the videos.
15 January 2026
The day started with parallel sessions for the young participants and for the group of the adults. The kids continued their visual arts atelier in order to prepare their artistic products and a collage for the hosts.
As a parallel activity the adults continued with a session on self-development, communication and mutual support within the group.
Feedback from Ghilarza workshop with adults on the morning of the 15th January 2026.
“We practiced gentleness towards ourselves, towards the others. We practiced patience in our very fast-paced life. Our kindness and patience transcend towards the kids and adults we work with.”
“There is a fire in our circle and give our contribution to the fire, we feed it.”
“Calmness. I am like Temida – I do not want to judge. I am balanced.”
“It was a battle with my capsule. To raise a shield after a shield. It wasn’t easy to get in balance. It was hard to take the shield off.”
“I discovered a way to let go of pain.”
“Very relaxing! Life and work are so busy. This made me feel heavy. During the workshop I managed to let go emotions I have been holding inside for so long. I can see people’s auras again.”
Feedback on the question “How these practices can be transferred to our work with children/adults?”
“I would use some bits for a start or closure of a lesson, depending on the state my students are in.”
From Desislava, mother of Maria: “I would use everything at home, especially with my daughter Maria*. Her muscles are very tight. She started walking when she was 2 years old. This tightness, stiffness tires her and she falls asleep at every possibility.” (*Maria has dyslexia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia and experienced anxiousness.)
From Yana, Varna: “I would use some details from the practice as a physical activity for concentration of the children we work with.”
From Gergana, Sofia: “The focus remains trust. Trust is a long-term process. These activities and challenges build trust.”
From Julieta, Varna: “As a teacher, I would use the game with the balls for concentration, motor skills. I would also love to use the walking at different speeds as a group, without colliding with each other. As a team leader, I would again use the balls for warming up, because the teacher needs to have eyes on his/her back. Also, the game with the looking into someone’s eyes – eye contact is difficult. The self-awareness achieved by such games is amazing. We don’t know ourselves. We are surprised by our own reactions. Knowing that Gergana does not like to be touched, what she achieved is amazing.”
From Neli, Gorna Oryahovitsa: “Following with trust, regardless whether we are speaking about the team or about the class-work. The emotion, if work like this, will be greater, because we are more present like this (during after activities for psycho-motor group bonding). Building trust is very important. This would be helpful not to worry about challenges, because they help us build and grow and raise our children.”
From Zornitsa, Sofia: “We need a village to raise a child. We, the villagers, need to be our best version to help them. And our best version is not the fastest one, the most precise one, the flawless one. We should know ourselves and our troubles in order not to hurt others.”
The afternoon continued with a session for the young participants, which resulted into a mini performance. They used their bodies, communicated without the use of official languages, managed to bond on a very primal and human level and to create a group, which functioned in perfect harmony regardless of how diverse its members were. We have to remind that the group consisted of children with visual impairment from both Bulgarian and Italian teams, neurodivergencies from the two teams and hearing impairments in the Bulgarian group..
On the 16th January 2026 we had a session for analyzing the events, which took place so far and to further answer questions that have not been answered yet. The communication was flowing in a different way, more aware, better informed and prepared and in full consciousness of the responsibility, which the educators carry for the wellbeing and progress of their trainees.
Feedback in the morning of 16th Jan 2026.
From Julieta, Varna: “As a task I take it to be more welcoming and more open to people visiting our school in Varna. Additionally, considering that the stress is too much and people are easily reaching the burn-out phase, we will take the relaxation techniques in our practice.”
“I am happy that our kids created a friendship, which I would be glad to see preserved in time. All of them were so very much together, smiling and sharing. I want them to pass this attitude forward.”
“I take the value and importance of creating a safe space with freedom of expression and personal growth.”
Rositsa from GO: “I leave this event with hope that there are people who see the school as something more, considering what a huge part of the children’s lives it is.”
“For me, this was another confirmation how important art is in each of its forms and for developing the children.”
From Yana, GO: “I want to admit that that even if I was promised great things, I came with fear. Yet I understood that if I give new things a change, I can learn so much.”
From Sabrina and Gloria: “The special teachers in Ghilarza are not prepared to do anything but bureaucratic tasks. Nothing psychomotor. The focus is only on learning history or mathematics, and not on taking care of the student as a whole – body, soul and mind. We planted a seed and we need to take care of it and help it grow. We started with Sara in Bulgaria and we wanted to help continue what she started there. We wanted the work on the psychomotor and the wellbeing to grow and to continue in this direction. We, as educators, as professionals, keep looking for good practices, but much more important than simply discovering good practices, is to learn and exercise something ourselves.”
From Ina, Bulgaria: “I leave with gratitude for the amazing colleagues I met here. I am also reminded how previous art is and how it helps us understand that everyone CAN.”
The afternoon continued with the young people working together on their mini performances – continuing with the bonding process and with the common creation.
At the end of the day the mini performance was played in front of an audience, which included the adults from Bulgaria, the hosting team of Le Voci di Astarte, parents and teachers of the local young participants from Ghilarza. The young actors deserved and received appreciation and admiration for the amazing achievement and creation they conceptualized and developed within such a short term.
17th January 2026
Final expert discussions and conclusions extracted from the week in Ghilarza, which to be added to the developed methodology under the project.
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 Human Resource Development Centre (HRDC). Neither the European Union nor HRDC can be held responsible for them.
