Budget Donor: TELUS International Community Board Bulgaria

Duration: 01/07/2019 – 30/06/2020

Beneficiaries: children (age 7-11 years) from refugee families and Bulgarian families

General objective: The main objective of the project is to establish cultural exchange, lasting relationships and communication between children of migrant background (refugees and asylum seekers) and children from Bulgarian society. The project aims to educate children about both their commonalities and differences, and to help overcome them. The initiative addresses the need for integration and adaptation of refugee children and, at the same time, overcoming fears and prejudices in the local community.

Specific objectives:

• Reaching an alternative perspective of the Bulgarian and refugee communities against each other;
  Building successful interpersonal relationships and friendships;
• Expanding the general culture of children;
• Awareness, education and understanding of cultural differences, values and identity;
• Strengthening the opportunities for independent thought formation in children, argumentation, associative thinking, empathy, expression of emotions, improvement of communication skills;
• Mutual assistance between families and parents.
  

Activities: Holding a series of events with a duration of two astronomical hours, with the assistance of an interpreter and a mediator: co-mixing bread for children from refugee and Bulgarian families, united around different topics for each session (holidays, customs, national cuisine, seasons, home, family , friendships, traditions, etc.).