Dear supporters,
Over the summer, Teach For Bulgaria alumni organized seven START Academies for students at risk of dropping out of school. This year, the academies took place in Sofia, Brestnitsa, Razgrad, Razhena, Kyustendil, and Samokov, reaching over 300 children from underprivileged communities.
The specific needs of each community require a different approach that the teachers, volunteers, and guest lecturers must take to engage the children in the learning process. Over the course of the school year, we will share stories from each START academy so you can see the impact you’ve had on the children.
We are starting the series by telling you the story of the Fakulteta neighborhood in Sofia, where the START Academy was held for the seventh consecutive year. Thirty children between the ages of 7 and 11 took part and attended Bulgarian Language classes, Mathematics, and English Language classes, as well as classes designed to target the development of key skills.
The teaching team focused on working with the children in small groups and an individualised approach, learning outdoors, collaborative teaching, and gamification. The classes were united under the general theme of “Travellers,” and each week, the children met with inspirational individuals. The guests from partner organisations shared stories of their travels in Africa, North and South America, Asia, and Australia. With tremendous excitement, the children also met with Emil Metodiev - a member of the Roma community who has visited 49 countries.
At the end of the action-packed three weeks, the children invited their parents to a half-day trip to “Kambanite” in Sofia, where the children presented the posters they worked on. Each poster contained information about a different destination that the children researched - how to get there, what documents they need to visit, and the local currency, religion, and customs.
Without your support, projects like this cannot exist. Thank you!
Sincerely,
The Teach For Bulgaria team
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Dear supporters,
Preparation for the Summer START Academies that will take place this summer is in full swing. This year Teach For Bulgaria alumni will host academies in 5 locations across the country:
Each team is expecting to greet 40 students who will be working in smaller groups of 12-15.
Each academy will feature classes this summer that will develop the students’ skills in Bulgarian Language, Maths, and soft skills. Students in the Sofia START Academy will also be working on their English Language skills. Each student will receive teaching aids and materials, a light snack, water, and a participation certificate.
Students will also have the opportunity to go on a day trip to a nearby town or village, as the overarching theme for most academies will be Travellers. The children will also meet people who have traveled the world or have visited exciting places. The final project the students will work on will be a travel guidebook. By creating the guidebook, they will have the opportunity to apply the knowledge they have learned throughout the academy.
With your continued help, we are able to make real changes to the lives of students from the most underprivileged communities in Bulgaria. Thank you for your support!
With gratitude,
The Teach For Bulgaria team
Dear supporters,
Happy New Year! May 2023 bring you happiness, peace, and prosperity!
Last year, for the 6th year in a row, Teach for Bulgaria alumni organized the Summer START academies for students from underprivileged families. 2022 was the first time the interactive summer programmes took place in 5 different locations across the country.
Each year the START academies have an overarching theme that helps students contextualize what they are learning and apply their new skills towards the final project. The children participating in the 2022 Fakulteta academy presented a fairy tale or a short story of theirs at the end of the programme.
“In the last two weeks I learned how to make a book and I really enjoyed it,” shares one of the students, whose fairy tale is titled The New Friendship.
Learn more about the 2022 Summer START academies in this video (audio in Bulgarian, closed captions in English).
Looking forward to summer 2023, we are very pleased to announce that a Teach for Bulgaria alum has taken the lead in organizing a brand new academy in Burgas, giving even more students the opportunity to continue learning.
Lastly, the theme for this summer will be Travelers, combining the Bulgarian language and Maths classes with Geography lessons. “We want to show the children how big and colorful the world is”, shares Elitsa Geneva, co-founder of the START academies in Sofia.
Thank you for making the change toward quality education for every child possible!
With gratitude,
The Teach For Bulgaria team
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