The Bulgarian Council on Refugees and Migrants (BCRM), in partnership with the Faculty of Pedagogy of Sofia University (SU) and the State Agency for Refugees (SAR) under the Council of Ministers (CoM), organizes a Student Competition for the design of an integration activity for refugee children. The competition takes place within the framework of a BCRM project financed by UNHCR.
The competition required the design of an activity for inclusion and integration of children seeking protection and refugees accommodated in the Registration and Reception Centers of the DAB in Sofia.
Activities from the scope of non-formal education and social work were eligible, such as various courses (painting, music, dance, languages,); sports activities; creative activities; trainings; private lessons; mentoring; educational activities during free time; preventive activities; activities for personal, social and cultural development.
The evaluation of the presented projects was assigned to a committee chaired by associate professor Dr. Rositsa Simeonova, deputy dean of the Faculty of Pedagogy, SU with the participation of the chairperson of the State Agency for Refugees at the MS Mariana Tosheva, professor Siika Chavdarova-Kostova, head of the master’s program “Social Work with Refugees and Migrants”, Faculty of Pedagogy and Dr. Kina Sabeva, Chairman of the Bulgarian Council for Refugees and Migrants.
The commission unanimously ranked the project “Learning and having fun together” in first place, developed by Boryana Dimova Peycheva, a first-year student majoring in “Informal Education”, Faculty of Pedagogy, SU “St. Kliment Ohridski”.
In second place was ranked the project “Karaoke with Bulgarian songs”, developed and presented by Fani Antonova, a first-year student majoring in “Pedagogy” at the Faculty of Pedagogy, SU “St. Kliment Ohridski”.
The conditions of the competition included implementation of the project activity within the protected budget and within the planned parameters. The ranked projects were implemented on May 19. The authors of the selected projects combined the proposed activities. Boryana Peycheva organized an excursion for ten children and their mothers from the Registration Reception Centers of the DAB to Plovdiv with a visit to the Natural History Museum, the children’s corner on Mladezhkia Hill and the children’s railway. Fani Antonova organizes activities in the park and learning the song “One Bulgarian Rose”. The children enthusiastically competed in singing and games. Mothers shared their joy at the smiles and joy of cheerful children.
The student competition allowed BCRM to carry out advocacy for the inclusion and integration of refugee children. The activity impacts both youth and academic engagement for capacity building and advocacy for refugee protection and integration.
The competition not only provokes students to create projects for activities aimed at the inclusion of refugee children. The winners gained experience in the implementation of the proposed activities.
Bulgarian Council on Refugees and Migrants, the Faculty of Pedagogy of the SU and the State Agency for Refugees are satisfied with the holding of the Student Competition and appreciate that such activities contribute to the preparation of the next generation of specialists working in the field of human rights protection, integration and the creation of a supportive and tolerant environment.