This project, developed by Sashka Konakchiyska and Daniela Mertakchiyska in Sepereva Banya, was carried out in three stages: a research phase, a public event, and a phase in which students and teachers worked on multiplying the effects of the project and transmitting the knowledge and skills they acquired to other students and teachers.
The first stage was related to students’ exploratory and investigative work on preselected themes, such as Jewish history, Jewish traditions, the Holocaust, and the rescue of Bulgarian Jews. Based on their research, students prepared posters, multimedia presentations, and learned Jewish songs and dances. This stage also included the creative work on envisaging a monument dedicated to the Holocaust, as well as session dedicated to positive and constructive communication, as a way to foster tolerance and resolve conflicts.
In the second stage a school event was organized at the Cultural Hall to present the results of students’ research in the form of an exhibition, presentations, and an artistic performance.
The third stage was focused on the multiplying effect of the project, with the participation of students in school competitions about the Holocaust and social justice and about human rights and tolerance as an opportunity for students to learn more and understand the “others.” About 250 people participated in the event – students, teachers and parents.
Student reflection: I think that this was a really nice project because we learned about the fate of the Jews and their hard lives. The poems and the songs that we presented at the school event were of incredible interest. I was impressed by the letters of Anne Frank.”
Teachers’ reflection: The project work was really motivating and encouraging. Presented in an intriguing manner, the topic encouraged the interest of all participants from the very beginning. The different ideas for work, the opportunity for all students to take part in the project activities, as well as the freedom to express themselves and to work on a topic they selected, had great results. The research and the imaginative moment in the project made students more curious about the Holocaust and the history of the Jews.
Students are encouraged to continue their study about the Holocaust, to develop their creative skills and to present their ideas in school and beyond. Teachers will present this project and their experience in a meeting with other teachers that will take place in 2018.