Workshop for intercultural education
07 - 08 June 2007
DVV International in Bulgaria and the Intercultural Co-operation Foundation organized on 07 - 08 June 2007 training for intercultural learning in the Bulgarian city Sevlievo in cooperation with the municipality of Sevlievo, the directorate for economic and humanitarian activities. The training had two components: on the one hand the testing of the role play Balkania with 35 students form different schools and with diverse ethnic background. Balkania was created in the beginning of this year on the basis of “Toledo- City of Tolerance Roleplay” and adapted to the Balkan context by an international expert team within the SMILE project of DVV International. The students (average age 16-17 years old) were very enthusiastic and creative while playing this innovative for their curriculum game and what was even more important, they could realize and learn the lessons of the game: recognition, understanding and tolerance towards other cultures, religions and ethnic origins.
The second aim of the workshop was to raise multicultural awareness and improve intercultural competencies of teachers and students in Bulgaria by presenting two innovative didactic tools World Cafe and Future Creating Workshop. Such methods are essential for fostering critical and constructive way of thinking and active participation of teachers and students in the social, political and economic life, thus promoting active citizenship in Bulgaria. Both methods were very good accepted by the teachers who had also very interesting issues to discuss: the intercultural education on the eve of the European Year of Intercultural Dialogue and the European in Sevlievo after the accession of Bulgaria to the EU on the 01.01.2007. They all expressed the need and the demand for further trainings for development of intercultural competencies in order to make the still rigid educational system in Bulgaria more modern, flexible and motivating for both students and teachers.
